EPRC Mulls Stormwater, Roads, Trails and Kiosks

Next meeting tomorrow, Thursday July 11 at 3 p.m. in the Eastsound Fire Hall

By Margie Doyle

At the June 6 meeting of the Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC), members worked with the public, notably Orcas Island school students, to move forward on a stormwater project making use of rainwater runoff at the corner of Prune Alley and Main Street in Eastsound, near property occupied by Ray’s Pharmacy.

Linda Lyshall, the county’s new Conservation District Manager discussed funding of up to $25,000 for stormwater diversion that will expire if not used in September. The funds are tied up in the implementation of cost-share projects (the “shared cost” could be labor) for Eastsound. She asked the EPRC to identify priority projects, and advocated the EPRC’s Streetscape Plan as a “demonstration project.”

Nathan Hodges, who is working at Orcas High School with Marta Branch’s class, through an arrangement with the local ecology non-profit, Kwiaht, commented that stormwater runoff is the #1 source of pollution in the marine environment. He said the project was “topical, current and pertinent to environmental studies.” He proposed that the marine technology students, who were also in attendance at the EPRC meeting, could undertake the project this summer.

The EPRC asked that the class share their online project presentation with all members of the committee, and said they were grateful that the students made it possible to take advantage of the funding.

Collaboration with the newly-organized Youth Conservation Corps and the Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens (FEAST) summer workshops was suggested. The EPRC agreed to support the Marine Technology class and also suggested stormwater runoff improvement projects near the Mount Stormwater Treatment Plant behind the Stage on the Village Green.

The funding is on the agenda for tomorrow’s EPRC meeting.

EPRC member Clyde Duke said, “I think a lot of people would step up to the plate [for stormwater treatment] if they knew about it and how they could benefit from it.”

On that happy note, the meeting continued over some bumpy roads, figuratively speaking.

Transportation/Comprehensive Plan

At its June meeting the EPRC discussed the new, seven-year transportation element of the County Comprehensive Plan,  which will go into effect 2014 through 2021, after the current transportation element plan expires.

The general overview of the plan deals with how people should work together in different county departments:

• Health and human services coordinates low income, special populations, and veteran needs
• Parks, trails and natural areas has a new plan, obtained after much public outreach, and incorporating Scenic Byways plans.

The County Planning Commission would like all the trails consolidated in one map, however, even that goal is complex  in that the Parks Department tracks recreational trails, while the Public Works Department tracks right-of-way trails.  County Staff are not recommending follow-through on the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the EPRC was told.

Widening of the Orcas Road from the ferry landing to Eastsound is in the new Transportation Plan, in “new policies.”

EPRC Member Fred Klein asked if the transportation element looks at providing public transportation; he observed that the plan does not address “combined multi-modal services, considering cars, pedestrians, and bicycles.” He said that in the last 25 years the Orcas Island has been frustrated in its “desire … to create a bike path from the ferry to Eastsound at least.”

Member Teri Williams asked that Public Works consider the Eastsound county dock  at Madrona Point when it considers the levels of service in the plan.

Prune Alley Streetscape Plan

The Streetscape Plan, to develop sidewalks and curbs on certain corners on Prune Alley, began in late 2011, piggy-backing onto the scheduled 2014 chip-sealing of the Eastsound thoroughfare. EPRC member Fred Klein and Eastsound Design Review Committee member, Architect Bill Trogden, have met with property owners about the plan over the past year, and have more recently met with all utility providers and presented the plan to OPALCO.

The County’s 2013 budget includes over $200,000 in engineering for the design of the Prune Alley Streetscape improvements, and there is $500,000 in county funds for engineering the project in 2013-14, contingent on the county’s receipt of $650,000 Complete Streets program.

Kiosks

A discussion of requirements for kiosks in Eastsound produced lively debate among the EPRC. Member Ken Katz produced a draft document for discussion purposes, and audience members misunderstood the process, thinking that the draft was a done deal.

Katz reassured the meeting that his draft was only “throwing ideas out. I researched what other communities are doing and put a restrictive blanket on the whole thing, just a working draft to get stuff down on paper and have people weigh in. We had no language to work with [until now].

EPRC member Clyde Duke said that the advisory committee would “do well to consider the cultural implications” when addressing the definition, size, mobility and utility use of kiosks.

Member Greg Ayers added that the group’s focus was on ‘kiosks,’ “not mobile food trucks.” In the past, kiosks have not had utilities and were used for dispensing information and making reservations (no money exchanged).

Fred Klein said he’d have “qualms about merchandise kiosks…. I don’t want to see people coming in at the height of the season and sweeping the cream off when people who have all-year businesses have been scratching all winter. The last thing I’d like to see is a cute kiosk with an empty storefront behind it.”

From the audience Jared Lovejoy commented that Klein’s viewpoint may be “protecting high building rents at the cost of seasonal merchants.”

Duke pointed out that the high cost of owning property in Eastsound drives business owners to locate “out of town.”

The EPRC agreed to address those distinctions in future meetings, starting with “informational types” this Thursday, followed by non-food sales in August, and finally, vending food types in September.

There will be ample opportunity for public input and a further round of public meetings held by the planning department after our recommendations.

Also scheduled for this Thursday’s meeting is a Council update from Orcas Councilman Rick Hughes, the review of two residential plans, discussion of “A” Street improvements, Prune Alley Streetscape Plan, Shoreline Master Plan, the Eastsound Sub-area Update Plans, and the stormwater raingarden funding.

The EPRC members are Gulliver Rankin, Clyde Duke, Teri Williams, Fred Klein, Ken Katz , Jobin Suthergreen and Greg Ayers. They meet regularly on the first Thursday of each month from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall.