This event should be lively. This is a Grange-sponsored event, held at their facility scheduled for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26^TH - 7:00 p.m. (The Grange is located on the southeast corner of Cascade View Drive & Highway 2.) In addition to our local candidates, County Councilmember and Council Chair Dave Somers will be participating. As residents will recall, Dave Somers was instrumental in our effort to defeat the gravel effort earlier this year. If you wish to learn about the real issues in Sultan, and what the candidates stand for, come to this event. We stand at a significant crossroad in our development here and this election will undoubtedly change the future face of Sultan -- for good or ill. Up for election are five -- count 'em -- 5 of the 7 council seats.

Here's a novel idea: How about electing people who have absolutely nothing to gain financially, and have only one agenda: Helping us create a quality future.

Both the attendance and testimony at the October 4^th hearing was sparse, perhaps because news has not yet reached the majority of hard-working families who are not "plugged in" to city activities.

There are numerous problems with the EIS, not the least of which is that the city has once again put the cart before the horse. This document is entirely dependent upon future and hopeful infrastructure improvements being in place (e.g., four lanes on Route 2 from Sultan through to Monroe), as well as heavy reliance on Sultan codes at the time of development, and good intentions which lead you-know-where.

Some other problems are…

• The city has not yet restored the wetlands that were destroyed during construction of the Wagley LID-97, which would satisfy a U. S. Corps of Army Engineers' mandated restoration plan, and this requirement has been blissfully omitted from the EIS document. The EIS instead appears to use a baseline of conditions as they currently exist.
• The original and prejudicial survey, which was the basis and justification for the Industrial Park Master Plan, resulted in a total of only 375 responses out of thousands sent (apparently) to Monroe, Gold Bar, Snohomish and Index, and of those, only 115 individuals indicated they would be interested in local jobs. This is not exactly a resounding endorsement for development.
• In addition to traffic forecasts/studies being based on four lanes from Sultan through Monroe, 1997 ITE (Int. of Traffic Eng.) data was used in forecasts, as well as a foolish 2% growth factor. The assumption of 2% growth along the Route 2 corridor, even in these perhaps impending recessionary times, is ludicrous.
• The EIS relies almost entirely on assumptions of hoped-for scenarios and is richly punctuated with the following words in describing future conditions for essential services and infrastructure: "may," "should be," "it is anticipated," etc.
• Traffic "mitigation" measures rely heavily on "blue sky" scenarios such as a "regional trail system," a density of development which "may eventually lead" to increased Community Transit service and routes, and "informational kiosks" to advise residents of available car and van pools.
• Sewer plant capacity expansion will be required, assuming "city-wide development also occurs" (duh). )The current sewer plant is rated to serve a maximum population of 4848. According to the most recent "official" count, as reported by the 2000 Census and updated by Craig Bruner, our population stands at 3775, with another 350 conservatively to be added in the near future.
• Average daily traffic counts used for this study fall significantly shy of the last officially-reported WSDOT figures for SR 2 through Sultan of 23,000 vehicles per day, estimated currently by WSDOT at 25,000 vehicles per day. This would make the build-out figures of between 38,365 and 40,889 per day look even more dismal, unless and until funding for four-lane enlargement occurs soon.
• Last, but certainly not least, the density and concomitant infrastructure, whether made by "Man" or "Mother Nature," paints a bleak picture for our quality of life.

There are some things we can do to help ensure a brighter future than is depicted in this EIS: COME TO TUESDAY's HEARING and let the city know what YOUR VISION is for the city. Don't assume other people are aware of this issue and hearing -- talk to your neighbors and let them know! Get Involved in building our future. Also, you can VOTE A NEW COUNCIL in November 6^th.

The Route 2 Safety Coalition authored a letter to Congressman Rick Larsen, requesting $1.3 million in funds to improve the SBR/Rt. 2 intersection. A copy of their letter, along with Congressman Larsen's response, is shown as a link on the front page of my website. Call me cynical, but I can't help but feel that the urgency to improve this intersection has less to do with safety than it does to facilitate future development, namely the industrial area.

Ironically, improvements to this intersection could also facilitate, at least in part, a solution which could pave the way for future gravel trucks, courtesy of DNR. Time will tell.

