HomeMy WebLinkAboutclosed_caption09:01:40 The waterfall is coming off the bluff. Oh, there goes the there goes the the bells.
09:01:50 So a av captor's not on yet. okay Let me know I'm not playing along as anyone watching any capture on their Oh, I've got it now.
09:02:05 Okay,
09:02:09 Here it comes. Yeah, okay, welcome to june everywhere. everyone It looks like we're officially gonna have a january after this crazy weekend.
09:02:21 That drenching rains across the whole region. everyone i've talked to who was anywhere in Western Washington, or even in the middle of the State, got completely drenched.
09:02:35 So it looks like I looked at the weather. forecast we're gonna have a little bit of sun, maybe tomorrow early this week, and then it's supposed to start up again.
09:02:44 So it's your rain coats, out so i'll call this June sixth meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioner's to order, and as we do every week we'll start with public comment
if you are
09:02:59 here to make public comment. Please use the race hand, button at the bottom of your zoom screen or by pressing. if you're on the phone.
09:03:09 Looks like no one's on the phone but if you are on the phone and listening.
09:03:12 Press star 9 and we'll bring you over to make public comment, and see a couple of hands going up.
09:03:20 So i'll bring over joyce first and then Patricia is up next
09:03:31 Good morning to join. Yeah, you'll have to unmute it looks like you just did.
09:03:36 I did thank you, thank you for having me it's good to see you all.
09:03:39 My name is Joyce Francis, and I'm here representing the friends of race Amity.
09:03:45 I hope Julie, in your office was able to get you this card.
09:03:51 I should start my video. you all got it. Thank you.
09:03:57 Oh, amity is a is a quite long disused word from the same route as amiable and Amicus.
09:04:07 Friendship, collaboration, and good will. Our country is in a period of long needed reckoning with our sad history of racial oppression.
09:04:14 Yeah. while that racial oppression, tradition was unfolding a parallel, tradition, largely hidden and poorly understood, was demonstrating some of the most positive moments
in American history.
09:04:29 We need to know both traditions. We need to view with clear eyes the long history of racial oppression, and to be inspired by this other tradition.
09:04:40 The times in our history when the Americans were able to reach across the color line, defying tradition and often law to work for amity and racial justice.
09:04:50 Think of the Quakers who help the Underground Railroad, or the people of many colors, who marched with Martin Luther King across that Pettus bridge, and sell my Alabama in 1965
closer to
09:05:02 home. We think of the newspaper editors, Walt and Millie Woodward, on Bainbridge Island during World War.
09:05:08 2 who defied the Times by publishing editorials against Japanese and tournament, and news from the camps about the interned British of Cambridge Islanders, thereby keeping alive
the amity between the Internees and the
09:05:22 locals often supported them as best they could by maintaining their businesses and properties.
09:05:27 I learned yesterday there was a similar story of a Japanese family in Chimica whose neighbors took care of them and their property while they were in turn.
09:05:38 So those are the stories that we need to also on earth. The National Center for Race Amity in Boston seeks to uncover educate and celebrate this other tradition of close collaboration.
09:05:53 Friendship and amity across races. This other tradition can inspire us to come to terms with our racial history and our continuing racial in justices.
09:06:04 Since 1,957, this center for race amity has promoted the second Sunday in June.
09:06:14 Is race, amity day, a day to honor this other tradition.
09:06:16 The friends of race. Amity of Jefferson County is a new group that seeks to spread word about race amity and to make note of race Amity Day.
09:06:28 Next Sunday, June Twelfth we've arranged radio announcements.
09:06:32 Billboard space and an ad in the port towns and leader this Wednesday.
09:06:36 We've sought pulpit and Newsletter announcements and places of worship, and we printed these cards being distributed, events around town to advertise race amity. Day.
09:06:48 Next Sunday we hope over the next year to expand our efforts with an adult education class through Quimper fellowships. adult learning program in which we share more videos
of the many.
09:07:01 Those inspiring moments of race amity. and we plan a third annual race amity.
09:07:07 Walk along Chetsamo katril on October ninth, the sundry prior to indigenous People's Day.
09:07:12 We'll be back next year to request the county proclamation declaring race Amity Day on the second Sunday in June, and we plan a community gathering to make this an annual tradition
like the race amity
09:07:28 one,
09:07:33 Good morning, Dr. Jones. Hi! good morning, i'm Patricia Jones from Christine Washington.
09:07:41 I'm speaking on my own behalf today. to express my deepest gratitude for the difficult choices in the unending hours. I'm not sure why it's so emotional spent to take up and
begin to solve all
09:07:56 our ecological and economic challenges. Well, I can't speak in the incredible poetry and science of the importance of the mycelium layer in our forests.
09:08:06 I woke into a different feeling lately. I finally recognized it as hope.
09:08:11 I can see a vision for our county, where the riches of our natural resources, as in other communities in our country, support services and forest health, not one over the other
future.
09:08:24 That hopefully does not end in economic dislocation nor ecological disaster.
09:08:29 It seems silly and embarrassing really that to have this feeling.
09:08:35 I know we've made all our lives a bit more difficult that there are compromise and disappointments ahead.
09:08:41 But thank you so much for making this opportunity possible for the days your hard work to untangle the threads of a 100 years of doing things the same way and rewave an environmental
justice. future.
09:08:54 There will be many willing hands to help reset the loom.
09:08:58 Take up some of the warp, and with whatever contributions we can make to help, please call on us to help. I, for one, will not put a major environmental problem in your albeit
capable hands, and just walk, away I benefited from
09:09:13 education in our county and services. I thank you for doing this.
09:09:17 Thank you. Thank you, Patricia. Is there anybody else with us this morning on the attendee list Who would like to make a public comment?
09:09:28 If so, you can use the raise hand button at the bottom of the zoom screen. or if you're on the phone Press Star 9, we would love to hear from anyone who is interested in making
a comment on anything and we have Tom
09:09:44 tears over the rain. maybe. Good morning, Mr. Terry. Shell 3Â min for public comment.
09:09:57 Good morning, Mr. Tears. You have 3Â min for public comment. good morning. Good morning.
09:10:04 Commissioners staff. I was looking at your agenda and occurred to me looking at at the afternoon session, where you're going to have 3 workshops in a row.
09:10:17 That thinking about the what is the concept and purpose of a workshop?
09:10:21 It's to gather information from a variety of places and people to better inform your decision, making process.
09:10:30 And yet none of these workshops have any public participation.
09:10:34 You only seem to have a few, you know, selected subject matter experts.
09:10:39 I guess people who will be responsible for implementation but I think you're deliberations and discussions would better benefit by including comments from the general public.
09:10:50 I mean we we all should have say a lot of these things.
09:10:54 So I would urge you to in the future for agenda items that are listed as workshops.
09:11:05 Think carefully about who you want to listen to, whose opinions really matter.
09:11:12 And in my opinion, those opinions are those of the public not just of your your chosen few.
09:11:17 So that's my comment. Thank you thank you Tom is there anybody else with us this morning who would like to make a public comment?
09:11:29 If so, use the right hand button at the bottom of the zoom screen, or I don't think anyone's on the phone.
09:11:37 So if you were on the phone you would press Star 9, though. anyone else on on with us who wants to make a public comment this morning.
09:11:46 Okay, Does anyone feel ready to respond to the comments we received Sure, i'll I'll go first unless you want to go first. Kate.
09:11:58 Nope go ahead as always appreciate everyone's input to to Joyce.
09:12:04 I I did appreciate in the the information about race Amy day, and absolutely would support a proclamation. I don't know.
09:12:11 Do we do them sometimes retroactively. I feel like we could even do one on the thirdteenth for the twelfth.
09:12:22 But well, we will do juneeenth, so we should This might, if if we want to, maybe also mention rassembly, or figure out how to do that right, maybe incorporating into the June
teams proclamation, is a good way to do it without a
09:12:33 a set one that's that's a good idea but absolutely.
09:12:36 And you know, down and quilsting we had folks that took care of Japanese family farms during the internment as well.
09:12:44 So it is definitely something that that's that's part of our history, too.
09:12:47 I think it's it is really important to talk about the the good points as we as we cast our eyes back with that criticalize.
09:12:57 Thank you, Patricia, and it's you know I I always appreciate, appreciate your approach of of you know.
09:13:07 I guess, evaluating and trying to mitigate the impacts of far-reaching decisions that we have, and making sure that we do. consider all stakeholders as we move forward in this
you know thorny subject
09:13:19 of of how to create our ecological systems and and still support.
09:13:24 Are doing your taxing districts and county services.
09:13:28 And I I guess I think to to it connects well to Mr.
09:13:32 Tish's point. That getting more public feedback as we move through is is always a plus, and I think I I like the idea of having public comments, and I think that we can also
adopt the practice, which is the chairs prerogative
09:13:47 right Now, if there is in public that have input, you know, we can always assess whether people have something to say on the subject and add a public comment to any regular
meeting agenda at that point.
09:13:58 If we have time, and and interest from the people so I think that's a a worthy comment to to consider throwing a public comment on every every time you know doesn't take up
paper or anything really but it's often we don't have people
09:14:10 that wanna comment. So Yeah. Good good idea. Couple of different ways to approach.
09:14:16 But thank you, everyone for your comments. kate yeah let's see.
09:14:24 I. Yeah, I think I am i'm curious if heidi and Mark maybe, can comment more on the agenda creation. But I think that the whole hope has been to incorporate public comment into
more Agenda topic items
09:14:37 so, and and it is better to have it on the agenda, so that folks know that they're gonna have an opportunity.
09:14:45 So maybe that's I don't know if that's a policy direction.
09:14:49 We need to take or and oversight so i'll let you guys address that.
09:14:53 But I I agree it would be good to clarify. and you know, maybe very occasionally there are topics that are too controversial, and we just need to get information from a certain
group of folks where we might limit that opportunity.
09:15:06 But I agree it's a good default position to take I have not heard about race amity until I got this card last week.
09:15:17 So curious to to learn more big interest of mine, and I just spent the weekend listening to number of podcasts on racial justice, as I often do.
09:15:28 And was really, I found it really heartwarming.
09:15:30 I listened to one just yesterday. That was Nicole Hannah Jones, founder of the 1619 project, with New York Times and Tadahasi coats.
09:15:40 The journalist and writer and they were talking about the
09:15:45 The importance of of, you know, telling the whole story of American history.
09:15:52 Which is, that like any human being it's it's it is fraught with with imperfection and ambition and hopes, and that we, we do continue to to hold out hope for what this country
has tried to be
09:16:07 for the experiment that it is, and that it is still a work in in process.
09:16:11 And so we don't we don't deny the hardship of our our past.
09:16:17 We acknowledge it, and we acknowledge that we are still striving to create the more perfect union.
09:16:23 And So in thinking about the Juneteenth Proclamation, which we will do next week.
09:16:30 I I i'm feeling inspired my my thinking has shifted a little bit.
09:16:35 I think it's still really important that it'd be centered on the voices and experiences of of people of color junior team specifically of of African Americans.
09:16:49 So I want to be sure that we're we're centering that on and some of those voices not just on way voices.
09:16:56 So still learning and and appreciate being in the work with a lot of community members who are committed to that as well.
09:17:07 And thank you, Dr. Jones, I agree we're just at the beginning of a lot of work.
09:17:15 And it's you know really curious since what day is the on the seventh is the board of Metro Resources meeting, where they will accept our letter hopefully.
09:17:25 Acknowledge our letter in some way that we wrote last week.
09:17:27 Really curious to see what the response is. interesting to see.
09:17:31 Yesterday our our State Senator ed editorial in this Seattle times.
09:17:36 With a a strong position, too. related to this topic.
09:17:41 So. you know I think we can anticipate this is gonna be a a thorny, a thorny path, as you suggested.
09:17:49 But glad to be doing it with a number of dedicated folks, and I would reiterate what Greg said, which is that?
09:17:56 Appreciate that we are having the whole conversation not just not just praising.
09:18:04 And and discussing the importance of our forest, but also recognizing the impacts to our communities.
09:18:11 So look forward to that work ahead. Thanks you guys and I was just add about race amity that I had a constituent reach out to me last week, but I was gone the end of last week,
and so didn't have a chance to
09:18:26 call her back yet, but I am glad that So I showed up this morning to talk more about it, and look forward to considering a proclamation on this issue in the future.
09:18:39 And maybe yes, we maybe we can fold it into the juneteenth proclamation that we're doing for next week.
09:18:48 And also i've been reading the colonizing wealth which is interesting, having had some of my previous career in fundraising in philanthropy and kind of unpacking all the thinking
around wealth and philanthropy in our in
09:19:03 our country, and it's a very wonderful reframing for me personally, and I don't know if you any of you have had the chance to read it.
09:19:13 But it's it's a wonderful book by Edward Villanova.
09:19:21 To put his comments on the forests. I have similarly been brought to tears and number of times recently, both out of stress and and out of joy.
09:19:33 Being in the forest brings me joy being in these very difficult conversations probably brings you the most stress.
09:19:45 But I also think that what I said I feel like it was 6 weeks ago.
09:19:48 Now is, we just need to reframe the conversation and start a different conversation about how we take care of the ecosystem.
09:19:59 We live in All of us live in whether well no matter what side of this issue want.
09:20:04 We're on. We all live and in this ecosystem and I did
09:20:13 We did receive a number of written comments about the timber sales.
09:20:17 Penny, wise, and Beaver Valley sorts, and interestingly as how that we all receive comments from Mike Cronin, who was a Dnr.
09:20:24 Forster for decades, making specific comments about these 2 timber sales, which were very interesting to me.
09:20:32 I know that we did send a letter to dna last week, and i'm also gonna be watching and listening tomorrow as the Board of Natural Resources meet.
09:20:43 But I did notice in reviewing their agenda that they did pull the penny wise timber sale from there.
09:20:49 June seventh, agenda, and so, and then later in the week, Commissioner Brotherton and I will be in Olympia with a number of timber stakeholders, having all day conversations
in different workshops
09:21:07 with a timber 101 training that we're doing so
09:21:14 And then in terms of public comment, I apologize, Mr.
09:21:16 Tearson to everybody that we didn't get those notes on the agenda for this week. I did an initial review with mark before I left for some other family matters last week, and
we didn't get the agenda
09:21:33 finalized before I left. but we can add public comment especially I think, on the the Burn Burn bands issue, or the discussion about what what authorities commissioners have
in terms of putting restrictions on burning I think that that's
09:21:50 probably an area that people are interested in commenting on and then I know we're having a session on Jeff con not imagining that's gonna be super controversial I feel like
that's a more 100
09:22:02 and one getting us up to speed on on how they're working and then courthouse security.
09:22:09 Maybe that's in the middle maybe maybe there's someone with interest in public comment.
09:22:13 So we will add we'll add periods of public comment to at least those 2 sessions this afternoon.
09:22:19 And i'm sorry we didn't get those written on the agenda.
09:22:24 It's my fault this week it's my fault and then there was a couple of other written public comments.
09:22:31 I just wanted to acknowledge there was a letter from the Matt Trinity method is church, and I feel like they took a job at me about how I was gonna lose funding for my septic
system.
09:22:45 That's not what I was talking about. I was talking about environmental public health, health, grant, application for septic system repairs in the county.
09:22:55 My septic system doesn't need repairs so Anyway, I just was like what that was.
09:23:01 I I feel like sometimes. maybe we say things in there just heard the wrong way.
09:23:05 So I feel like i'm very supportive of environmental public health working with land owners who need repairs for their septic systems, and that's what their grant to the Department
of commerce was about
09:23:17 And then another. I noticed a letter from Auditor Carol about the Tim become drainage district, and I've had a couple of conversations over the last 3 months with the conservation
district, who is still exploring reactivating the
09:23:30 changeimicum drainage district, so I do not think it is time to declare it dissolved.
09:23:37 So that's my response to the comments we've received this week, Mark, did you have anything you wanted to add, No, but I agree with
09:23:50 Your 2 choices on public comment this morning yeah and and we'll we'll be more diligent and putting public comment on the agenda for workshops. henceforth.
09:24:04 Okay, great Okay. So i'm gonna close public comment , I guess we'll leave it open for another 6Â min in case anyone has something that's come to them.
09:24:12 If you have I see what's this chat Okay,
09:24:21 If you have anything you would like to come and comment on if you're here this morning with us, please raise your hand using the raise hand button at the bottom of the zoom
screen or by pressing Star 9 on the phone and we
09:24:33 will be public comment open until 9 30 so there's 6 more minutes.
09:24:38 Other than that, do we, wanna review the consent agenda?
09:24:42 Is there anything that anyone was interested in calling out from consent?
09:24:48 Big one you know I i'll say there was one missed link all the data was there.
09:24:53 But if you click on number 3 on the consent agenda, it will go to the regular agenda.
09:24:58 Third item. but the third consent, agenda item about survey monuments is there?
09:25:04 You just have to go into the adoption of the related Docs and hit on ca*.
09:25:07 So just it took me a moment so it was there just mislinked
09:25:12 But there's you know gosh lots of great stuff in here, I mean, I learned so much about survey monuments right reading through that document.
09:25:20 So yeah, that's just it, it, really goes into that kind of the layers of difficulty that especially you know public works and builders and all these these interfaces and and
making sure that the system continues to work monuments that end up
09:25:34 on drawings. stay, stay accessible, i've you know a survey where you have to reestablish.
09:25:40 The monuments cost more than twice as much as when you Oh, good!
09:25:47 To do that. let's see the vaccine confidence project, and i'll i'll reiterate that Brazil.
09:25:56 I see Bonnie on there, and I think we should make our a point of emphasis.
09:26:01 That it is your right to get back vaccinated there.
09:26:04 Anyone that takes away that right is taking away your rights in American.
09:26:08 And then 1 one question is that is, agreement is number 9 associated with Number 8.
09:26:16 That is that one of the work work items from it looked like it was, but it didn't like the numbers didn't quite match up in it.
09:26:24 That is cool. yes, because I understand that to be one of the tasks associated with that funding It seemed like it was line up in the budget or scope of work. I think it's a
separate contract too.
09:26:40 Right so right it's a separate contract for sure that's a subcontract, and I think 15,000 turned into 10,000, and it's pars that maybe in my reading, but i'm also really glad
to see Kim
09:26:51 Rafferi, who is a leader on that Developmental Disability Board willing to to reopen and continuing to serve.
09:26:58 So just again, great staff looking forward to the hearing on June 20 first for the No shooting zone.
09:27:07 And Kate George, I can give an update on the my communications in the gardener area as well.
09:27:13 Later, and wondering who wants an old election tabulating machine? What's the what's the market for that?
09:27:20 Is there something I can do with It takes me back to when I was a kid, and I found all these expired.
09:27:27 What are the things that the gambling themselves at the bowling alleys?
09:27:33 Tabs. I found a box of invalidated pull tabs and trying to find a way.
09:27:37 What can I do with this it'll be fun cool but every day?
09:27:40 Tabulation machine? Is it on wheels? Could it be a kinetic sculpture?
09:27:45 Oh, maybe yeah, kind of tabulate votes. Well, you know, driving through the muck on the sand. and they, if you want an anchor, it would be a good anchor.
09:27:57 Yeah, some period, movie or something from the eighties. Oh, yeah, watch great stuff.
09:28:04 A couple questions and comments. one just for your situational awareness, colleagues that anticipating getting another petition from a a number of residents on Joey way which
is quite close to
09:28:24 cape George and they are considering I can't say for certain.
09:28:28 But considering getting a petition for us to consider at the hearing on the 20 first as well, and worked with Hansecker to determine that that could be under consideration,
as we are looking at the other areas of of
09:28:41 Cape George, so just fyi , concerns Mark , Well, the hearing those have to be amended.
09:28:48 Then I talked talked with Pennsylvania specifically about it.
09:28:54 Yeah, I defer to Philip. but you know, the hearing notice has a map attached, and it has meets and bounds, and all of that, and to throw a new area in there.
09:29:05 The keep, George. No shooting area boundaries are currently tied to the homeowners association, so I feel like It's a separate geography.
09:29:16 Well, we decided to look at the larger geography, Not not the No.
09:29:20 We look to the small one. But remember, we talked about potentially, including places like beck at Point, and the we were, we specifically said we're gonna consider some of
the denser areas We did.
09:29:31 We just wanted to make sure that the entire Homeowners Association was included webinar where the notes I had, and then we and we then subsequently confirm that with Cape George,
and from their letter okay, well we could talk with
09:29:46 Hun secret about it, but he was. He was totally fine with
09:29:51 With proceeding and I I don't think I I can probably pull up the email he sent with the the letter.
09:29:57 But it'll take me a minute we also have one more comment to that raise their hand.
09:30:04 I was just gonna say we wanna take Julia's comment
09:30:08 So can we do that now and then go back to this Julia.
09:30:15 Can you, Carolyn can you bring Julia over for a public comment?
09:30:19 Yeah, she just has to prove that there she goes. So we are gonna hear one more public comment.
09:30:23 And then, after Julia's public comment i'll close comments Hi!
09:30:29 This is Julia Cochrane. Sorry for being late, anyway.
09:30:34 I just I I want to take you in advance of the Pride Proclamation as a publisher of good life, which is a weekly newsletter for the Gl. B. T.
09:30:43 2, plus community of which I am a member, and the real reason I popped on was just to sort of mention yesterday and flooding, and that i'm hoping that with that and with the
expected heat thing happening sometime this
09:30:59 summer, and all that stuff that the county emergency. people have a dedicated place in import towns and hopefully in in this area of the county for people to go when there's
extreme weather.
09:31:14 Conditions. I know that the triia rec center and there's one in South County that operates really well, but up here.
09:31:23 No it doesn't and I don't think there's places except for the library.
09:31:27 They're prepared for you know a bunch of wet and not too happy. homeless people to show up.
09:31:35 And I don't think the library is the appropriate place, but that's the public shelter at the moment, so I just am raising that up and say we need a place that automatically
opens to anybody who needs to be warm
09:31:47 or cool, or smoke free or dry. The winter welcoming tenor works 4 months out of the year.
09:31:56 Our weather, emergency and smoke emergencies last many more months than that.
09:31:59 Okay, that's it. Thank you julia okay so i'm gonna close public comment.
09:32:08 Now, and seed the floor back to Commissioner Dan, who was just starting her response to the consent agenda.
09:32:18 Great, thank you, and thanks, Julia i'm also excited about the pride.
09:32:24 Information. we'll get to 1015 1030 timeframe and yes, ongoing discussions about responsiveness to various emergencies which are becoming more and more frequent.
09:32:36 We're learning So I did find the email from Mr.
09:32:40 Hun sucker, he says, under Chapter 8.5: Jefferson County code. The Bcc.
09:32:43 Has the authority to modify the proposed area of the No shooting area, provided it satisfies the public health and safety requirement.
09:32:51 In that chapter, and the applicable Rcw. in general proposed ordinances can be modified during the deliberation process that would include changing what the No shooting area
is called.
09:33:03 His his response. Okay. Couple of other things. I wanted to call out on consent.
09:33:13 See But to become confluence project.
09:33:20 Is that what was previously being called the Price Street Project?
09:33:23 Is that one in the same Id now where the 2 forks of the creek come together around Spring Rain Farm, and that's the long standing decades old issue of Mike anderson's property.
09:33:39 The the lower part of his property that is adjacent to the timid, to Jimmickham Creek. Okay, Great. Thank you.
09:33:44 I figured I do it by another name and that's the okay,
09:33:48 And then I I was a little confused on the agreement on the full reconvance.
09:33:55 I understand the need to reassign a trustee. but I am just curious is the full reconvance that that loan is entirely paid off, but still needs a trust.
09:34:06 A trustee attached to it. or it's just the interests have gone for so long we did another one of these down and quilting last year, right?
09:34:13 And these loans are, you know they paid $15,000 I think it's just letting go right.
09:34:19 I I hope so. it's it seems like a pretty high price tag that that was the analysis we had last time, and I I don't know, Mark, because that yeah, well, 4% compounded over a
lengthy period of time
09:34:35 Yeah, it'll it'll rack up the charges pretty significantly over a long period.
09:34:43 Yeah, my understanding was that they needed to change the not that it was done.
09:34:49 But they're there needed to be a change in trustee based on one of them.
09:34:54 I would no longer exist in the second sentence and the analysis Pioneer title, trustee on the original deed of trust is no longer in business, and therefore a substitution of
trustee is necessary.
09:35:06 But that's separate. then full reconvenience that's what i'm confused about and substitution of trustee.
09:35:14 Yeah, 2 separate actions. I don't know that there.
09:35:21 My understanding was that they had to change had to reconnect because they needed a new trustee listed on the deed.
09:35:29 I mean, we could kick, kick this and and hear from environment of public health.
09:35:33 To to make sure, I guess. but I that's we yeah we have done another one of these on I think we used to do a lot of septic loans back in the early nineties, and and they just
you know they've long since
09:35:43 paid the principal, and are just paying an interest that is probably an administrative burden for us and a financial burden for these folks.
09:35:53 So Yeah. So we do have. Thank you joining us later today.
09:35:57 I wonder if we could pull that item and just get betterification.
09:36:01 Okay, or Veronica she's listed there.
09:36:10 Okay, And yeah, looking forward to the vaccine confidence project.
09:36:21 I'll be taking part in the the workshops that into racist literacy workshops.
09:36:28 I think that was all I had to call out, although it was interesting.
09:36:32 I did Our hearing notice on the consent agenda brought me to looking at our hearing notice on our home page, and I noticed that our hearing on the 20 first regarding the no
shooting area, no sorry the establishment of temporary homeless
09:36:51 facilities is listed as hybrid format and i'm wondering if that's because when it was noticed, it was noticed as hybrid.
09:36:59 So it has to remain that's what I thought I think, with the exception of that number 6 6.
09:37:14 Yeah, i'm i'm happy to move to approve the consent Agenda minus item 6.
09:37:20 Okay,
09:37:24 All in favor. Bye, bye, and I was just one comment I was gonna make.
