Standing room only crowd at Sunday Shelter Bay forum

TV ratings in Shelter Bay were down a lot Sunday night.

A significant number of residents turned off their remotes during prime time, opting instead to attend a one-hour town hall meeting called by the Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors to address issues affecting the residential community.

A standing room only crowd of perhaps 75 gathered in their clubhouse for a briskly paced question-and-answer session on topics ranging from aging infrastructure and increased homeowners’ association fees to the status of ongoing master lease negotiations with the Swinomish Tribe and restoration progress at Rainbow Park, where an unauthorized tree-clearcut occurred two years ago.

Moderator Gary Ladd and Shelter Bay board President Wendy Poulton said upfront that potential litigation limited discussing some subjects in detail.

“We can’t answer questions on board members who have been threatened with lawsuits,” said Poulton. “Some have been served with summons. The association itself has not been served. Those who have been threatened (with litigation) have retained counsel.

“There are items we can’t touch upon,” he said. “We’ll have to save some of these questions for a later time. We don’t want to get into any legal interpretations.”

Ladd, the board’s newest member and an officer with Fire District 13, said the evening was designed to foster open discussion rather than delve deeply into any specific topic.

The board is engaged in several issues, including new master lease negotiations with Swinomish.

The 75-year master lease expires in 2044. Shelter Bay was developed in 1969 on tribal land.

“Negotiations with the tribe have been ongoing for the past five to seven years,” Ladd said. “There have been times when each side has put forward a proposal that hasn’t been agreed upon by both sides. But we’re getting a lot closer now. There has been movement on both sides.”

Poulton said board members have maintained a steady dialogue with Swinomish senators.

“We have to get the entire board to reach a consensus on what to share with the senate,” she said. “It takes time. It’s definitely not quick. It’s a long process. But we have a good relationship with the people we are negotiating with.

“It’s slow,” Poulton conceded, “and that’s unfortunate. But we need this, and the tribe needs this. We are a great business for the tribe, and they believe this is the best use for the land.”

A master lease provision calls for adjusting supplemental rental fees every 10 years to align with area market land values.

“It’s in the master lease,” Poulton said, “and housing prices have gone up all over the region.”

She noted monthly $200 increases in homeowners’ association fees are internally assessed for capital improvement projects ,.

Adequate funds had not been set aside for the community’s swimming pools, children’s playground, golf course and related capital projects. That is why those area have not seen tangible results, Poulton and Ladd said.

“Our fees have increased but we haven’t seen any improvements,” said Ladd. “So, the question becomes what does that $200 represent. As the new kid on the block, I looked at that myself. The answer is our infrastructure is getting older and we haven’t built the reserve fund we need and it’s costly.”

Dan McCaughan, elected to the board in May, lamented the state of infrastructure.

“We have water leaks all over the community and storm drainage problems that they’ve been going around putting band-aids on,” he said.

Ladd said there is hope requirements can be grandfathered in and permits secured to open the lower swimming pool next summer. It has been open only briefly since August 2019.

“There are some things that we can get fixed to get the lower pool open next summer,” said Ladd. “We’re looking at more long-term issues with the upper pool.”

Shelter Bay is also considering remaining a water customer of the Town of La Conner or switching to Swinomish as its provider, another topic Ladd said could not be discussed publicly.

On a positive note, Ladd and board member Nancy Shimeall – elected in May, as was Judy Kontos – said a Dec. 15 ceremony is planned to celebrate re-planting work at Rainbow Park.

“It is all being done with native plants,” said Shimeall. Swinomish staff are managing it.

The tribe’s planning department imposed a $92,000 fine, the bulk of it against resident Steve Swigert when he clearcut trees without authorization in 2020.

Several residents supported engaging with Swinomish, including volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club launched Oct. 1 at the tribal youth center.

The crowd likewise endorsed the idea of town halls with a Zoom option. Ladd and fellow board members agreed

“We appreciate all the good feedback from everyone,” Ladd said to a round of applause.