Widening to Four Lanes? Don't hold your breath. During the week of October 1^st, I spoke to both Kathy George and Rick Mitchell of WSDOT. Ms. George said the Monroe Bypass is currently unfunded, as is any enlargement of Route 2 to four lanes. Currently there exists only $100,000 by which to perform a "study" of the Monroe bypass. As far as enlarging Route 2 to four lanes is concerned, Ms. George said that those improvements are currently unfunded. And even if the funds had been identified in their "20 year financially unconstrained plan" (which means the legislature had identified funds for the project), it would still take a minimum of four years to perform an EIS, another two years to acquire right-of-way and reevaluate the project (perform more studies), and another two to three years to construct. On its sunniest, most optimistic side this means 8-10 years into the future. And that scenario ASSUMES funding is available, which in the current economic and legislative climate is about as likely as approving a rapid transit system to Sultan.

Rick Mitchell described the two WSDOT scenarios for improvements. They put projects into either "constrained 20-year plans" or "unconstrained 20-year plans." He explained that when a project appears in a constrained" plan it simply means they have a rough cost estimate projected and that there may be funds to proceed. If a project is listed in the "unconstrained" plan it means "we don't have the money but this is what we would ideally like to have."

Current Accident Data:

Pat Foley of WSDOT gave me a report on accidents through Sultan. According to Ms. Foley there have been 80 accidents within the city limits (or just outside the limits, mileposts 21 through 24) from 1/1/99 to 12/31/00.

Brady Boucher, son of Ed "Chico" Boucher, has placed his name in nomination to be considered as a planning commissioner. We can think of no greater parody of the planning process than to approve his selection. Boucher is not only the petitioner in a failed recall effort against Dr. Mark Raney (which was found to have no factual or legal sufficiency), but his father is a pro-development activist whose hawkish property rights views border on militancy, and his brother, Dusty, is a candidate running for a council seat. Granted, Sultan is still a small town which has cross-ties and -relationships because of close and traditional relationships, but, c'mon… Let's get a grip on what a planning commission is supposed to do: It is supposed to plan for EVERYONE's future, not just those interested in seeing how much property can be bought, sold, developed and resold. I mean, if Brady gets approved we might just as well rename Sultan "Boucher's Bijou."

DNR - GRAVEL ISSUES:

Although this subject has gone to sleep temporarily, to paraphrase "Ah-nold" in The Terminator, "IT'LL BE BACK." The Minutes from the July and August DNR Board of Directors meetings have been posted on my website, if you care to read them. They will help you keep up with what's going on.

We have links to all the candidates websites on our web page. Or, at least, all of those websites of which we're aware.

We have heard that the ecological/buffer mitigation plan for Winters Creek for this high profile community has been approved by Craig Bruner. It is our understanding that ecological determinations and/or approvals of this type can only be done by a qualified planner, at the least.

The city has not yet responded to the Willow Run residents' list of grievances which was submitted several weeks ago. At the very least, they have still not addressed in any meaningful way the issue of the ill-placed fire hydrant. As you may recall from previous updates, this hydrant was placed close-in between two driveways, which makes it "illegal" for the residents to park in them without violating fire codes. (This is covered as a public comment item during the council meeting, later in this report.)

BOUCHER SHORT-PLAT, GOHR AND TROUT FARM ROAD
There is much activity on this lot, although as of the latest planning status report, the city is still waiting to receive a habitat report from Mr. Boucher.

Summary - Hearing on Budget Amendment
No public comments were made. Carolyn Eslick commended Laura for her hard work on the budget.

Jay Lehman (Willow Run Resident): This was Jay's fourth request (at the least) at a council meeting, asking that the fire hydrant problem be resolved. (It infringes upon two driveways, making parking by homeowners in those driveways essentially illegal.) Craig Bruner responded by saying that the "developer will be getting a three-foot clearance that is required around the hydrant," and that he was "sending a letter out to that effect." Jay requested that Craig explain the meaning of the 3-foot clearance and Craig said that the clearance is required in order for a fireman to be able to turn the valve. Jay asked for clarification on the driveway parking problem, to which Craig gave a long, rambling and confusing explanation, which failed to address Jay's question. Mayor Rowe indicated he was also confused. Craig's solution was that the driveways need to be "angled." (This "solution" would render the driveways unusable.) In total and understandable frustration Jay finally said, "This is crazy, you guys!" After further questioning it was determined that the developer still owns one of the two units, so they are still in control of the property. There is still no resolution forthcoming on this problem, apparently. Although later in the meeting Craig said, "I'll enforce that hydrant if we [unintelligible] from public works and building department oversee the construction of it. The hydrant will be dealt with one way or another: She'll [Veronica Haywood] either get the clearance or she'll move the hydrant. And we'll hold her bond until she gets it done."

