HomeMy WebLinkAbout006David W. Johnson
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kirie pedersen <kirie.pedersen@gmail.com>
Sunday, January 04,2015 9:49 AM
David W. Johnson
Public Comment on Black Point DSEIS
DSEIS PROPOSAL COMMENTS 201S.dOCx
Attention: dwi ohnson(@co j effbrson.wa.us
From:
Kirie Pedersen, M.A.
687 Pulali Point Road
Mailing address: PO Box 687
Brinnon, WA 98320
(360) 316-9066 - cellular
To:
David Johnson
Department of Community Development
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Re: Proposed Pleasant Harbor Golf Course and Resort DSEIS
Date: January 3,2015
Greetings,
I am a lifelong Brinnon resident. My family has lived on Dabob Bay since 1946.1was born here, raised here,
and pay taxes here. I know the environment and community from participating in it and observing it over six
decades. Over the past several years, I have attended numerous meetings regarding proposed resort
development at Black Point. I have also conducted hundreds of hours of research into this and previous
proposals for Black Point, and studied similar proposals and completed projects and their impacts on existing
communities in the San Juans, Clallam County, and elsewhere.
My particular concerns with the current Black Point DSEIS include but are not limited to highway use, road
safety, water quality in Hood Canal, overdevelopment on a fragile shoreline, potential for adverse impacts on
our existing economic base of tourism, fire danger, and the statistically high risk that taxpayers will bear the
burden of this development and/or its potential for failure.
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I am deeply concerned that this proposal was handed out for public comment over the Thanksgiving through
New Year's holidays when many area taxpayers are out of the area or involved with family and guests and
challenging weather conditions. The timing of this public comment period makes it questionable as to whether
we, the public, were even offered adequate time or opportunity for review.
Due to my family's, neighbors' and my own dependency on wells, I have in particular conducted research on
well water availability and safety throughout the area, including Black Point. Sea water intrusion, well
contamination, decreasing water supplies in the world and area in general, and the impacts of new drilled wells
on existing water supplies is a huge issue in South County and in particular close to the shoreline. It is clear that
insufficient data has been collected or produced as to potential negative impacts of extremely high water use as
proposed by this proposed intensive development and golf course.
The proposal as put forth fails to meet county goals for improving tourism revenue for South County, and in
reality could adversely impact tourism revenue for South County. This area is reachable only by a two-lane road
from north and south. Last year, just one fatality accident on Mount Walker caused a huge quantity of traffic,
cars with families or people on our way to work, to be stuck on Mt Walker for seven hours. This is only one
accident to completely close access to the area. The only other option for access in an accident or larger disaster
is by air. Air transport of the injured or to investigate or fight fires often ends up being at public expense. When
we had a forest fire here a few years ago, huge crews were housed in Brinnon around our fire station, and some
of the firefighting then was also by air, with helicopters scooping water from Hood Canal to dump on the almost
inaccessible steep slopes where the fire was located.
Safety problems out on the Canal are also difficult to address, as I know personally from having a front row seat
to many. Getting law enforcement to Brinnon often involves hours of delay, which means that dangerous
situations aren't addressed in a timely way. Private security on the resort itself doesn't address peripheral issues
that will arise due to the changing demographic such a massive change to our community will entail.
Our attractions in South County are the forests, parks, camping, hiking, shell fishing, and relative serenity of a
so-far fairly undisturbed shoreline and adjoining forests. This area is already clogged with tourists in the
summers. Ironically, these same features also offer the U.S. Navy, a large area employer, the conditions
required to conduct myriad tests out in Hood Canal.
I urge that the no action option be selected in response to this project.
If options one or two are allowed, the developer must be required to: 1) deposit the amount of all ascertainable
direct and indirect costs regarding services and infrastructure into a fund available to local goverrrment to cover
the costs as they are incurred, and 2) furnish a performance bond issued by a highly rated insurer to cover all
potential costs that cannot be ascertained beforehand, including repairing any environmental damage incurred
over a 50 year period because of the development and the costs of cleanup and restoration if the project is
started but abandoned.
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Thank you for your consideration of my comments.
Respectfully submitted,
Kirie Pedersen
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