Center Street and Tribal sewer rate increases heard

La Conner Town council members and meeting attendees felt the heat during the July 26 in-person session.

This time, though, the heat was related more to weather than the various hot topics the council has dealt with this year.

“Let’s get out of this heat,” Mary Wohleb implored immediately after Mayor Ramon Hayes gaveled adjournment. It was a unanimous sentiment.

Before Hayes wielded his gavel, those in the audience chipped away at key issues that will not soon melt away.

Gary Nelson, a local builder, lifelong La Conner resident and former planning commissioner, addressed concerns with the housing development on the former Hedlin’s Maple Avenue property, where 10 homes are going up on about 1.5 acres.

Residents Linda Talman, Maggie Wilder and Jim Matthews each spoke to the controversial condominium proposal for Center Street, which after two reviews by hearing examiner David Lowell, is now remanded back to the Town.

Talman cited what she called “the two elephants in the room” regarding the Center Street project – parking and Town oversight. She said new residents will consume parking slots now used by The Slider Café.

Talman questioned the Town’s ability to oversee the project, including soil testing properly conducted on spots likely to have been impacted by the fuel tanks that once stood on the property when it was first a Chevron and later an Exxon full-service station.

“We’re back to square one,” said Talman, noting a 1986 agreement between the Town and then-property owners Jerry and Donna Blades to rezone the lots north of the fuel station building from residential to commercial use subject to an historic design review process.

That 36-year-old pact, which was apparently misfiled and not codified into ordinance form, was discovered earlier this year through dogged pursuit by Talman of public records.

“The Town,” said Talman, “will be in charge of reviewing this contract rezone. I’m asking for clarification as to how this will be monitored.”

Wilder urged that officials honor the contract rezone, calling it a “golden opportunity” for Planning Director Michael Davolio to attach conditions to the project permit application “that will make the neighborhood better, not worse.”

Wilder alleged the conditional use permit granted last spring and initially upheld by the hearing examiner – though rejected by the planning commission – was rubber stamped.

Matthews also asked the council to honor the contract rezone.

“The mayor signed it and the council approved it in 1986,” he said. “Somehow it didn’t get processed. We need the intent of the agreement between the Blades and the Town followed through with.”

Council members and Hayes took the public comments under advisement.

Prior to council’s approval of a new Swinomish Indian Tribal Community sewer rate – a modest hike from 47 cents to 49 cents per 100 gallons –resident Dan O’Donnell questioned the formula used to set that scale, particularly the wage portion of the matrix.

“The personnel costs are out to lunch,” the former mayor and council member said. “I get 58 cents per 100 gallons.

“I know you can’t win with town hall,” he added, “but by golly, the Tribe owes us money.”

Town Administrator Scott Thomas said the Tribe and Town had agreed to the format used to determine the Swinomish sewer rate.

“Our agreement with the Tribe is, to put it mildly, complex,” Thomas said. “It’s not an easy spreadsheet to negotiate.”

O’Donnell was given the go-ahead to confer with Town Engineer Evan Henke about the sewer rate formula.

In other business, the council voted to remove reduced yacht club moorage rates from the fee schedule. The action was taken due to difficulty plugging those rates into the new digital pay stations.

“The thought was that we’d be best to do away with it,” Thomas said.

The rate break had been adopted to promote events here for yacht clubs located five miles or more from La Conner. The rate was $5 per vessel up to 45-feet in length for a one-day visit.

Council member Rick Dole noted that numerous boats did not qualify for the reduced rate because they exceed the 45-foot limit.

Additionally, Public Works Director Brian Lease said a fill-and-grade permit had been granted for rock removal on the Snap Dragon Flat project site at the intersection of Hill and Park streets and Maple Avenue.

“I want people to know this has nothing to do with a building permit,” Lease said. “They just want to remove rock off the site.”