09:37:32 Is that i'm i'm appreciative of people reacting for advisory boards, and because we haven't had a chance to do briefing for about 3 or 4 weeks We didn't get to review the
09:37:44 vacancies on a committee boards and council vacancies and there are a number that i'd like to bring to your guys's attention, and i'll do that if we can get to briefing today.
09:37:54 But anyway, yeah, maybe you should do it while we have an audience right now.
09:37:59 We have just 7Â min before I mean we do the proclamation was listed before consent.
09:38:05 But I don't see our guests so are we planning to do that at 1030.
09:38:08 Yeah, yeah, I guess we'll come around 1015 so so.
09:38:16 There's a couple of vacancies on the Board of Equalization that and see you don't have my little list ready this time for the specific vacancies.
09:38:29 Oh, but on the board of equalization the list here, Julie.
09:38:40 Maybe we should talk a little bit about what each of these boys actually do, because the Board of Equalization is one that I think would appeal to a lot of people, and its ability
to represent.
09:38:50 You know, aggrieved taxpayers, and the Board of Equalization will hear appeals from property owners when they receive their property.
09:38:59 Tax advice from the Assessor or the Treasury.
09:39:03 Rather If they disagree with the assessed value, then they can appeal to the Board of Equalization, who will hear the
09:39:12 The appeal and then we'll render a decision regarding the value to maybe lower it if justified so, and and the sport they're not.
09:39:23 They're not appointed by district so it's not There's not like there's a a member from each of our 3 districts, and we have 2 terms expiring our expired in May one may be willing
09:39:38 to stay on, I think, but the other one i'm not sure and so we need 2 folks who are savvy about building or appraisals, or land values that those kinds of skill sets and I have
been
09:39:55 mentioning it when I've been out in the community a bit lately to groups that I think would have those kinds of folks in within their membership.
09:40:04 But just want you guys to keep your eyes and ears open.
09:40:08 And this is a board that do Julie clerks, so she knows a lot more about the status of the current members.
09:40:18 Another and i'm sorry heidi but this is not an advisory board right?
09:40:23 This is an enforcement board They actually They decisions themselves.
09:40:26 They don't recommendations to us correct i'm just gonna mention a few there's a couple of vacancies on the parks and recreation board for one for district one and one for district
09:40:42 3. So there's also a couple of vacancies, on the public Infrastructure Fund Board, one for district, 2 and one for district 3.
09:40:53 So those feel like important vacancies we're still working on the noxious. we board, and I don't know if you guys saw last week that yose to submit it as resignation.
09:41:07 So we will be also looking for a new coordinator for that board so
09:41:21 The wheat board needs our attention and let's see I mean there's a few boards.
09:41:26 Climate action, developmental disabilities. and then for housing authority.
09:41:34 There's a a vacancy each on all of those but I feel like
09:41:39 I don't know if you I don't know how you've addressed vacancies in the past we haven't in my time here done like a workshop on board vacancies. to Try and bring more attention
and spend
09:41:49 more time on it. But There are people who reached out to me proactively, mostly from District 3 who are interested in being on boards and committees, and I have been forwarding
out boards and committees to them individually but I don't know
09:42:04 if you guys have any ideas about how to fire up the recruitment, at least you've been pretty passive since I've arrived.
09:42:13 Certainly, you know, listing it on the website, and you know, occasionally reaching out to folks when when okay, one by one. hey, would you?
09:42:22 Would you serve on this when when there's no volunteers. and I think that's actually the most effective way is to identify people that are, you know, invested and involved in
some way is There more likely to want to
09:42:36 volunteer these are all volunteer positions we're talking about but they're really important.
09:42:38 They make a big difference in the work that We do it's a a great way for the public to be more engaged in local policy making, and we encourage books to get involved.
09:42:49 I will list one more. Our fairy Advisory committee is going to need someone to represent of the business sector or businesses that rely on the ferry for commerce.
09:43:02 Or people who represent organizations that work with that community.
09:43:04 So add back to the list we'll say too, We do use our our Facebook page social media presence to promote some of these as well.
09:43:15 And then, just to announce also there'll be a press release in the paper this week about the Board of Health being required to reorganize, there will be 2 new positions created
for the board of health one is for
09:43:27 a consumer of public health services, and the other is for a community stakeholder.
09:43:34 And that's fairly broadly defined but someone who has some overlap, either with business or representing people who public health serves.
09:43:45 And that's a really crucial board that that has very direct policy implications, setting policy for the Board of Health.
09:43:52 So encourage folks who are interested to check out our website and get more information or request it from any of us.
09:44:01 And I would just say, julie has been doing a really good job of keeping the web page regarding boarding commission vacancies updated.
09:44:08 And so if there's anyone who's listening right now in our attendee list, who's interested in reviewing the the current vacancies and the different boards that people are engaged
in the community, I would direct you to the
09:44:17 Jefferson County Web. Sorry Site the boards and committees, and then the vacancy page.
09:44:23 And you can find out more information there. Okay, it's 9, 44 anticipating the clock.
09:44:35 *. i'm waiting at my friends at Kptz Carol and I just sent a message Dr.
09:44:42 Barry's gonna join by phone so if you could bring her over.
09:44:46 Okay, i'll look out for her she's not there currently Okay, great
09:44:55 She's gonna be in in transit today. so just joining by phone , start with. We could start with Willie and talk a little bit about yesterday, and
09:45:05 Curious to hear if emergency management has anything to lay in on, so to find the boards that someone asked me, Where do we find the boards and committees?
09:45:14 Page to find the boards and committees. page go to the homepage.
09:45:19 The county will homepage to government, to boards and commissions, and then board and commission vacancies when they click on the vacancy.
09:45:28 It goes to that boards page for specific information about that board.
09:45:34 So anyway, or call us at 3 6 o 3 8 5, 9, 100, and we can help you navigate to that page.
09:45:43 Okay, it's 9 45 and I see we have Dr.
09:45:46 Barry and Willie bent with us. Are we gonna Do you wanna start off this morning, Willie?
09:45:52 Shake things up a little bit yeah sure I I don't mind i'll try not to take too much time.
09:46:01 I have a lot of practice at keeping it relatively brief.
09:46:03 But Yeah, no. No updates from the Covid front.
09:46:06 But as Commissioner Dean mentioned, we had a little bit of an interesting day yesterday, with a short period of extremely heavy rain.
09:46:16 Led to a small landslide out on Water Street, as well as a closure of Water Street.
09:46:20 I know our grocery stores were closed for a brief period of time, due to flooding in their parking lots that seeping into their stores.
09:46:31 And so really for me, just a reminder to folks when you see i'm floodwater like that
09:46:37 I think folks generally underestimate the danger involved in driving in any sort of flood water.
09:46:46 So it's always best when you see any any extreme flooding like that.
09:46:48 Anything over 6 inches to a foot turn around, find an alternate route. do subscribe to our nixel text alert system.
09:46:55 We had sent on alerts that one street. was closed that's how we were able to push that information out I'm, allowing folks divert on any potential trips into the area.
09:47:04 So you can subscribe to that through our website, or by texting Jeff Code.
09:47:09 Deem do 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7. This was a an interesting incident, because it was over such a short period of time.
09:47:21 There were some thunderstorm systems that were moving throughout the Pacific Northwest, and with those systems they bring really short, heavy, intense periods of rain. so
09:47:29 This flooding was a result of a stormwater system that was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water.
09:47:37 In such a short period of time. so I do have to give a ton of credit to the city of Port Townsend was able to resolve the issue so quickly.
09:47:45 I was, i'm really surprised, and and see the streets were closed for just a handful of hours, I know.
09:47:53 For example, the pull up was closed, and then was able to reopen I'm.
09:47:55 Just a few hours later, and we've gotten reports of a number of folks in the city whose basements flooded specifically.
09:48:04 So if books have questions or concerns about that i'm more than happy to chat with them.
09:48:09 Reach out to us. someone did ask about the possibility of emergency assistance.
09:48:14 Some fema does have a program for individual assistance for federally declared disasters, and we're not pursuing a declaration for this event, and we've actually never had an
individual assistance declaration
09:48:28 from Fema here in this county in our history so this unfortunately certainly won't meet threshold.
09:48:34 But if you have questions about navigating the cleanup in the insurance process, what have you?
09:48:41 Do do not hesitate to give us a call.
09:48:43 Even just a little bit of flood water i'm down in your basement can lead to long-term mold mildew issues.
09:48:49 I might know certainly some folks. One of my neighbors, for example, had a his book collection in his base concerned about the
09:48:57 You know some sentimental issues there as well as just the value of some of those, you know process to be a little bit difficult for him.
09:49:02 So give us a call. i'm glad everyone was able to stay safe and again huge credit to the city of Pt.
09:49:10 For clearing it so quickly, and and reopening our streets. i'm having that at the end of my report. sorry just We We had a public comment again today about extreme weather shelters
and i'm i'm just
09:49:23 wondering if you could just give us a quick update about those conversations.
09:49:29 So as I said, just a couple of weeks ago. we're pulling together a meeting.
09:49:35 Later this month. we'll be talking with some of our partners as we put our plan together.
09:49:40 So no real update from. I think I talked about this just a week or 2 back.
09:49:45 So no major update there other than we are making progress.
09:49:48 On that plan. and as I mentioned last week just like with this webinar event yesterday,
09:49:55 This is something new for for a lot of jurisdictions across the State of Washington.
09:49:59 So we're putting together our first severe weather shelter plan which will include warming centers for cold weather.
09:50:10 Cooling centers for warm weather and then clean air shelves, for when we experience one of the so during completion, we'll have a gathering here later this month. and Then we'll
have everything ready
09:50:24 for a warmer winter season. Later this summer we are on track for a continued cool and wet June thankfully, but we are expecting
09:50:35 The the current climate predictions show a warmer August in September, so that's what we're really prepping for this year.
09:50:44 Thanks, Willie, and maybe just worth noting as it really said to see that you're going to be talking about some of these topics to the
09:50:52 The Chamber Cafe. Yeah, you know i'm seventeenth.
09:50:54 Is that right , yup that's great and so we'll be talking about business continuity and preparedness.
09:51:02 I'll be talking a little bit of about our covid response, and some kind of initial lessons learned there.
09:51:09 So. Always it's been about a year. and a half since I was able to opt in the chamber at one other cafe, so it's excited to be back there and we will touch a little bit on severe
weather
09:51:18 preparedness. Among other things, absolutely. are we gonna have the picnic this year?
09:51:23 I would call it the Yoo picnic.
09:51:26 But we are gonna have the the all county picnic that the Yoo picnic is an appropriate name, and for the the uninitiated yo-yo stands for you're
09:51:35 on your own, which I hate to say but we are honest i'm here in the department of emergency management, and that after a catastrophic disaster, you know, catastrophic, disasters
by their very nature
09:51:46 overwhelm local resources i'm never mind the fact that we are human beings, too, and we will be affected by the disaster.
09:51:53 Well, So we message that you're going to be on your own potentially for an extended period of time.
09:51:59 So the All county picnic is designed to promote disaster, resilience, and bring the community together to talk about issues related to disaster.
09:52:08 Preparedness build relationships for the disaster etc. it's been held every august for just about 10 years.
09:52:14 Now it looked a little bit different during covid where we've had some virtual picnics in place, as we called them.
09:52:23 We will have a picnic this year.
09:52:26 We will still encourage folks if if that's what they're more inclined to do to picnic in place to picnic in small groups outdoors. but we will have a an in-person event
09:52:37 just on a little bit of a smaller scale coming up august so i'm absolutely.
09:52:42 We're excited for that i'm still be a little bit of a modified form, but it's our it's our tenth anniversary of the all county so we'll we'll absolutely be having an event
09:52:49 here. Okay, Thanks, Willie. Dr. Barry, Are you ready to join us now and give your update
09:53:05 She might be, and traffic scenes. situation right. Star 6 to unmute.
09:53:15 Hi there! yes, I am happy to join you all I am on route to a conference of the local public health officials in Washington State.
09:53:23 So that's why i'm joining by phone but it's my pleasure to be here.
09:53:30 Hopefully that audio is okay. So, looking at the Covid 19 situation nationally cases are plateauing at the national level and actually decreasing in the northeast, which was
hit first by the pandemic hospitalizations
09:53:43 are still rising nationally, but relatively slowly up 16 in the last 2 weeks deaths are actually down trending nationally. they're at one of the lowest rates that we've seen
in the pandemic we're
09:53:53 seeing 267 deaths per day, which, of course, is so much more than we see in an average flu season, and we unfortunately have past the threshold of losing more than a 1 million
Americans to covid 19 which puts us at one of the
09:54:08 highest death rates due to COVID-19 in the world.
09:54:12 In Washington State we are seeing cases plateauing as well.
09:54:17 In Jefferson we are seeing cases plateauing.
09:54:21 Our current cases are up to 4,211, with a K, 3 of 823 with a percent positivity of 18%.
09:54:29 We have no one currently hospitalized for COVID-19 for a total of 131 hospitalizations and no new deaths.
09:54:38 So 29 deaths due to COVID-19 in our county.
09:54:43 In Clown County case rates are actually starting to decrease.
09:54:45 Already we're seeing we're up to 12,843 cases, with a case rate of 650 per 100,000 and an 18% positivity.
