UPDATE 3-22-06
FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS:
· The Sky Valley Historical Society will be holding a BAKE SALE to kick off ticket sales to their -- dare I say? 2nd Annual? -- TEA & FASHION SHOW (which was such a sold-out success last year). ALSO on sale will be the Society's new cookbook. TIME & PLACE: 10:00 a.m., Friday, March 24th, Sultan's Coastal Community Bank at 5th & Main.
· BOOK SALE: The Sultan Friends of the Library semi-annual media & book sale will be held Saturday, April 8th, from 8:30 to 5 PM, 319 Main Street.
· Sultan's "I-am-my-own-grandpa" Council-cum-planning agency met last evening and decided (i.e., "took action") to delay their entry into the Planning Agency/Commission arena by putting forth a full court press to advertise for, and find local citizens interested in performing this function on a temporary, interim basis. One change they suggested was the time of service could be limited to only two years so the commitment would not be so time-onerous. Led by Councilwoman Kristina Blair (Slawson), City Attorney Thom Graafstra and Interim City Administrator Leeland Walton, the council/Plng. Agency took a divergence from Ord. 904-06, which abolished Sultan's previous Planning Commission, naming the current council as a Planning "Agency." (More details and explanation later -- along with the audio -- can be located on our website later this week/weekend.) Sultan City Council last night echoed ours (and others') constant and by-now-weary requests that the City ramp up its level of professionalism, especially in the area of public participation, making it clear that the City's website, at least, needs work. (One rhetorical question we particularly enjoyed regards this subject was from Kristina Blair, asking how a non-paid citizen volunteer organization -- us -- can manage to maintain and update a website better than a fully-paid city staff.) But the council also expressed frustration in the City's lack in addressing other, more effective, means of communicating with the public. Kudos, guys. Your leadership in this area can be a big step in the right direction.
· U. S. 2 Safety Coalition's next meeting will be 7 PM, Monday, March 27th. Their agenda is attached An "unpublished" new agenda item will undoubtedly also include the details of a mid-April U. S. 2 Corridor Public Meeting scheduled in joint partnership with another significant state agency. (Details will be announced next week, probably. Stay tuned.)
· CTED's excellent "Short Course on Planning" will be given in Sultan on Monday, April 10th (check the city's or our website for details: www.ci.sultan.wa.us or www.ittakesgrit.org
· A DOCUMENTARY IS BEING FILMED IN SKY VALLEY: Financed by the American Rivers organization, videotaped interviews are being conducted for a 40-minute documentary related to issues surrounding the tsunami of growth slated to occur along Sky Valley's Skykomish River. It is American Rivers' hope that this documentary film -- which is our understanding will be made available to municipalities and others -- will be to help educate and inform the often-diverse perspectives and spark intelligent discourse. Some of their interviews will include Mayor Tolson, Lee Walton (and other Sultan staff members), local farmers Matt Craven and Ed Hussman, former Planning Commissioner Josie Fallgatter and myself. The director is seeking a broad spectrum of input and opinions to achieve the greatest level of objectivity.
· We are thus far impressed with Sultan's Interim City Administrator Lee Walton. He appears to have the "right stuff" and has expressed a commitment to try and resolve DEEP-SEATED issues related to egregious problems/incompetencies that exist within Sultan's public process as well as in the long-term "planning" arena.
AND THE "BAD" NEWS IS.....
· Re the Sultan council-cum-planning agency meeting last night, despite the best of intentions, their actions were just that: ACTIONS. Neither the two Legal Notices published in the Herald for that meeting (i.e., a notice of the meeting and a list/schedule of tasks required to complete an update of Sultan's Comp Plan) nor the Planning Agency's agenda communicated the existence of a council quorum (or, even, that council members were members of the Planning Agency), despite city attorney Graafstra's explanation following Mr. Cisar's initial summary of tasks, which began the meeting. (More on this later, on our website.) Sultan's council meeting tomorrow night (3/21) includes a hearing on Sultan's Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) within the council meeting itself, "advertised" as a "Planning Agency" hearing. What, we wonder, will the city do about that? A delay is appropriate, considering the legal questions surrounding the Council-as-Plng-Agency, as well as the information we have received from Kristin Kelly of Futurewise that the public process by the City of Sultan on this ordinance has been significantly tainted. This, of course, will offer a platform upon which a possible future appeal of the CAO can be made. Some of these issues involve work product as basic as the various and incorrect city revisions that have been issued of the draft ordinance and the City's refusal -- or ineptitude -- in incorporating comments from Fish & Wildlife and DOE, NOT a good situation. For a statewide agency such as Futurewise and the Pilchuck Audubon Society, which Ms. Kelly represents, to try and make comments on this significant document which may, or may not be, a "final draft," is utterly unacceptable.
· Prior to the Sultan Council meeting tomorrow night a hearing is scheduled on its Shoreline Management Program (SMP) at 5:30 PM. This is a ghastly time to be holding a hearing on an issue of such impact to Sultan and to the Skykomish River Valley (most folks are driving home from work), especially considering the number of Citizens (and agency representatives) who attended the FIRST hearing earlier this month, only to be sent home due to a lack of council quorum. Please, Sultan, reschedule this hearing too, for TWO IMPORTANT REASONS: The SMP process should not be reviewed/approved until AFTER the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) is completed, due to inherent inconsistencies that would result from such action. (Sultan's rickety old cart-before-the-horse sure is getting a workout these days....) SULTAN'S FINANCIAL SYSTEM switch from the old BARS accounting system to its new SPRINGBROOK accounting software program is proving to be a bit more challenging than anticipated. (A great big Duh! for that big revelation!) On the plus side, however, rumor has it that staff is impressed with the capabilities of the Springbrook program, so that certainly bodes well. (I'm certain that Sultan's department heads will be grateful to finally be able to receive monthly -- or even quarterly -- reports of where they stand on their department's budget.)
Drive U. S. 2 as if your life depended upon it, Loretta Storm, Co-founder
www.ittakesgrit.org
AGENDA_0603273.doc