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Home My WebLink About00711111V11 i"vJVll pian 1Q1JVJ 1�11V11V11111L+i1LQ1... 1J111111V111Li3Vl L pIC1111Q1JL.J 1.11V L1V11111LJ11LCL1.. 11 LLF.11 VV VV VV .tI L14Uul+1 .l.Vlll/ 11L. YV J/ U111111V11- 1G... http://www.ptleader.com/news/brinnon-resort-plan-raises-environmental-concerns/article_5e73d823- b04f-5dd6-8496-dd8184dc98c0.html Brinnon resort plan raises environmental concerns By Kasia Pierzga Leader Staff Writer May 10, 2006 Port Gamble S'Klallam tribal elder Mike Jones is worried that developing a golf resort at Black Point (background) south of Brinnon coy harm Duckabush River delta shellfish beds that are a critical source of income and food for local tribes. County officials have begun gathering information on the potential effect of the proposed resort on the environment. - Photo by Kasia Pierzga In the broad sweep of green that blankets the Duckabush River delta, a pair of nesting Canada geese honks nervously as tribal elder Mike Jones picks his way toward the mudflats. The tidelands along the delta south of Black Point provide habitat for shellfish that are an important source of income for the Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe. Jones, who also works in natural resources for the tribe, said he's worried a proposed master )f 5 4/5/16,4:33 PM rinnon 'resort plan raises environmental... Brinnon resort plan raises environmental... tittp:uwww.ptieacer.com/newsrormnon-re... planned resort at Brinnon could damage Hood Canal shellfish beds that provide jobs for tribal members and others in the small communities surrounding the waterway. "These tidelands here and at Triton Cove are some of the biggest beds we use," he said. Both commercial and recreational harvest of clams and oysters could be at risk if a proposal to build about 1,100 condominiums and an 18 -hole golf course is approved, according to Jones and others familiar with the industry. The commercial shellfish industry is a key part of Washington's economy. According to the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, the industry was worth about $76.75 million in 2000. The industry's value to Washington has increased further since Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast oyster industry last year, boosting sales for local producers. According to Ted Labbe, a biologist for the Port Gamble S'Klallam, at least 10 percent of the shellfish harvested in Washington each year comes from Hood Canal, including beds near the proposed resort. Shelton -based Taylor Shellfish owns a commercial shellfish farm near the Dosewallips River delta north of the proposed resort. Taylor spokesman Bill Dewey said stormwater runoff from the golf course and resort could put the region's shellfish industry at risk. "I don't want to sound anti -development," he said. "We just need to make sure that the developers are aware of the fragile resources there on the canal." Jobs at a price The environmental and economic concerns raised by those in the shellfish industry were among many comments aired at a public meeting organized by county officials Monday night. The forum was an opportunity for county planning staff to gather information about how the resort might affect the environment. About 70 people got a look at the proposal during an open house before the meeting. After a brief presentation on the project, half the people in an audience of some 40 local residents took turns at the microphone to raise concerns. The main issues raised by those who spoke were the potential effects on the environment, traffic of 5 4/5/16,4:33 PM .-innon r6on pian raises CrlvlrolllllCllLal... D1 11111011 1UNU1 l Plat] 1a15cJ cll V 11 V1111161lla.i... 111Y.//vv vv W.Pu1 a" ..... A/JAV VV 0/"1u IkJ11-1c... safety and rural character. Brinnon resident Carl Sheats, a longtime harvest diver who blamed declining water quality for the demise of his commercial sea cucumber operation, warned officials not to pursue one kind of economic development at the expense of a successful existing industry. "Water quality is the most important thing we have left," Sheats said. "We don't want things messed UP." Other people wondered if there would be enough groundwater left to serve the homes and businesses already in Brinnon. Several people said they aren't opposed to development of a resort but feel the one being planned is too big. In a quiet rural community with only about 2,200 residents, the addition of nearly 1,100 condominiums would bring too many people to town, they argued. Bob Scott, who said he moved to Jefferson County to get away from the rapid resort development of the Wyoming ski mecca of Jackson Hole, said the proposal would change Brinnon forever - and not for the better. "I can't think of a development proposed more different than the character of the place it plans to come to," he said. "It would completely overwhelm Brinnon as we know it today - economically and socially." Jasper Hendricks, a ninth -grade student from Brinnon, worried about how the increase in traffic would affect the community, even with a proposed turn lane on U.S. Highway 101. "How would kids ride their bikes across a four -lane highway?" he asked. A few people said they are in favor of the resort, largely because of the boost it could give to the local economy. Dalila Dowd said the resort could boost public services by increasing county tax revenues. "If there's just a smidge of a chance that we can bring something positive to the community that will help the whole county, I'm in favor of it," she said, though she added that the resort should move forward only if the community supports it. Jefferson County Planning Commissioner and Brinnon resident Bud Schindler urged people to think )f 5 4/5/16,4:33 PM rinnon 'resort plan raises environmental... Brinnon resort plan raises environmental... http://www.ptleader.com/news/brinnon-re... of the jobs the project might create. "It would be a lot better if we could bring some commercial life back into Brinnon," he said. Others said they believed most of the jobs would be part-time positions in the service industry that don't pay that well, and management positions would likely be held by resort professionals brought in from outside the community. Economic boost If the proposed Pleasant Harbor Marina & Golf Resort moves forward, it would become part of a resort system owned by Canada -based Statesman Corp., which includes sites in Arizona and British Columbia. Condominium owners have access to all the resorts in the system, said company President and Chief Executive Officer Garth Mann. The master planned resort would include a system for treating sewage as well as runoff from pavement and other impervious surfaces. Some of the water, along with collected rainwater, would be used to maintain the golf course. "The idea is that we'll be able to use this water before giving it back to Mother Nature in the same or better condition than it was before," Mann said. According to materials provided by Statesman Corp., the golf course would be managed in an environmentally friendly way that would reduce the risk of nitrogen contamination of Hood Canal by using slow-release fertilizers and collecting, treating and recycling runoff in a series of natural kettles that would be lined with waterproof material. Materials distributed by county planning staff at Monday's community meeting indicated the resort anticipates 80 percent occupancy during summer months, 50 percent in the "shoulder months" of spring and fall, and 25 percent in the winter. According to materials distributed by county planning staff, the resort is expected to add about $500 million in asset value to Jefferson County's tax rolls. According to the Jefferson County Assessor's Office, at the 2006 tax rate the resort could bring in as much as $4.75 million in tax revenue. Some of the money goes into state coffers, with the rest helping pay for county services such as schools, roads, and fire and police protection. of 5 4/5/16,4:33 PM nnnnon resort pian raises environmental... http://www.ptleader.com/news/brinnon-re... The development is expected to increase property values - and home prices - in Brinnon and along Hood Canal. The boost would likely result in an increase in property taxes but could be a boon to those who seek to develop commercial projects. The resort would be marketed widely, drawing buyers from around North America as well as abroad, Mann said. People headed to the resort from SeaTac International Airport would be able to hop a shuttle van, reducing the impact of increased traffic on local roads, he said. The facility would also be marketed for use as a conference center. "We hope to attract conferences from all over North America and, who knows, maybe Europe as well," he said. (Contact Staff Writer Kasia Pierzga at kpierzga@ptleader.com.) 4/5/16,4:33 PM