09:54:57 We have 3 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 for a total of 376 hospitalizations and 112 deaths. So at this point case rates are still incredibly high.
09:55:07 We are seeing quite a bit of transmission there, community.
09:55:11 But one very hopeful thing is we really have not seen a search in hospitalizations in this round. This is really the first time we've seen that, and we have been at very high
rates of transmission for quite some time. it's.
09:55:24 Interesting that we are seeing a very different somewhat different pattern than what we're seeing in the rest of the country.
09:55:31 Much of the rest of the country has experienced a surgeon.
09:55:33 Hospitalizations, the northeast, the south, the midwest that really hit hard by a surgeon hospitalizations.
09:55:40 But in Jefferson and Clown County we really have not seen that, and that is most likely due to the very high rates of vaccination in our communities.
09:55:49 Jefferson, of course, is a higher vaccination rate than Column county.
09:55:53 But even Clown County is the fourth highest vaccinated county in the States, and Washington is a well vaccinated state.
09:55:59 We're seeing excellent protection against severe disease in the vaccine, and we think that is one of the biggest drivers of why, we're not seeing a hospitalization surge in
our region.
09:56:08 The other thing that we're seeing is very good uptake of Paxlobin.
09:56:13 So our healthcare system has been working incredibly hard to make sure.
09:56:15 People have access to that medication. And that really seems to be playing a significant role in preventing hospitalization in our region.
09:56:25 So I am hopeful that we are moving truly into a more endemic phase of this virus.
09:56:33 Now, variance can always throw a wrench in those plans, but so far we are moving into a more hopeful direction. COVID-19 is still very unpleasant, and there can be significant
side effects.
09:56:45 You can certainly experience severe disease If you are unvaccinated. but for those who are fully vaccinated and boosted who've had those 3 shots, we're really not seeing a level
of severe disease, that we used to
09:56:56 see from this Virus, and that's very hopeful So with that I'm happy to start with any questions from our commissioners.
09:57:05 Gregor. Kate, do you Have any questions greg looks like Greg's got his hand raised?
09:57:08 Yeah, I just I mean, did you Did you say the pandemics over?
09:57:11 Are we in the inemic state I would say it's not over.
09:57:19 But right now I do think we are in the process of transitioning to that endemic phase.
09:57:25 Ie. we are likely to still see surges in case.
09:57:27 But this is the first time that we've had a surge and not seen a surgeon Hospitalization in death.
09:57:33 So, for many of us got Covid in the last couple of months.
09:57:38 I'm sure you have friends and family and people, you know, who got covid and those cases can still be severe primarily for those who are un vaccinated, and also for those who
cannot respond to their
09:57:48 vaccine. Those who are immunosuppressed are very, very elderly, severely ill, but the rest of our community really has not been hospitalized when they got Covid, despite their
age, despite their underlying
09:58:01 conditions. And that really signals a transition in phases for us absolutely great news.
09:58:10 And I you know i'm i'm eagerly awaiting the the the completion of the transition, and I guess my other question was just about masking which seems like it's all also in a new
09:58:20 phase, you know, where we used to really primarily mass to protect those around us.
09:58:24 I think we're entering a phase with the availability of you know Kf.
09:58:28 94 K. and 95 masks of masking to protect yourself.
09:58:32 If you are in, you know, compromised or if you're going into a large group, I see more people making the choice to where a mask, and it seems like the motivation is more of
your own personal risk analysis more
09:58:44 than stopping community spread, because obviously we failed at that.
09:58:50 And so I guess I was wondering what you what you thought about that If my analysis is accurate about the new phase of masking more in.
09:58:59 Yeah, I think we are in this transition. Part of what we are moving away from is kind of this mandatory community, wide masking.
09:59:08 When we think back to 2 years ago, when the was all going on, and we didn't have vaccines and covid 19 could really be a death sentence for a large number of people, we really
needed to use more stringent measures to get it
09:59:19 under control. But now that we have so many other things at our disposal, we have quality vaccines.
09:59:24 We have high quality treatments. We have monoclone antibodies.
09:59:28 You can take now that we have all these other tools at our disposal.
09:59:34 We don't have to be as stringent on their those other community level requirements that said I, do still recommend wearing a mask in indoor settings.
09:59:43 I still wear a mask in indoor settings but we also have access to high quality masks, but can go a lot further to protecting you, even if the other people around you aren't.
So you can wear a kf 90
09:59:54 four*, * or an *, if you could tolerate it.
09:59:59 Whatever fits best on your face, and those really do work quite well to prevent you from contracting great.
10:00:06 Thank you, Commissioner Dean. We have to follow up to that.
10:00:14 You know someone who who recently had Covid In theory I cannot be reinfected or transmitted for a little while.
10:00:19 And but i'm i'm very aware of the that kind of normative behavior of masking.
10:00:27 And so I have not chosen to continue wearing a mask in indoor public spaces.
10:00:33 And and sometimes, I think, is this performative and silly, or is is there real value to that?
10:00:38 So can you speak to to you know many many people who have been infected recently, and are wondering what's the best way to proceed from a public health perspective?
10:00:49 Sure so, as a person has recently had Covid 19.
10:00:53 If you got infected in this wave and got infected in the last 90 days, you are very unlikely to get Covid again in this next 90 days, particularly if you're vaccinated and then
got a breakthrough, in
10:01:04 section we are seeing reinfections for unvaccinated folks, even as short as 30 days after having Covid.
10:01:10 So just having kovat enough is not enough on its own. But if you're vaccinated, had a breakthrough, you can feel relatively confident that you're not going to get it again in
the next 90 days and that you're
10:01:21 not going to give it to other people. What is this mean about whether or not you mask in indoor settings?
10:01:28 I would say for me part of Why, part of Why, i'm mask, is It's a really simple thing I can do to protect the people around me in indoor spaces it's a thing I can do that can
show
10:01:39 themselves and care for the other people that are there who are high risk.
10:01:44 It can make them feel more comfortable and It can reduce the risk of me spreading other stuff.
10:01:47 You know I don't like colds I don't like the flu and wearing a mask can reduce those things.
10:01:54 I think, in small group settings, people who know your status who know that you recently had Kovat.
10:02:01 I think it is reasonable to you use this time where you're pretty well immune to have some of those gatherings that we've been putting off because you really are much safer
in those places.
10:02:12 But you want to have that with people who you can talk about the fact that you don't have covid so they can understand why you're not masking in those settings.
10:02:20 Thank you. I don't give one more question if you don't mind Petty, .
10:02:25 I'm hearing a lot of reports. of people testing negative long after they're symptomatic, and you know 2 to 5 days of pretty severe symptoms and illness.
10:02:38 Really before testing positive with the home test is this something that you're hearing, and that is there any data about waning efficacy of home tests at this point.
10:02:47 And how should people approach that? Yes, so this is very common.
10:02:53 For vaccinated folks that you will test negative in the first couple of days of your illness.
10:02:59 And that's because primarily the thing that is driving all those symptoms that make you feel so bad Is your immune system.
10:03:04 So So it's not actually you don't have a very high viral load at that point.
10:03:08 But you're immune system has noticed a little bit of Covid in your body, and it's kicking it.
10:03:15 Which is good. The major vaccine is working but it doesn't feel great when it's happening.
10:03:20 The tests will work Well, we haven't seen any decreased efficacy of the tests.
10:03:26 But what we have seen is really a change in viral dynamics between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
10:03:31 It used to be for unvaccinated folks and we're still seeing this. true with unvaccinated folks that your viral load shot up most in the days before your symptoms started now
for our vaccinated folks what
10:03:43 we're seeing is that your symptoms are starting actually thus, for your viral load shoots up, which is really promising.
10:03:50 So that really dramatically decreases pre symptomatic transmission, which was a big part of how covid 19 spread vaccinated folks.
10:03:59 You're actually pretty unlikely to spread it to other people when you're asymptomatic.
10:04:03 But once you develop those symptoms, you can, and once these turn positive on that test, you should assume that you have a relatively high viral load, and that you really need
to isolate.
10:04:14 What does that mean practically is as a vaccinated person, it's really important to stay home when you're sick, and if you're sick for a couple days, stay home that whole time,
even if you're testing negative and key
10:04:25 test thing. So test really 2, 3 days in a row and that can help, you know, for sure that you're covid native, and really stay all the way home until your symptoms get better.
10:04:39 Which has always been good public health policy, but is particularly if You're nervous, and you want to get a Pcr.
10:04:46 That can sometimes turn positive faster, because it has that amplification.
10:04:50 But we do think the the tests are still really good at determining infectivity.
10:04:55 Whether or not you have a high enough viral load to infect
10:04:59 One other note on testing i'm also getting a lot of calls in our offices, getting a lot of calls from folks who are still testing positive on day 10. So they've stayed home.
10:05:09 They've isolated. and they're continuing to test because we've got antigen tests now, and they want to be extra safe. we don't think that you are contagious beyond day 10 unless
you are
10:05:19 immunosuppressed. it's really not necessary to keep after day 10 in order to leave isolation.
10:05:26 But if you're concerned, and if You're still testing positive, certainly wearing a mask in indoor settings will reduce the risk that you could any virus Dr.
10:05:36 Barry to follow up on that you could still have symptoms, but not the transmitting the virus.
10:05:41 Is that correct? After Yes. So lots of people, lots of people do.
10:05:46 Lots of people have a pretty prolonged cough for a long fatigue.
10:05:50 After cooked 19. but we don't see that you're shedding viable virus beyond that 10 day period. So if you still have symptoms, they should be improving.
10:06:02 You certainly should be a i'll not have a fever but if you don't have a fever, all your symptoms are improving, and it's more than day 10 it is okay to leave isolation, but
if you're
10:06:11 still symptomatic. Good idea to keep a mask on that will make everybody more comfortable around you.
10:06:17 And if you have been testing at home and you notice you're still positive good idea to keep a mask on in those settings, too.
10:06:24 But we do think you're safe to leave at day 10 one more question.
10:06:31 Okay, go ahead. I would just worry about the the the positivity number on on testing that 18% positivity.
10:06:40 I guess Dufftail, with all the antigen tests where you don't really have any, you don't have a number for how many negative antigen tests there are.
10:06:50 Yeah. So that percent positivity is actually exclusively the Jefferson healthcare.
10:06:54 Pcrs. So it doesn't include antigen tests at all, because of that problem that we couldn't get a denominator. for how many antigen tests are being done out there?
10:07:02 How many negatives are not getting reported and so that's exclusively off.
10:07:06 Pcr. where we know the total number that are being performed.
10:07:10 Gotcha thank you, and I don't have a question I just wanted to say that Dr.
10:07:16 Barry. I attended the Chamber awards ceremony.
10:07:21 A couple of weekends, or the weekend before last, and where you were granted the young professional of the year award.
10:07:28 And I I like I loved the quote in the newspaper from Arlene Allen.
10:07:33 That said although, although although very very couldn't be there she got a massive standing ofation even though she wasn't there, so we appreciate everything that you've done
for our community for the last 2 plus years, and I know
10:07:51 that I know some people probably in the zoom room, are part of nominating you for both both of those awards.
10:07:58 A citizen of the year, and the young professional award, and we just wanna call you out and give you a big virtual hug right now, and thank you for all of your care for our
community over the last years.
10:08:12 Thank you so much. I did read that, and it was really heartening.
10:08:14 I was very sad to miss it. I had not taken a vacation for 3 years, and I had that already planned when I heard it.
10:08:22 When the ceremony was going to be, so I decided to stick with it and take that vacation.
10:08:25 But it was really lovely to read, and I I am sorry that I missed it.
10:08:29 Well, all of us who went on your behalf were we're thrilled to be there representing you, and we're also glad that you were on vacation.
10:08:42 So, Anyway? and thank you. Yeah, Mark, Did you have any questions for Dr.
10:08:46 Barry no no I don't actually i'm i'm with Commissioner Brotherton looking forward to completing this transition, and you know, moving on at some point yeah but I know I saw
a number of
10:09:05 Kptz questions so let's let's turn to the add questions from the audience.
10:09:13 Absolutely so. The first question was from someone who had read the port towns in the Year Article, which quoted Dr.
10:09:21 Locke, talking about a recent study that basically half of the deaths after vaccines became available, were unnecessary.
10:09:30 And so this person asked, Does that mean that in Jefferson County we lost about 15 people needlessly, and I would say the number is a little lower than that in Jefferson County,
because we have such a high vaccination rate.
10:09:42 But yes, roughly, about half of the deaths after that time period were not necessary primarily, because so many people died who were unbaccinated.
10:09:54 And that would have gone an incredibly long way to preventing those things.
10:09:59 Looking backwards, we can't change things that have passed and we can't bring back the people we've lost. But what we can do is lean on their memory to You make the decisions
that will protect us the biggest thing We all can do to
10:10:18 protect ourselves and our neighbors is to get vaccinated and then, if we're going in into indoor spaces, and particularly high risk, indoor spaces like long-term care facilities,
sales and prisons, shelters, places, where people, are
10:10:29 congregating schools, even wearing mass in those settings, really go a long way to reduce transmission and any unnecessary exposure.
10:10:40 This next question says the newspapers are reporting that Jefferson County has one of the lowest Kovat death rates in the nation.