Larry Koehler (Candidate for city council and past mayor of Sultan): Called the county prosecutor to obtain an answer on the question of attaching flags to candidate election signs. He called three times, and each time spoke to someone different. "They did not know nothin' about it," Larry said. He said he thought there might be a problem with the quality of the flags that are hung, but his flags are okay. He "got the information that the flags that he has are legal," because he called the U. S. Courthouse in Seattle, "and they told me the same thing in so many words." The mayor seemed confused as to why Larry was concerned, and Larry indicated the article in the Monroe Monitor, to which the mayor responded that he had not read it. After brief discussion, someone suggested that the city attorney should comment on it., which he did not. (By way of explanation, the Washington State RCW's said that it is illegal for flags to be attached to campaign signs.

Brady Boucher (Son of Ed "Chico" Boucher, running for a spot on the Planning Commission): Said he didn't have a problem with people flying the flag. Thanked Bob Ostrom for bringing to light the status of the city's finances.

Chavez [spelling uncertain] (Willow run resident): Asking for something other than "lip service" re the list of items they submitted to the city of things requiring resolution. Said that "we are human beings, too," and just because the developers have money, they should not have to stand still and "allow them to run all over us." Requested information on fire-proofing required due to building side set-backs being too close. Craig indicated that the code requires that any building closer than three feet from the property line or an assumed property line between two structures have a one-hour firewall grating on that exterior portion of one of the walls," and "You gotta realize that the codes are minimum. They will not stop your house from burning down." The mayor chimed in and said, "We can only enforce what the codes call for. We don't have the power to do more than that." Craig also said, "You should realize that the Uniform codes are minimum codes. They do not guarantee fire safety. They've been developed over, oh, perhaps 100 years." He said the best fire protection is separation between buildings, a greater depth than three feet. The mayor said, "Anything that we can do will be done before we sign off on it. And they would like to get their bond released, so I'm surprised they're not doing more to clear up their punch-list, 'cause I know they want to get out from under the bond." Mr. Chavez(?) said, "Here the city of Sultan is making exceptions. Why? Because of threats of lawsuit? Because she has a heck of a lot more money than me as a -- ? I don't know." The mayor said, "We haven't made any exception. We're just following the guidelines we have to go by."

Bart Dalmasso (A member of the Planning Commission appearing as a private resident; he distributed a graphic he had made up regarding the cluster ordinance): Spoke on behalf of the cluster ordinance. He had originally used the Thurston County cluster ordinance as the basis for Sultan's draft ordinance because he felt that attorneys down there must know what they're doing (since they're close to the state capitol). He then gave the ordinance to Tom Green, who made some revisions, one of which was to increase the minimum acreage to three acres, another was to exclude commercial development. Bart's dilemma now is "how do we comply with the Growth Management Act and keep the open space, preserve the environment and do what we're supposed to do in with the city?" He expressed concerns that Sultan may not be in compliance with the GMA which might impact future grants. Bart tried handing out diagrams -- which were short-stopped by the mayor so the city attorney could review them first -- to which Attorney Graafstra said, "It's your discretion if you want to show this. This is not a quasi-judicial proceeding. It's just citizen comment. You want to allow this to be circulated to council members, you can do that." Bart responded to criticism about the lot sizes and setbacks on clusters by saying, "you'll have approximately 25% taken up for … impervious surfaces [for infrastructure]. The second diagram shows a 5,000 s.f. lot and you'll notice that the amount of open space reduces from 25% from the ordinance to 18%, and when you get to 6,000 s.f. lots you only have about 2,000 s.f. per acre of open space, less than -- or right about 6%." Relative to the setbacks, Bart said that arbitrarily setting setbacks without regard to the overall layout or environment might contradict the intent of the ordinance which is to preserve the natural beauty of the area.

Ed "Chico" Boucher (Long-time resident and developer and owner of the Dutch Cup Restaurant): Chico's wished to speak relative to Larry Koehler's comments on the flag displays and Dr. Mark Raney's observance that displaying the American flag on candidate signs is illegal. Chico asked, "Has Mark got a problem with that? -- or his RCW's, I should say -- do they have a problem with that? Is that, using the flag to do some whatever-it-was you think Larry's doing?" Mark responded, "Chico, I'm no lawyer, but I don't think so. We have a flag outside the clinic I work in. We flew ours at our home at half-mast through the appropriate time and then raised it to full height appropriately. I don't think you're using your flag in the restaurant -- I was there today -- correctly." To which Chico responded, "Then why in God's name would you think that somebody advertising for a city council position would be using a, the American flag in some kind of a law-breaking situation?" Mark: "Well, I've spent the last two weeks entertaining guests from Scotland and drove around most of the west side of the mountains -- " [interrupted by Chico, who said, "I bet you seen lots of American flags."] Mark: "I didn't see a single one on a campaign sign except in Sultan."

