Waldron Continues to Wait for Dock Repairs

— from Stan Wagner —

I live on Waldron and we are served by a county dock which is the only year round dock on the Island. It is used for loading and unloading the mail, passengers and freight. In March of 2016 it was in bad shape and the head of Public Works who had seen the dock when he visited said that his crews would fix it soon.

When the county commissioners came in August of 2016 we asked why it was still not repaired and again were told it would be fixed in a very short time. The Council chairman who we share with the Orcas district was particularly adamant that it would be done within weeks.

When I picked up packages from the dock house on Wednesday of last week the dock was still not repaired and the splinters and ankle busters (large cracks in the planks which can trap feet, and wheels) remained. We receive very few county services on Waldron, and the dock is the major one, as it it a critical link to our roads. We pay a lot in taxes, but we seem to be getting very little for our funds.

I can only conclude that the elected folks, the county manager and the managers in public works are not fulfilling their duty. Perhaps they should get the risk manager over to to Waldron to tell them how much it might cost the county if there are any more accidents such as happened two days ago when a resident stepped right through a rusty ladder rung and had to be taken to the emergency room in Friday Harbor where he received nine stitches and a lot of clean up.

It would be nice if we were receiving what we believe we have paid for, and were confident that the county will not need to pay for more injury claims caused by the failure to repair.