10:10:48 Do you think the unique weekly radio podcasts allowing kptz questions and answers contributed to the good community outcomes? I would say that I think a lot of things contributed
to our good outcomes So certainly the amount of our
10:11:02 community who step forward to get vaccinated and wear masks made a huge difference.
10:11:06 I hope that our Kptz question and answer sessions have also been helpful.
10:11:10 I think, navigating the public pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges has been navigating the information landscape and trying to figure out what's real and what's
not and you know what of what you're saying in newspapers
10:11:24 is too hyped up. and what is something you really need to be concerned about?
10:11:27 And I think the the Kptz programs have been very helpful at kind of filtering through that noise, so that people can bring their questions directly to us, and we can answer
them so that it's possible to navigate the
10:11:42 pandemic in an informed way. The next question is about monkey poker.
10:11:49 So what this person was wondering about how much Protection they might get from a childhood.
10:11:56 Smallpox immunization against monkey pox.
10:12:00 So smallpox vaccination was standard in this country until 1972.
10:12:07 So basically, if you were born before about 1971, because it was given at one year of life.
10:12:14 You likely received a smallpox access and small talks.
10:12:18 Vaccines are incredibly effective against monkey, pox they're about 85% effective at preventing monkey pox, And it's a really really good vaccine, because what we're seeing
is it you maintain
10:12:30 high antibody tiders against against the smallpox decades after you got back.
10:12:38 And so I would say if you were born before 1971.
10:12:44 You can consider yourself very little risk for acquiring Monkey Pox a good reminder.
10:12:49 Monkey pox is a very different virus than kovat it's a concerning sounding virus, but it is much less contagious than Covid, and we have existing vaccines that work very well
for it there so far has
10:13:01 been only one positive case of the in Washington. there's already been an extensive investigation of contacts in what's called ring vaccination, where we vaccinated all the
people who were in close contact with so I do
10:13:14 think we'll be able to control monkey pox spread So I I don't think that we need to be concerned about it. the way that we're concerned about covid but yes, if you we're vaccinated
for
10:13:25 smallpox before 1,971 you are, you likely have significant immunity against monkeys?
10:13:33 This next question says that having been double vaccinated and boosted in December of 2021 I'm.
10:13:41 A healthy person, but i'm struggling to recover from a stubborn case.
10:13:43 Of course, 16 days for the reported Covid cases, since the Omicron variant.
10:13:50 Are there any statistics indicating that is less likely to get infected as a vaccine and boosted person compared to those who were unvaccated? Are the reported symptoms any
less severe than those who
10:14:00 are are are unbaccinated. and I would say yes.
10:14:06 So you are still 50% less likely to get Covid if you are vaccinated and boosted.
10:14:13 It could sometimes not feel like that when we hear about all our friends who are getting Covid.
10:14:15 But it is still less likely. and but most importantly it is dramatically less likely that you will get severe disease.
10:14:24 So you're 17 times less likely to die of code, it's your vaccinated and boosted.
10:14:30 And that's really important but I think it's important to announce that when we talk about less severe disease, what we mean is, you're not hospitalized on a ventilator and
that you don't die of
10:14:40 it is still a really significant virus, and I think many people who just contract good Covid in this most recent wave have been surprised by that.
10:14:49 By how much it kind of laid them flat. Kovat is a very serious virus.
10:14:56 So, even in breakthrough infections, most people describe some pretty significant symptoms.
10:15:00 They feel like they have a very bad flu, or that their symptoms can last for quite.
10:15:05 I would say, for those who are vaccinated and boosted generally.
10:15:08 Those symptoms do improve significantly in the coming weeks.
10:15:14 And the rate of severe disease. Hospitalization, Long Covid can still happen.
10:15:19 But the risk of Long Covid is much reduced by vaccination as well.
10:15:24 So I hope that you get better soon and if your symptoms. aren't improving in the next week definitely contact your personal care. provider to make sure that you're getting the
support this next question asked about something called
10:15:37 delta Quran, which is a recombinant of the delta virus and the Omocront, and the Delta variant and the omicron variant.
10:15:45 And if that's circulating in jefferson county and it is not
10:15:49 So, in order to get what is that called delta kron, or this recombinant variant, you need the delta virus circulating in your community, and the omicron variant of the virus
circulating in the your
10:16:00 community, and for us Delta stopped circulating in Jefferson County in January of this year. So we are not seeing any delta infection anymore.
10:16:11 So it's not really possible to get Novel Delta recombinant with omicron.
10:16:16 Here, and in the rare cases that we have seen this documented in other countries, it doesn't seem to have a significant transmission advantage.
10:16:24 So it dies out pretty much as soon as someone develops It wouldn't be concerned about delta crime.
10:16:33 This next person drew a parallel that I thought was interesting.
10:16:36 About the treatments for covid 19 and they reminded us that our prior President really pushed hydroxychloroquine.
10:16:43 And now they're saying our current president talking about pax's little bit on the Tv, and they want to know what the difference is.
10:16:48 You know it is just just 2 different Presidents pushing different drugs, and I would say, hydroxychloroquine and packs little bit are very different.
10:16:58 Was it theoretical potential benefit in the beginning of covid 19 when we had crazy virus and we didn't have any treatments.
10:17:07 And so there was a a theory. tossed out that hydroxychloroquine might help which was reasonable when we didn't have anything else.
10:17:14 Since then we've had multiple large randomized control trials. looking at hydroxychloroquine for cold, and they found that it has no benefit for covid 19 We have looked at it
we have studied
10:17:25 it, and unfortunately, it just didn't work so there's not any benefit to take saying, hi taking hydroxychloroquine.
10:17:32 There is some risk to taking it, so I would not recommend it for Covid.
10:17:35 19. It has other medical uses, but COVID-19 is not low packs.
10:17:42 Lovid. On the other hand, has been extensively studied for Covid 19, and found to be highly effective.
10:17:49 So yeah, you have an 89% reduction in severe disease for those who are high risk.
10:17:54 If you take packs a little bit within the first 5 very good drug, it's well studied, and it makes a big difference.
10:18:02 So packs a little bit for anyone who is at risk of severe disease.
10:18:06 As long as they're able to access it within the first 5 days.
10:18:11 A couple other quick questions. One person asked, Why are we seeing a surge in Covid?
10:18:16 19 cases spring is covid 19 not a seasonal virus, and I would say, so far, covid 19 is not so far.
10:18:26 What We've seen is these recurrent surges of Kovat, 19 primarily tied to whenever we reduce our mitigation measures.
10:18:34 So whenever we take our mess off, we see a subsequent in Covid 19.
10:18:39 So it's not following a seasonal pattern yet I Think it is likely that it will eventually fall into a seasonal pattern likely starting around this fall, but not guaranteed generally.
10:18:49 What makes the flu seasonal is our behavior but that's when we come indoors.
10:18:56 That's when we travel what we're seeing right now is Our behavior has been all mixed up by the pandemic.
10:19:01 Many of us weren't. traveling and now all of a sudden we are, and that's spreading covet 19. many of us weren't gathering. And now we are and that's spreading kovat 19 it's
actually
10:19:09 all also spreading the flu. So the flu which is normally a fall and winter virus is very active now.
10:19:17 Because we're gathering indoors so all of these viruses just increase when we gather indoors.
10:19:22 But I do think of eventually they will move into more of a seasonal.
10:19:25 Okay, A couple more questions one person asked. it seems like when people travel, they end up getting Covid and bringing it back What is what is driving?
10:19:37 This Is this a specific in Jefferson County or is this something that's happening everywhere?
10:19:42 And I would say it is happening everywhere. as soon as the Fda. sorry.
10:19:49 As soon as the Faa and the court ruling got rid of the mask mandate on planes, we saw a dramatic uptick, as you would expect
10:20:00 I recently was on a plane, and I was one of a handful of people in a high quality mask on that plane. So we're seeing a ton of covid 19 transmission and related, to travel that
is preventable you
10:20:10 can prevent picking up Covid on the plane. If you wear a high quality mask in the airport in the plane it is challenging, but it is important, and it makes a big difference.
10:20:20 The other big thing that you want to look at is what you do when you arrive.
10:20:23 So if you travel to go on a cruise that's a relatively high risk interaction.
10:20:29 Or if you're traveling to go to a you know large indoor family gathering that's relatively high risk to how we're gathering how we're getting there that's really what's driving
10:20:38 transmit and then this last person was talking a little bit about what we really started the program with.
10:20:48 I hear people saying hospitalizations are increasing, but I don't see that locally.
10:20:52 Is it a good sign that even with incredibly high case numbers, we have 0 hospitalizations, especially considering our demographic yes.
10:21:02 So we, in spite of the fact that we have a relatively elderly population, we continue to not see a search, and I would say that is driven primarily by the fact that we are very
well vaccinated, all of that work that we did
10:21:14 as a community to get back needed all of our volunteers coming out to get folks vaccinated.
10:21:20 That made a huge difference. One thing we're saying in other parts of the country is that just having a prior infection alone, which is the immunity that much of the rest of
the country is not enough to be prevent severe disease
10:21:37 but what we have here in a vaccination, as well as the prescription.
10:21:44 Those 2 things together, I think are driving the difference we're seeing and that's all the questions I have
10:21:55 I saw Greg's hand go up since ending you know.
10:22:02 I guess I know that Deem has already started some after action stuff.
10:22:07 And this is really a question for the future. but i'd love to see or get information about any period re reviewed studies.
10:22:15 That kind of study, the unintended impacts of some of our mitigations, you know.
10:22:19 I think that there's a lot of them that have been really strong, and some that were sort of misguided at the beginning. and i'm wondering just about social and emotional health.
10:22:30 You know, kids, educational progress, relax of progress or regression the last couple years, and i'm wondering if there's been studies that we can look at and and kind of analyze
from our own perspective that will help us
10:22:42 be, I guess, better prepared or or more more surgical in our in our response to any future emergencies which I just feel feel are, I I feel, are inevitable at this point.
10:22:58 But you know, I guess I'm just maybe got a little bit of Smsm: Yeah, I would say there is there are some studies already starting to come out on this topic.
10:23:09 And there will likely be quite a few more for better or worse.
10:23:13 The fact that we've seen very different responses in the country does provide a good basis for research can see how different parts of it.
10:23:23 I think one interesting thing that we're seeing particularly in the area of mental health.
10:23:28 Is that it does really matter, especially pediatric mental health.
10:23:32 It does really matter how fast people can, came back to school, and we came back to school relatively fast in Jefferson County and Clockham County.
10:23:39 That was very helpful for our pediatric mental health.
10:23:44 The other thing that we've seen is it also really matters how you how you mitigate the mitigation.
10:23:48 So, for instance, in Washington State there was a really intensive effort to buy a lot of our schools as well as volunteers to support feed children.
10:23:57 The The fact that we passed federally funding to support some of our most impoverished families actually does seem to have actually been a pretty significant buffer against
the severe negative outcomes and related to
10:24:13 mitigation. but I think it is. It is important to look into this research, of what?
10:24:20 What mitigations, what the what the downstream effects were and I think it's also important to look at this research with.
10:24:27 I think there is a tendency in much of the country to say that basically everything bad that's happening right now is because it's covid medications.
10:24:35 But if you look very carefully we're seeing very similar you know severe things like when we look at things like, you know, some of the the worst things that we're talking about
right now, like school shootings we're seeing parable outcomes
10:24:45 in places that had next to no Covid 19. But I still see newspapers talking about, you know.
10:24:52 Maybe this is because of yeah school shutdowns but And so you always don't look with a critical eye when someone gets you a conclusion without the data to backup.
10:25:03 Really look at what our cause and effect is, and epidemiology that is a very challenging thing to find.
10:25:09 You can find correlations. But finding causation is a lot more complex. but it can be done.
10:25:16 And I think that research will be ongoing for at least the next year.
10:25:20 Great thank you i'm i'm just really interested in understanding how yeah it's.
10:25:26 It's I guess it's there's a silver lining and all the different mitigation strategies around the country love to gain as much as we can about what worked what didn't work and
how it works better next
10:25:34 time i'll just oh, sorry go go ahead Dr.
10:25:38 Barry, I was just gonna say one other thing that we do we are looking at is, you know. How are your mitigation measures communicated?
10:25:47 Really matters So, for instance, very early on in the pandemic The data was showing that we don't see transmission outside. and yet I still heard communication that the primary
goal was to quote stay home and that's not actually the goal the goal is don't gather an
10:26:02 indoor spaces, which is very different. That means you can meet up outside.
10:26:07 That means, please do go outside and meet with your friends. Get some.
10:26:12 And so how we communicate these mitigations is almost as important as what the mitigation and Willie did.
10:26:19 You have something you want , Yeah, and So as we're starting our our response after action process.
10:26:26 Here locally. we are starting to look at some of the the studies being done about economic impacts, mental health impacts, etc. But I didn't want to add that we'll be looking
at that over the next months.
10:26:38 Obviously these studies are underwent I think there's going to be a delusion of them over the course of the next year or so. but this is something that folks are gonna be looking
at and we'll still be feeling the impacts
10:26:48 of obviously 5, 1020 years from now. and I use the Hurricane Katrina as a good example.