Carolyn Eslick: Has concerns regarding use of the old council chambers being rented by the Vitality Church. The deal they have for using the building is that they are allowed to use it for one hour before the service, for the duration of the service, and then one hour after the service. They have essentially "moved in" at this point. They have left their musical equipment, tables, etc., and have also moved around city furniture and not put it back where it was originally situated. Carolyn says the room cannot be rented to anyone else in that condition. We need to either charge them per square foot, or tell them that they've over-extended themselves and they need to find their own facility. There's a possible question of liability for their possessions, should someone else wish to rent the room and then damage what's there. They are charged $80/month with full use of the facility. Ostrom: Whatever they need for their functions should be brought in for the service and removed afterwards. It was agreed that the city would send them a letter demanding compliance.

Governor's Small Business Improvement Council meeting: The group had a meeting with the Governor's aide, during which they were to present a proposal from the about small businesses and the crisis they are facing with the current economy. Paul [sounds like, "Ee-sock-ee"], the governor's aide, spent about 25 minutes reprimanding them for "approaching the office with requests for continual funding." This was apparently reflective of the state of the State's economy, which seems to be fairing no better than Sultan. The Committee is in the process of setting up another meeting with the governor next spring, although Carolyn has been on the committee for two years and has yet to meet with the governor, even though they were supposed to be doing that annually. The governor's staff requested that we not present new programs, but to assist in reorganizing current programs which may benefit small businesses.

Bob Ostrom: Said that as of 9/1/01 the state adjusted it's forecast which was estimated at $450 million shortfall. Later in the month it moved to $500 million, which is 3% of the state's general fund budget. Today he heard it would be close to a billion dollars. Spoke at length on the state's mandatory requirements in certain areas (i.e., updating the Comprehensive Plan) without financially assisting in implementation of same, and the resulting frustrations and cost.

Mark Raney: Thanked Bart Dalmasso for his comments on clusters. Part of the delay is trying to obtain a copy of Snohomish County's cluster ordinance. Asked Craig if the fire department has approved of the Willow Run fire hydrant problem, to which Craig said he disagreed they need to sign off on the revision since they (apparently) had the original plat available to comment on. Carolyn pointed out that the buildings had changed positions since the one on which the F. D. gave approval. Councilmember Raney urged review and approval by the fire department prior to action. Mark asked if the developer has been charged for the time he's been spending on this and Craig said he spends a lot of time on all the developments. Then Mark said, "We've just heard that we made more development to pay for city services, and I think the only way that development pays its way is if the city charges for the services that we provide. Otherwise, we're functioning as their engineers and staff people….And there's not a mechanism in our billing for that time to be charged? The same way that Mr. Graafstra charges when he looks at a proposed ordinance change for us?"

Perry McPherson: Perry McPherson requested that the codes be updated to tighten up fire hydrant parameters for future developments. Asked what the status was for removal of the old Eagle Ridge developer sign, and Craig responded that Craig Morrison, the developer, has requested that the sign remain up because he's building a new development west of Eagle Ridge. When the developer applies for the application, the issue can be reviewed by the council at that time.

Cindy Broughton: Cindy asked Craig if the fire hydrant valve arrangement is common in residential areas, to which Craig responded it was probably more common in a commercial area. Cindy requested that we revisit the code which stipulates only a 3-foot high firewall.

Jim Porter: Said he sympathized with Craig for "having to contend with that thing in the mess it is. It's been a mess ever since it was adopted in '95." It cost $9,000 originally, and he said, "I'd be willing to spend another $9,000 if we could get it right, to have something a person can work with."

Regarding Bob Ostrom's comments on the budget, Jim said "We've seen here in the last 10 years an unreal financial system in America," and he sees harder times for the future.

He asked Connie Dunn, Public Works Director, how the water reservoir fencing was coming along, to which Connie responded three sides have been done.

Re the Eagle Ridge sign, Porter suggested it be put in a different location. Perry clarified that he was primarily interested in finding out whether or not they ever had a permit or permission to put the sign up in the first place.

Rob Criswell: Said he was also upset about the subject of the flags. He doesn't see any problem with them and that people are nit-picking on the subject just to "stir things up."

