— from Islanders Saving Dolphin Bay Road —
As you may have read by now, on Tuesday the Council voted to proceed with the recommendation by Public Works to chip seal Dolphin Bay Road, notwithstanding the strong opposition and feedback received. Obviously we are very disappointed, but respect the decision of the Council.
If there is a silver lining, it is that there is a lot more awareness of the very special place many islanders consider Dolphin Bay Road to be. Public Works and Council Members promised that the current project is “just a change in the road surface” and that they are not planning any other changes at this time. We will be following progress closely during planning and paving this spring and hold the County to the promises that were made:
• no widening, straightening or striping of the road,
• no trees will be removed,
• and to look at reducing the speed limit to 20.
Rick Hughes and Brian Vincent (Public Works Director) also agreed to walk the road with residents to evaluate whether any additional steps to address other issues (e.g., safety and drainage concerns) should be considered prior to chip sealing. This may be an opportunity to thoughtfully address issues today that might lead to more invasive “fixes” down the road.
The County also stated that there are no plans to pave the south section at this time. We will work with the County to pass a resolution to preserve the remainder of the road in gravel.
We have posted more of Peter Fisher’s photos of Dolphin Bay road onhttps://www.savedolphinbayroad.org/photos.html. We’ll be adding more photos in the spring, before the road is converted.
If you have questions or would like to be informed of next steps, please send an email to receive further updates: dolphinbayroad@outlook.com.
Thank you again for signing our petition and for all your support.
Amanda Sparks, Andrew Youngren, Ken Katz, Lili Hein and Arthur de Haan, Timothy Blanchard
As I wrote last week, I say chipsealing in and of itself does not a scenic road destroy.
It could also be argued that chipsealing enhances the scenic quality of a rural road by eliminating dust accumulation on adjacent flora, bone-rattling washboard road surfaces, enhancing air quality, and heaven forbid, by attracting a greater number of bikers and motorists keen on experiencing the wonders of s curvy scenic road with its many mysteries just around the bend.
Perhaps the forest nymphs of Dolphin Bay will conjure up some place-appropriate signage to keep drivers alert to hazards and local treasures…it wouldn’t be the first time.
I find that reading the comments on controversial issues to be an effective means to judge the sense of the community. Generally, most comments are well presented and thoughtful.
Orcas Issues requires that all folks commenting on these articles identify themselves, so ….., I would ask, “does Leif have a last name”?
@Ed, Nope, just Leif. There are some in this world that go by only one name.