10:26:56 Of there's still projects underway in new orleans as part of the rebuild, and recovery of that event.
10:27:04 And there's still examining long-term economic and and human.
10:27:09 Impacts of that particular event, and this was so much more widespread
10:27:16 So many more ripple effects that you know honestly, 50 years from now.
10:27:20 Folks are still gonna be looking back and and seeing how how these impacts played out.
10:27:25 So this is a conversation that we'll have I think pretty heavily over the next 3 to 6 months. but it's gonna be worth revisiting a decade from now.
10:27:34 So it'll be something that will be definitely keeping an eye on as things come out pretty quickly over the next year.
10:27:38 But they'll continue to trickle out and we'll still be feeling these impacts a long while from now, and I appreciate it. Dr.
10:27:46 Talking about the equitable the equitable responses is some of the relief child.
10:27:51 Tax credit, and things like that really helps people get through some of that.
10:27:55 But I know when you talk about Katrina. I was there, you know, a couple of years after, and there was massive gentrification that resulted as a help forth in that, and I just
Wanna.
10:28:03 Make sure we're conscious of of equity as as we as we look forward and and do.
10:28:10 We can to mitigate and equity. no absolutely and I think just to add to something that that Willie said as part of this difficulty in person, cause it effect.
10:28:21 Is there's a tendency, I think in our dialogue to assume that all the effects that we're seeing are because of the mitigation of the virus.
10:28:28 But we also just had a pandemic which has its own effects.
10:28:32 So, for instance, in in Katrina there was very little mitigation, but there was still very significant.
10:28:39 Make negative outcomes, and we expect not just the mitigation.
10:28:42 If I saying it's the effect of living under a pandemic, it's the effect of losing loved ones losing parents.
10:28:50 All of those things that's been covid all of those things are piling up together.
10:28:56 So probably those is much more complex. So I just wanna encourage everyone to think about it with that critical eye, and include the knowledge that living through a pandemic
itself, whether we did any mitigations at all is is very very
10:29:11 challenging,
10:29:16 Thank you. Oh, Kate, do temper one more quick question Dr. Barry, i'm wondering if you can address the
10:29:26 You know folks are hearing about the rebound effect of Pexlovid. Is that something that should prevent them from seeking that?
10:29:34 Just if you can help under help us understand? that that potential side effect.
10:29:39 Yeah, I think that is being reported. in a way that's very confusing and understandable that people are wondering whether or not they should take this medicine. So Paxlova does
not cause the Rebound the virus
10:29:51 itself causes the reason. So, please. if you were at high risk, a do still takes pack, Slovak.
10:29:58 What it really means. is that that when you know the most important high risk time for you is those first 5 days when you're taking that medication, And it's really doing the
work of preventing you from getting hospitalized, preventing you
10:30:09 from a dying but after that some folks will experience a return of symptoms after they complete their.
10:30:19 And so the most important thing is to stay home when you're sick and certainly stay home for that full 10 days.
10:30:24 If you're still feeling sick, you shouldn't leave your isolation early, if you are not asymptomatic, stay home that full 10 days, if you're sick, if you have a return of symptoms,
we're
10:30:33 still not seeing severe disease in those who have been treated so it's not something to be concerned about.
10:30:39 But if you're symptomatic stay home wear a mask around others, that but do still take packs a little bit.
10:30:47 If you're hired risk it's very important for reducing to their covid infection.
10:30:52 One last quick thing I know I promised our director that I would talk about on this call is reminding folks about the Board of Health expansion.
10:30:59 It sounds like you've had it might have been talking about that when I joined, but just encouraging folks to go to the Jackson County Public health website, for we have 2 open
slots one is for a consumer of public health
10:31:11 services. someone who has utilized our programs and the other is for a community stakeholder.
10:31:20 Pretty broad, a pretty broad, great those who are invested in our community, and he wants to serve on the Board of health. There's a lot more details on the Jefferson County
Public health.
10:31:28 Website, but the deadline for applications. The mission is June 20, fourth, interested in being on our board and participating in public health decisions.
10:31:36 Please do apply. Great Psa: Thank you for that.
10:31:44 Okay, Okay? Well, it's 1031 I think Kptz is probably transitioning to some Bob Marley.
10:31:51 I hope right about now. I always love it when the I am on Kvtz, and some of them music from my childhood comes up.
10:31:59 It just sends me right back to being out on the ocean.
10:32:03 And anyway, so thanks for being here today, Willie and Dr.
10:32:05 Barry. We appreciate you guys, big time, and we are going to go back to our agenda.
10:32:12 We have it? 1030 item on our agenda I think we're bringing over Tammy who corny Did we start with the pride Proclamation?
10:32:21 I do with it? be all right? Oh, yeah, yeah, we can start with that right?
10:32:26 Sorry that was above 1030. Okay, i'm gonna bring over Ellen and i'm not sure I don't see.
10:32:34 Carry out our list. but maybe Ellen can help us.
10:32:37 This Ellen Calwell. the executive director of Olympic pride hi there's Ellen Ellen. Good morning.
10:32:45 Do you know if Carrie's gonna join us I don't think Kerry can join us today.
10:32:49 She's actually in in introducing our new summer leader to through their first task and responsibilities.
10:32:57 So : Okay, show me that to this up hiding , Okay. great.
10:33:03 So I am so pleased that Ellen Colbert would join us from Olympic pride.
10:33:09 And she worked with me to to do this proclamation this year, and
10:33:15 I am a huge fan of of pride month and appreciate the the partnership that we have in this community, and it runs pretty deep.
10:33:24 Right has been involved in many different institutions, and helping them.
10:33:29 Address. Discrimination issues around healthcare unemployment.
10:33:34 It's a long, long standing organization that has has really made us a very progressive community, especially for a real community.
10:33:43 And just so thankful for all the contributions that pride his name.
10:33:47 So typically we read the proclamation, and then lens for a few words from you.
10:33:53 Is that sound good
10:33:56 So I just jump right in. Yeah, Okay, problem. Whereas Jefferson County Washington recognizes that sexual and gender identity are fluid and non-binary concepts that all people
are free to explore without this
10:34:15 discrimination and right; whereas our nation continues to face tragic levels of violence against transgender, people especially transgender youth and women of color.
10:34:26 And whereas Lgbtq individuals, especially youth, who defy sex or gender norms based bullying and harassment in educational settings, and are at a disproportionate risk of self
harm, and death by
10:34:40 suicide; and whereas in its efforts to be safe, diverse, and inclusive, Jefferson County actively seeks to implement policy that is fair, and protects the rights and dignity
of all.
10:34:51 And whereas we celebrate and honor the contributions the Lgbtq community makes the fabric stability and well-being of our community, including valued employees of Jefferson
County, and Whereas, the Jefferson county Board
10:35:05 of commissioners passed a Human Rights Pro Proclamation on February sixth, 2,017, declaring our commitment to protecting the in alienable human rights, dignity, and equality,
of all individuals regardless
10:35:20 of age, race, national origin, immigration and citizen status, ginger, gender, sexual identity, marital status, sexual orientation.
10:35:34 Did I say that sorry religion, creed, or ability. Now, therefore, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners proclaims June 2022 pride month in Jefferson County, and encourages
all residents and visitors to
10:35:48 join with people and organizations around the world, and celebrating the spirit of the vibrant Lgbtq plus community, and to renew our commitment to ensuring civil rights for
all proclaimed the sixth
10:36:01 day of June, 2022. Okay, Thank you.
10:36:09 Everyone. Thank you all. Thank you so much. Commissioner Eisenhower, Dean, and Brotherton.
10:36:16 This proclamation is always very special to me because it just speaks so much to our vibrant community.
10:36:23 I'm. Ellen, Michael Caldwell and It is an honor to be here today, representing the Olympic Pride Board of Directors, which serves the Lgbtq. community here in Jefferson County
Edit Tom
10:36:35 Weng Gate and trans rights are under attack, unprecedented rates.
10:36:40 Elsewhere in our country the recognition and support for people of all gender identities and sexual expressions.
10:36:46 Our local leaders here in Jefferson County is a source of inspiration.
10:36:51 Truly, our county is a special community. Communities like ours do not happen by accident.
10:36:57 They're intentionally built by community leaders listening to working with and advocating for Lgbtq in our work towards equality, acceptance.
10:37:08 And celebration. Thank you all for being those leaders in this community.
10:37:14 At this incredible time, and Lgbtq history, the Olympic proud board of directors, with also like to recognize founding member and human rights activist Amelia to SU.S.A. for
galvanizing this particular community around her
10:37:28 vision of health and social equity that continues to motivate our work today.
10:37:34 We'd also like to thank our ventures donors and community partners for their own going support of our mission and programs.
10:37:41 And lastly, we'd like to invite you all to enjoy to join us.
10:37:46 Saturday, June 20 fifth, A. M. to 4 P. M.
10:37:49 At Pot Marine Park, in Port Townsend for for sound of pride, 2,022.
10:37:55 Our first full pride celebration in 3 years. Awesome.
10:38:00 Thank you so much for being with us and for your leadership.
10:38:04 Allen. we appreciate you and all of your board colleagues and all of the members of O O Olympic pride. Yeah, I can't imagine a community without each and every piece of the
fabric that
10:38:15 it has in it, and i'm so glad you're here leaving it together with us.
10:38:21 Thank Thank you so much, each of you for all of your support.
10:38:25 Yeah, and I just like to say I have a number of queer teens in my life, and that come in and out of my household.
10:38:32 And I I have seen, even in the the the just the time that I have teenagers, such a significant shift, and acceptance and exploration.
10:38:41 Of queerness in particular, and it's just really reassuring to live in a community where where you feel free to explore parts of themselves and and be supported at every level
to do that particularly want to call it the school
10:38:55 districts for really making safe space for that and it it's great to see that the you know perhaps some of the the anxiety that has plagued past generations of people questioning
their their sexuality and gender
10:39:10 identity or there's just a lot more a lot more room to explore and still more work to do. certainly, but I feel like we're headed in the right direction.
10:39:19 Yes, so sorry. Yeah, i'll i'll i'll make the motion, too.
10:39:25 If you want when i'm done. but I just wanted to thank you Allen, for for being here and and representing.
10:39:31 And yeah, this is an important work, and and happy to be on on the on the right side of this, you know.
10:39:36 I mean now more than ever, as you said in your in your comments, we need to stand up and and from everybody's right to be, and I think that's what this is more than anything
else.
10:39:45 So I I really appreciate you. Thanks for being here. Thank you.
10:39:49 Thank you all, and i'll. Oh, do you want to do it, Kate, we do have one one the proclamation.
10:39:55 I see. the therefore, is missing an e right so let's get that straightened out, so we can get a nice coffee out. but i'll move that we proclaim the month of April as pride month
and ,
10:40:04 June as as pride month in Jefferson County.
10:40:10 I I will second all in favor. Alright, bye, yes, thank you.
10:40:21 Hmm! and we should decide if someone is available. On the 20 fifth to
10:40:25 Read the proclamation I will be on the West end of Jefferson County on the 20 fifth, so and I don't know where i'll be on the 20 fifth but I will check have some time.
10:40:40 Hmm! So I think Sorry I was not paying the closest attention to our agenda today.
10:40:46 I I think I warned you last week that I might be a little had a big push this weekend for my husband.
10:40:56 So anyway. we are now going to bring Tammy, and if if is Pinky here No, just tammy. I think over for discussion of the lidner complex reach project on the ho tammy. do you want
to t this one
10:41:16 up sure, and also I should say Elisa has broke his own.
10:41:22 I think it's also standing by because people made the day, and so she offered her.
10:41:26 Do you want to bring her over as well? Oh, it looks like that happened.
10:41:32 It was interesting, because on our consent Agenda there was an item that we were going to ask Pinky about if she showed up, and I don't know if either of you know about these
old septic loans from
10:41:42 the early nineties. that we had to re reconvey, because I think that title company that was originally written with went is no longer in business, and it had to be conveyed
to someone else.
10:41:56 But we had a question about that. So who would be the best person to ask today about that issue?
10:42:01 With Pinky out right now. if you have a question that I can get back to you on.
10:42:09 I'm happy to help I don't know the answer Okay, , it's item, 6 on the content a consent agenda, and it it's about a loan to a couple anyway.
10:42:21 About their septic so septic system in the early nineties.
10:42:26 And, Kate, Your question specifically was, Is it a actual reconvenience of the loan, or is it just a mini understanding?
10:42:33 Was it what we had to change? We had to reconvey the loan because it was the title Company.
10:42:38 It was originally the deed was originally registered with was no longer in business, so we're trying to figure out Get clarity on that during the time that tammy presents.
10:42:52 I'll see if Veronica is able to come come on, and if she knows any more information, thank you.
10:43:02 Okay, Tammy, this is about always I always breathe deep when the whole river comes up.
10:43:09 It's the big river big issue long history, with this project So do you wanna set the stage for us, sir?
10:43:15 Thank you so much for having me today. i'm tammy Pelorni Natural Resources program coordinator for Jefferson County Public Health.
10:43:22 I'm here today to request time to present a little bit of information about a proposed project along the Hog River.
10:43:32 To request a letter of support and approval of a specifically worded authorizing resolution.
