Shelter Bay board declines deciding on Town water

The Shelter Bay Community Board of Directors chose to not make a decision on participating in the Town of La Conner’s phase I planning of its water main replacement project at its February 14 meeting. Instead, Board President Anne Hays sent Mayor Ramon Hayes a series of questions on two topics in a February 16 letter: Fire flow and Phase I planning for the replacement of the transmission main under La Conner Whitney Road.

The Town government asked for a decision on participation throughout 2017. Shelter Bay board and staff have responded to each request with lists of questions. Both parties met last Friday. Mayor Ramon Hayes informed Hays in a February 22 letter that “at the end of the meeting, we will ask you to inform us of Shelter Bay’s decision by the close of business on February 28, 2018.” Hays did not have a decision for the Town at the February 23 meeting.

A February 26 memo from Board President Hays to Mayor Hayes did not mention Phase I planning for the replacement of the transmission main.

The Town’s position, reiterated by Hayes at the January 31 town hall meeting at the Shelter Bay clubhouse, is that the Community is obligated by its contract with La Conner to pay for Phase I planning at a rate of 40 percent of costs. Hayes’ February 22 letter stated that one option is for Shelter Bay “to terminate its relationship with the Town immediately and cease to be a wholesale customer.”

Hayes five-page letter provides four options Shelter Bay has, and stated “the Town must make a decision shortly on how to proceed.” The next to last paragraph explains “the Town must act without delay in order to ensure that the replacement water lines are installed this summer. ... We understood that Shelter Bay was poised to make a decision at its February 14th meeting, and we are disappointed that your decision has not yet been made. It is time for us to proceed.”

In that letter Hayes again emphasized “the need to proceed immediately to safeguard the water supply for all those who rely on the Town’s water system.”

Board President Hays’ response to the Weekly News did not answer questions regarding participation in the Phase I planning or address the potential termination of the contract with the Town of La Conner.