Mayor Rowe comments: "I have one comment. Carolyn, you mentioned that the homes being moved around out in Willow Run, have you ever looked at the overlays that Craig's got in his office of where the original proposed conceptual drawings were? Where you lay one over the top of the other one?" to which Carolyn replied, "It's been a long time." Rowe: "Go up and take a look. I think you'd be surprised at how minimal the movements were." Eslick: "Even according -- in alignment with that one street that we're talking about?" Rowe: "If you take the original one, which I call a conceptual drawing when it was a condominium proposal, when it was nine lots and it end up [unintelligible], where the buildings would be and where the, you know, a line basically, an imaginary line between where the buildings would be? Take that and take the overlay of what the first short plat was that the council approved and the second plat? Very minimal changes. I was surprised." Eslick: "Well, my question, then, is I know that we sent those maps to the chief -- or maybe you [unintelligible], the fire chief, but I know he looked at them or one of his staff members. Did he look at them when the buildings were on it, on the map? Or just the preliminary development there?" Rowe: "Preliminarily when we asked for their input on it, if you'll remember, they -- I forget the exact words, but they said they were not into the design. They didn't want anything to do with it at that point. Then after it went in and they saw how narrow the streets were, then that's when the [unintelligible]. Now I think the next development, they'll get into it from the get-go. At least I would hope they would." Eslick: "It seems to me that I remember it a little different. I remember it as the chief or his staff looked at it and thought things were fine although they were not going to make any official notice about it. I think that's how I remember it." Rowe: "Anyway, they could have more input, I guess."

SCHOOL: Discussion on the mitigation fees were tabled until the next meeting.

DONNA MURPHY: Advised there would be a downtown beautification meeting at 7:00 p.m. on October 9^th in community center. It will be an open house, hosted by Ramona Quesinberry. Talked about the possibility of installing old-fashioned street lights and how much they would cost. [tape problems continued]

A Marketing Plan meeting for the commercial area was held. Subjects discussed were to determine the overall product of Sultan and the goal of the plan, which was broken down into action items for each member, working towards a statement of an overall guiding principle for the marketing plan, identifying the city codes preventative to development, identify the quality of life attributes of Sultan, and complete an inventory of attributes of the demographics of the area. Michael Kaye of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council is assisting the city in this effort. Fiber optics availability for the east end of the city will depend upon significant interest and larger demand.

Three grant applications were submitted to the TIB (Traffic [Transportation] Improvement Board). Two for SR 2/Sultan Basin Road and the approach to the traffic signal, and the third was for Pedestrian/sidewalks on First Street. Totaled $1.1 million.

Applied for another grant in the amount of $7,500 for technology, and if approved, a webmaster to maintain the city's website.

The Employee Volunteer Appreciation Potluck is scheduled for Wednesday, October 10^th (call city for time).

The Industrial Plan EIS hearing was held on the 4^th, another one coming up on the 16^th at 7:00 p.m.

The Downtown Beautification meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9^th at 7:00 p.m.

Appointments to Planning Commission: Interviews of candidates. Brady Boucher interview, or as much as we had on tape, follows…

BB I put a bunch of information in a resume for you. Hopefully you all got a chance to look at it. There was, there was, there was a sense of urgency in, in getting a planning commissioner into planning. Planning has been going very slow, uh, at most of its operations. And a big part of that is, uh, the fact that the people doing the voting are the only ones that can be doing the voting. There's not enough planning commissioners. So in order to get a quorum certain people have to be there every single time. Since then there's been some timing scheduling changed to where that, that has been somewhat alleved, alleviated, excuse me. But, uh, at that time I was approached by two coun--by two planning commissioners and asked to, uh, asked to, uh, apply. Not asked to apply, but suggested that I apply. And, um, I considered it, and, uh, actually discussed it with a couple other planning commissioners, and the general consensus -- in fact a few of, uh, a couple of them there even let me put them down as a resume, as a -- excuse me, as a reference. And what it came to was four of the five planning commissioners gave the con--general opinion that they would like to see the m--me on the planning commission. One, two, three, four, yeah. So, uh, I discussed it with my family, looked, uh, looked at the situation where it fits into my schedule, uh, where I lose as far as family time, how it applies to my job, and it does fit. So I…looked into the planning commission's requirements and seen that I, I fulfill all the requirements and therefore that's when I wrote up a resume and I submitted it. I am, uh, I'm eager to help in the planning commission. I have not, uh….what? I'm, I'm eager to help and I'd like, I'd like to do so as soon as possible, and I'm here for your, uh, for your support on that as, as a potential member. And I'd like to hear some, uh, feedback, some questions. I'm, uh, available to answer any right now.

CH I have one question, Brady, Bart, uh,

BB Absolutely.

CH So he knew…. Is that something you'd give any thought …" [Began having recorder problems again and was not able to get the rest of the meeting, most of which consisted of a detailed discussion on revisions to the fee schedule.]

Loretta Storm
www.ittakesgrit.org

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