10:43:40 In order to move forward with the project application, which is do on the ninth.
10:43:46 So if I could share my screen i'll begin the presentation.
10:43:51 If that's okay, Yeah, and please, that are in interrupt me any time.
10:43:58 Oh, questions and is it look like a slide show
10:44:08 Looks good great So project I'd like to Tell You a little bit about is called the Homo River Resilience.
10:44:17 See linear complex reach and it's exactly to the Washington post restoration and resiliency initiative program through the State, and it's a application number 22, 1, 3, 7,
one and this project that we're hoping to
10:44:33 pursue is the talk, design, recommendation from the middle of the river plant, resiliency, plan and planning process.
10:44:40 So picture of the cover of our draft plan is before you it's still being attitude and finalized before it's to you at the end of the month.
10:44:50 It. The lender area is the top design recommendation area.
10:44:55 Because of this beautiful habitat just evolving and maturing, and we like to keep it that way in the lender area.
10:45:02 This is a picture on the ground of the primary side channel that exists in this area.
10:45:10 Oops. So sorry. The goal of the project is to develop a reach scale salmon, habitat design only outcome to improve resiliency for people and fish in the Linda pre area where
familiar businesses such as the
10:45:30 Peak, 6 store and Hardering Cafe and the Public Works Road maintenance shop are located along the Upper Ho road.
10:45:38 The project will use engineering log jams to protect and enhance an existing network of force and locally and side channels that still serve as a buffer between the main stem
river and developed areas.
10:45:52 And here you see the complex beach. We call it a complex because it the reach consists not only of the mainstream, but also this side channel, which, like tributaries, provides
a off team, Channel refuge
10:46:09 during high and low water, and this image shows you the extent of the existing side channels approximately the location of the upper home road.
10:46:20 The 2 circles are where commercial activities are taking place. And then, in the lower left of the larger circle, you see the Public works, road maintenance, facility shop,
and I perhaps somebody from public works is also standing by I meant
10:46:33 to say either. money binders or Who's not possibly It looks like monty's on you know, monitoring the channel I just wanna make sure that blue dashed line or the side
10:46:55 channels that you're referencing on the previous slide.
10:46:56 , Okay, I just want to be very clear. Thank you.
10:47:00 And Tammy, do you feel like if you do feel like we need to bring Monty over.
10:47:10 Not necessarily at this point, but I just wanted to okay no he's probably available.
10:47:15 Okay, great, , raise his hand if he wants to add something. Yeah.
10:47:20 Or interject. Oh, it was great with me.
10:47:27 So this is a picture that was taken in the winter in December of 2020. and so it shows how activated the side channels obviously become during high water events, and how also
vulnerable potentially these development areas that are located
10:47:44 between the road and the side channels are including the Public Works road maintenance shop.
10:47:52 So if you see up in the upper left hand corner of the main stem rivers way way over there, so probably the distance away.
10:48:02 And the project that we have in mind would hopefully continue what you see here.
10:48:08 Into the future as you'll see in another slide that This whole area is vulnerable, and that's because natural processes normally move the river around its Channel.
10:48:22 Migrations over then certainly over the 100 year flood plane which this area is within
10:48:26 But because of changes in the watershed below the Olympic National Park boundary going back to decades and involving the removal of large conifers and extensive conqueror for
us just don't
10:48:40 have the stability in these areas, or the vegetation or the resiliency that we really need for both people and fish.
10:48:48 And this area already provides quite a lot of habitat.
10:48:52 Just 5 or 2 of the length of the side channels, and the diversity of shorelines and the shape that these areas provide, and numerous other benefits to fish.
10:49:03 And historically these were stable areas, so we see development, having occurred I'll do all kinds of different development, including this home stadium commercial area.
10:49:14 You know these areas were chosen because they were buffered by extensive, mature, forested side channel and island complexes, but as a result of the loss of extensive forests
of enormous trees, for which the ho
10:49:31 is known. clock. The timeframe for blood plane turnover is accelerated greatly, and so, instead of seeing main channel movement, so meeting that certain spot on this plug plane,
a given spot, is we visited every 100
10:49:48 or more years Now, it's on the order of every 20 to 30 years.
10:49:52 So you see here that there are a lot of The vegetation is dominated by Alder I, about 30 year old, older, because the mainstream swept over this area most recently in the early
1990 S.
10:50:04 However, the I believe the whole tribe and others have replants of this area.
10:50:10 A lot of places have been replanted and then lost to subsequent erosion and flooding.
10:50:16 But this is one area where the be planted conifers still persist.
10:50:19 So our project and proposal. Yes, Kate, can I just ask a couple of quick questions?
10:50:25 Do you mind going back to slides I'm i'm curious.
10:50:29 The the building that was shown in the corner. one more That's the shop that is our shop right there in the in the corner.
10:50:39 Sorry 1 one ahead one side ahead yeah that's the office building, I believe, where the off the building that contains the offices over right hand, corner, portion of the of
the building and on the left it's more storage
10:50:56 and shop work area. Okay, thank you. and I noticed in in the materials.
10:51:06 That you don't specifically mention climate change and the the as part of the kind of increasing frequency of of flooding or jail migration or erosion is that and intentional
to not not talk about that
10:51:24 or is that do you just not have kind of the the evidence to be able to point to that?
10:51:32 Specifically my our attention is to included i'm so wondering if if what it mentioned in the draft letter of support, because that was that should have been included definitely
that's one of the aims and it will
10:51:43 be in the project application. it's a specific question and so if it didn't have an answer it's because that was a draft that's still being actively flushed out.
10:51:55 But But definitely, this is a project that is important to you.
10:51:58 The reality that you mentioned that peak flows are increasing in severity and frequency, and also summer low flows are are equally, if not more, worrisome in combination with
racial recession, and the sediment influx that
10:52:14 we see also on top of the loss of forests.
10:52:19 Causing most likely the to move around that much more readily, and be that much more unpredictable.
10:52:29 And in the loss of these kinds of habitats being more severe, then we've already observed Are there any other questions.
10:52:37 Now that was it. Thanks. So what you're seeing in the lower left hand portion of the slide is just in the last few years a portion of the linear side channel has been lost the
the primary one, and you can also see
10:52:55 that wood naturally piles up at the entrances.
10:52:59 These side channels, so they naturally lean towards resiliency.
10:53:04 But with those big flows, and with the piled upward having mostly small diameter trees.
10:53:10 In them. they're just prone to float away if the flood level just gets to too too large, but they they work for quite a long time. otherwise to hold off the main stem.
10:53:22 Yeah, I mean, at the risk of going ahead in your presentation.
10:53:24 This is where the principal place for the engineer and love dance to prevent to protect that side channel.
10:53:30 Is that right? Quite a large number of chams. That would be the ideal scenario.
10:53:35 But This is a design only project, and one the The key part of this is working with the land owners to see what makes sense to them.
10:53:46 We can make our best case in the form of consual designs with our engineering consultants.
10:53:52 For what the engineer skill. is most appropriate and then the land Oners get to mold that over and ask questions, and it's an iterative process, and hopefully, we'll land on
something that makes sense to everyone especially the folks
10:54:08 most directly involved. And, I can speak to land on this right now.
10:54:11 We have all about 80% of the landowners and more than 80% of the acreage with folks.
10:54:21 In an agreement that taking the next step with the Sally project makes sense, and there are 2 landowners that are not convinced yet.
10:54:30 But I think that they're open to the process and the Our current engineering consultants have reassert us that a project could be developed without not only without building
anything or road, or Lj.
10:54:45 Or anything on these 2 properties. but also it could be designed so that it doesn't affect them. and they can prove that out to everyone's satisfaction, I mean I noticed in
the materials I think it was number 13
10:55:01 on the application. You talk or no, I actually it was above that.
10:55:05 But you mentioned broad, but not, you know, unanimous support Is that what you're referring to right now?
10:55:10 Is there just a couple of landowners who have not indicated their support?
10:55:14 Okay, I think we and i'm i'm waiting I just need to check back in there's letter with a land on our acknowledgement form and process with for signature from the for service,
and I believe
10:55:28 that will be coming through in time. I don't know anything to the contrary.
10:55:32 But I don't actually have that in hand okay, but otherwise I think I have 8 other sign forms, both private and probably the plan owners and agency folks.
10:55:43 Great And And so this is another view of this area that you just saw, and how the main stem is sort of nudging its way into this area that was occupied in 1994, and that gray
line is the
10:55:59 road up there? Yeah, , and the shop is the white roof, right?
10:56:06 Okay, and so there's rip rep along the shop and then downstream as well.
10:56:13 But this is just shows what we're trying to avoid as long as possible, obviously not forever, but as long as possible to grow those trees.
10:56:22 And so, then, when the river, the mainst, does try to evolve in that, it minimizes the damage and reduces the need for rip, wrap, or dolos, or other things that folks either
so prefer to see because of
10:56:34 the address impacts to fish habitat or because of the aesthetic impacts.
10:56:38 Right now it's really beautiful forested corridor at the entrance to living.
10:56:44 Well that enters the 6 miles upstream but this is kind of an overflow area that tourists really rely on, and they're over 350,000 tourists a year to the whole river rainforest
and so
10:56:55 they? they're served by the businesses and amenities here, and one family here racially allows folks to just hike and walk their dog, and you know Take a break along the lender
plug thing in the forest, and there you know there's
10:57:11 some open space, too, but it's all open and very supportive of folks coming in going, and their needs
10:57:19 So this is just going back to 1994 and web.
10:57:24 But it how it appears! To my mind it looks as though a lot of those conifers that seem to exist in the photo below, that those have been lost subsequent to 99.
10:57:38 There are a few of them remaining and we see this in other areas of the Middle Ho and resiliency planning process brought them forward.
10:57:48 And so there are 2 other areas that we'd really like to pursue projects in. And so if we can be successful with lender it would be great to try to do some good things in the
brand of area, and the
10:58:01 Fletcher areas, because once again that folks developed, you know, in an area that was protected from the main, some by mature forests.
10:58:09 And then over time they became alder forests, and then gravel, and then all their forests, and over and over again.
10:58:16 And so this is the the original homestead on the river.
10:58:19 The John and Dora he'll start to now call the Butcher ranch, 33, 2016, and and it's worse and greatly since then, in the sense that the river is going from this complex mature
forested
10:58:37 island and side channel, complex anastomosing river platform to of a single thread gravel shallow main stem, which isn't resilient to climate, and this doesn't support fish
habitat which needs to
10:58:53 be abundant, complex, and diverse and so the project that we're proposing would try to emulate as a stop gut measure.
10:59:03 The role of big trees by restoring this bigwood cycle it's very incremental.
10:59:10 It's it's so minor compared to the big picture. but we need to start somewhere and without human intervention.
10:59:17 It's just likely to be threshold's been reached and it's likely that unlikely to roll back without help, and no, quite a lot of public funds to spend on the upper road and this
project
10:59:29 is, you know? Oh, the the request is for 1.3 million dollars for this design phase.
10:59:36 So wouldn't be inexpensive but compared to continued you know more emergency based road repairs just the it.
10:59:51 We think makes good financial economic sense in order to by limiting the migration of the main stem to areas where where we're engineered log jams can kind of retrain the river
to produce
11:00:05 the most habitat and the greatest resilience for people, and also by preventing the spread of invasive species.
11:00:14 By and using more stability into the system that also, saves money, because the ho is beautiful by comparison to a lot of other drainages because of the intense work to intensive
and ongoing with to address invasive species and
11:00:32 It's a tough, tough job to do that and anything we could do to help
11:00:40 So the big wind cycle basically it's a positive reinforcing feedback situation where you've got big trees.
11:00:48 Your. Those are being recruited to the Channel. They form enormous log jams, or they did, and some of them still exist.
11:00:56 And those enormous log jams are seen points for new generations of forests, and they just build on each other and become larger and past the chat a hydraulic shadow, and you
end up with these glorious
11:01:07 blood plains, side channel and island complexes that have beaver ponds and tremendous complexity, and the biodiversity and all the things that folks still want to think about
when they consider the whole river, If you look upstream in
11:01:22 the park boundary. is quite, quite a different scenario up there.
11:01:26 It's certainly being impacted by place recession. and changing settlement regime. but it's in much better shape, Not surprisingly, having not sustained the logging. and this
just shows that okay this
11:01:42 images. , Well, those big trees they'll be recruited to the river, and then you get a log jam.
11:01:47 But it's actually the reverse situation that is very important also those log dams made of mature trees with rods.
11:01:55 Those are terrific for fish, for fish, habitat, and fishermen No.
11:02:00 And fish, or women know that but also, it's the reverse those log jams are hard points that are places where the forest can grow, and since the the middle host, Max, except
in spruce Canyon and Oxford Maps access
11:02:16 to Ben Rock and other folks that would stabilize the the flood plane.
11:02:22 It's really dynamic loose kind of geology of sediments that need to be held together with something or or we see a lot of travel and shallow channels.
11:02:35 Yeah. can I? So you mentioned a while ago. the upper Hollow road, and Obviously, there's a ton of investment going on in that road right?
11:02:47 Now I mean what's the what's the situation around the up I haven't been up there for so many years.
