HomeMy WebLinkAbout080925 email - Quilcene Yard Hydrant DeliberationsALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear County Commissioners,
Parks and Recreation and Central Services staff have done a great job of
presenting the issues concerning the public potable water access at the
Quilcene Campground and the range of options to address them.
I’m certain that conflict has arisen between campground users and the
casual users of the water source but I wonder if these unfortunate
conflicts are more or less frequent than conflict between campers at
other County-managed campgrounds or as a whole. What I have observed
over my 15 years as a Quilcene resident is that the water hydrant is an
uncommon “mixer” where our most vulnerable residents with limited access
to potable water share space and conversation with the owners of
waterfront properties whose wells are running dry or at risk of
saltwater intrusion. I can’t think of another example of where this
happens organically in Jefferson County and in these times of hyper
polarization I would want to preserve this community building hub.
Options 2 and 3, as presented by staff, appear to be the only viable
options in the near term. Using the high end cost estimates between
these options, if general public access to potable water was preserved
the Capital outlay would be $9,000 more than the cost of making it
available only to camp ground users and the annual water billing is
estimated at $1,500 more. It’s hard to compare annual maintenance costs
because an estimate is not given for the “camper-only” Option 3. I
would assume there’s little difference having purchased and installed
both types of equipment myself.
It’s not entirely clear whether Parks and Recreation is suggesting that
it would maintain camper-only water infrastructure out of its operating
budget but not general public infrastructure. I think it’s an important
distinction in this particular situation where general public demand is
exceptional and seems to be outside of Parks and Recreation’s mission.
I would like to encourage executive level discussions between the County
and PUD to explore the idea of the PUD providing qualified labor for the
installation and maintenance of the appropriate infrastructure and
billing back the County for these costs.
I believe that discussions like this concerning the fair, if not
perfectly equitable, sharing between local government agencies of
responsibility for providing access to essential services and resources
will become more frequent as the impact of both climate change and
economic dislocation is increasingly felt. The resolution of this issue
may provide a framework for future cooperation.
Thank you for your consideration on this important issue for the entire
economic strata of the Quilcene community.
Sincerely,
Al Cairns
1731 Snow Creek Road
Quilcene