11:02:54 What's the situation around the upper ho road with with channel migration?
11:02:59 And then any kind of how does this work contribute to sustaining that thoroughfare in the future?
11:03:07 By that's a great question and I probably should have included some photos.
11:03:11 But yeah, a tremendous amount of change has been underway. mostly positive. but it doesn't necessarily appear as positive because the tool that is necessary, you know, to push
back when you're trying to you know just say no and stop to a
11:03:27 river like the ho, rip rap is that is temporary.
11:03:31 Unfortunately, and it also, as I said, it has adverse consequences for the chat and so the tool that is being employed is our don't know lost, and probably mispronouncing that.
11:03:43 But the single as dovo so that's what we all use that word, and they're enormous £80,000, I think concrete jacks that just don't roll and they're heavy enough to hold down
smaller
11:03:55 Wood, and so the Us. Department of Transportation in partnership with Jefferson County Public Works Initiative Project.
11:04:02 A couple of years ago to replace bridges, and and surely public works could speak to this better than I.
11:04:09 But also implant we, or place these dolos along the outside of the under bands that are so prone to erosion because the upper hollow road is within the Channel migration zone
in some areas and even
11:04:24 within the National Park, and with a lot of sediment coming down.
11:04:27 Then the river must have fall off the center of its channel and off into the side channels.
11:04:34 And so without a project like this one to kind of get ahead of the whole scenario.
11:04:39 You know there's there it's over I think 2 and a half miles of ripra make practice area. Now some of that's being replaced with the dolos, which are designed to push the river
away which is
11:04:51 true. I mean. you can see that when you visit you can see how to gravel.
11:04:56 Bars are forming on the riverside of these dolos.
11:04:58 But but nevertheless you know but the river can't access where the road is, and that's in the of itself and impairment to habitat.
11:05:07 So if we can, you know, optimize the habitat that exists where you know this side Channel complexes still remain, which this is the biggest one.
11:05:15 Maybe it's not the the you know overall it's far from perfect, and we need to enhance it and make it better.
11:05:22 But it's a compelling project I think especially because it would prevent those kinds of armoring efforts, and because there is existing habitat, whereas Brandeberry and let
your a lot of the the that habitat, gone already and we just
11:05:38 don't wanna see it happen here, too, so so it'd be great. If this was started, something the the tribe doesn't utilize the middle hope for its own commercial machine activities,
so they've been supported which
11:05:51 i'm still, please and grateful for that you know so so this is what it takes to dial back time to when there were really large trees.
11:06:06 Even bigger long towns. So it's this is obviously an enormous jam.
11:06:10 So there might be some number of these, probably a small number as part of the design.
11:06:17 The bulk of the gigantic log hands would hopefully be along the margins of the side channel, and also on the other shore.
11:06:23 Because one thing we've seen from working on the north side only where the road is is to maybe have unintended consequences on the south side no one knows for sure, but it just
seems likely that there would be a transference of
11:06:37 all this energy. And so this is not brand new technology by any stretch.
11:06:44 It's been practice for decades and it keep it keeps getting better, and that so
11:06:53 I hope, too, involved you all it's at your you know if you're willing to be involved in the design process to degree that it interests you. But and to learn how engineering
has involved to accomplish these kinds of goals but this is
11:07:06 the Cisco River, and you can see that you know if it's possible to make the ends of the logs look more natural than these, and the whole river is super special.
11:07:17 To so many people for its wild nature. but but it's also a you know, highly modified environment.
11:07:24 Now as a result of the cumulative impact.
11:07:28 So to the uninformed up here, Christine.
11:07:32 But but not so much. Now this is the upper canal and they've seen some success there building back side terminal habitat.
11:07:43 So that's what We'd be able to do and Brandon the barrier and lecture areas, and there would be benefits to the Abraham Road from those projects to even by just building back
the side channels
11:07:56 over time, but even more importantly, keeping the river away from really deep deposits of like that, like the deposits that are clay and are locations for potential to see the
land slides or could affect the hope and
11:08:15 so the community is a big part of this project. wicked is about attaining objectives for fish, and that, but also very much for the community.
11:08:30 And so part of the project would be to explore options for relocating the shop potentially.
11:08:35 And public works has been open to that because they they really don't have this much room for one thing as they would like, and they've had to deal with this the growth increasing
flows into the side main side channel and
11:08:48 it's it's a Oh, it really just you know this is a vulnerable spot, and so getting ahead of that as well.
11:08:55 And and we want to work with the voting community.
11:08:59 Yeah, the whole river is not not a safe place to go voting, it's it just isn't and there is concern that adding launchms could reduce the safety margin further but others, not
everybody agrees because sometimes by
11:09:14 placing carefully placing Engineer log tams, you can add some measure of predictability.
11:09:21 But in the past there were chances spanning Logans.
11:09:26 There have still been channels standing while jams in the section of the Ho, and and everyone has to, you know.
11:09:31 Look out for those and plan for those where they exist, that that already happens in in the voting community.
11:09:38 And so the other, both of the project are to continue resiliency planning that is gonna wrap up, and the gym.
11:09:45 We feel like we've come a long way and we're trying to bridge a gap between the existing Grant and future ones.
11:09:52 And then we feel that by reducing the vulnerability of this area, especially for emergency related equipment for one.
11:10:02 You know that we can support businesses and jobs, and this certainly is a regional economic driver, and our project itself, we think, will generate 12 or so at least for one
year.
11:10:16 Full time job equivalence leading to a construction phase with with you know that many more ftes, possibly 20 to 30, because things have to happen during a fish window, and
so it ends up that you have to have a lot of folks
11:10:32 involved potentially. and then back to climate change there's you know tremendous amount of change.
11:10:41 And this is a glacial Be supported and impacted watershed, and there's been some recent very sad news about the state of glaciers in on the Peninsula.
11:10:55 But to degree. that you know, we can access hypervisor flow and provide refuge for fish from high water and high temperatures.
11:11:05 We're gonna be sustaining what what is familiar as long as possible.
11:11:10 And hopefully, you know, coming up with more tools and more techniques.
11:11:14 To adjust as we build along. But we do feel like this is an important thing to have in our refuge.
11:11:23 Bar. he's designs for ejs hey? tammy There was one thing on jobs I wanted to bring up and reading through the packet materials on Page.
11:11:35 I think it was page 21 of the packet agenda. item that we received.
11:11:42 It looked like Number 13 that that someone had started to fill it out.
11:11:46 It says this project or sustained, and then there was no number there, and I was just wondering and then I know just mention of Jobs in Number 16.
11:11:56 So I was just wondering. Is there 2 different kinds of jobs You're trying to address, Or was that
11:12:06 Well it's a draft so unfortunately but also just trying to to gauge the number of jobs based on the size of the project.
11:12:14 And so we went from about 525 acres to 500.
11:12:18 And anyway, we're still just refining our thinking and so I think 12 ft.
11:12:25 Uses a realistic number for one. Okay, And so thank you.
11:12:30 And so that
11:12:36 And so that that's all I have in terms of this presentation, unless you have any more questions, or Alisa or Montier would like to add anything
11:12:50 Don't see any. Give me just a quick question we do have later on our agenda today.
11:12:56 Another with free application with Joe Silver and if could you just help me understand if there's any problem with supporting both projects, would they end up competing with
each other or separate pots?
11:13:10 Just any any guidance on that would be helpful.
11:13:11 Hi I haven't read the 10,000 years application yet, but I I think it's a part that that these projects, including, I believe, one other from child unlimited for tributary related
work that they would all work
11:13:28 together, and unfortunately the Ho river is further behind in this sort of work than the a lot.
11:13:36 The quinals. the quilute those the cool you is going to construction the summer, so we're trying to play catch up and our training.
11:13:47 I hope a degree of optimism that's reasonable that we can perhaps hope that more attention would be given the hope than perhaps other watersheds in this cycle for with me, because
is important to fund this project
11:14:04 in this cycle, because the longer we wait the less of the lender existing habitat is likely to remain.
11:14:12 It's really important to continue what 10,000 years institute is doing.
11:14:17 It's really important to work in the tributaries and and it's wonderful that we have a project sponsor wanting to do that. there hasn't been capacity or the level of interest
necessary to and that
11:14:32 the whole river. resilience and planning effort has helped us all coordinate and collaborate, and feel more confident that the directions that we wanna go in, and in particular
with the main channel project it's it it you know
11:14:46 and obviously, I should say, going forward, I I would just be so grateful for as much of public works involvement in in the design effort as they would like.
11:14:56 And certainly in the next phase, if we go to construction, I would certainly be looking to them, and it would take a village definitely to make this happen.
11:15:06 So Tammy is is there a I i've been involved with other categories of our Co.
11:15:14 Grants in the past? Is there a ranking process for wicked grants?
11:15:18 And is it much like the other categories? instead of having the like like?
11:15:25 If Mike, from my i'm most familiar with the lead energy process, which there includes a technical review committee, and then the Citizens Committee, and then everything is in
hood canal, anyway.
11:15:36 Prove by the coordinating Council. There are all these layers and the lead to entity on the West End and not Pacific Coast identity.
11:15:43 Kind of pleasing role the technical committee and so they were able to watch the presentation that Tim Abby gave to the wicked review team and weigh in, and they're providing
a letter support
11:15:58 that's already been approved, and then the wicked process has its own own reviewers that they recruited independently.
11:16:08 And then it would be to be approved at that level.
11:16:14 And then the agreement, the subsequent agreements if they're forthcoming would be approved by the Commissioners at that point, as well as this authorizing resolution
11:16:26 Great. I saw your hand go up I involved with the with the whole resiliency project, and it's great to see it. you know.
11:16:36 Take another step forward. i'm looking forward to the Picnic on the 20 fifth, and I will definitely be there.
11:16:47 I was a little non plus to hear you saying it was a dangerous river, since i'll be loading it the day before with some of the opponents for for messing with it.
11:16:57 You know, and I guess , I have if you said 2 property owners still aren't on board that probably doesn't impact design so much.
11:17:07 But what happens when construction comes, If if you can't get a consensus?
11:17:13 The project would have to be would be required to be documented.
11:17:19 Not to adversely affect those properties or those property owners.
11:17:25 And so that was a question. I posed specifically to our current consultant, and they said it would certainly be possible.
11:17:33 The ideal scenario. One of them will be represented in ideal scenarios will be represented in 3 conceptual designs that will go out to the landowners, and I hope that those
2 landowners, even though they
11:17:48 Haven't agreed to go for it I hope that they will be open to at least taken a look at those 3 designs, and then based on everyone's feedback.
11:17:57 A preliminary design to be developed for the whole area.
11:18:01 Just to show this is what we really need to be looking forward to.
11:18:05 If we really want to make a change that is reliable, you know, and on a scale to suit the river.
11:18:13 A lot of projects have been done on on a small scale and some time. They normally don't really play out so well, and the river moves around, and so all of that would be considered
through this comprehensive approach that's
11:18:26 reach scale both mainstream shore lines fully across the 100 year forward plan.
11:18:32 And so we they know these folks that we're working with currently are the most experience, probably in this kind of work, and and so the the log on stand up to time because
most of them are most of the bulk of bound is
11:18:48 under under the surface of the ground, whether they're dry they appear dry or not.
11:18:53 The groundwater keeps them the wood hydrated, and keeps it from degrading, and so it has to be by.
11:19:02 It has to be somewhat of a shotgun approach. you kind of have to overdo it a little bit, because no one can forecast where the river is going to be.
11:19:11 Exactly. I guess that's that's my other question usually and i'm talking to folks down near the dosey wallops as well.
11:19:18 It's a couple of years behind in this kind of framing of of the question, and and I think you know, even in your presentation there was a lot of hubris that man brought to the
whole river in the first place to you know cut all these
11:19:28 trees. i'll be fine right so I guess what's your answer to?
11:19:34 Are we full of hubris now? and we, you know we think we know how we can fix this now right?
11:19:39 So we made a mistake here's how we're gonna fix it, and usually what I hear on the ground from folks that have, you know, often lived with many well-intentioned programs that
sometimes have a lot of unintended
11:19:50 consequences is, how is that? How is that decision? matrix working now?
11:19:57 And how is it different than before, when you know they lost land when when, when some of these Restoration efforts?
11:20:02 Well, the no action alternative. So this project isn't really a no action alternative.
11:20:09 And if you look at the Dolo installations or the existing rip, wrap installations, the river moved around between.
11:20:17 When the design was developed for the for whatever armory is being contemplated, and when it's installed, and so there's almost always some unexpected consequences, right there
on that same shoreline and the whatever
11:20:32 unintended consequences are affecting the south side. They will still be happening, though they'll be ongoing, and they'll be worsening, most likely, because of the rep rose
You know sure the river shifts, away for a period, of time
11:20:48 but not for as long as it used to and I you know.
11:20:54 Don't want to put a number out there or or overstate the situation, but it does seem as though armoring it's going to be expanding and especially if you look at what's happened
in the park just at the
11:21:07 entrance and upstream. they've had to do some emergency work, and the boundary pond causeway.
11:21:13 So, Julie, which is built on Phil that is being threatened.
11:21:17 And so there are lots of spots that you can imagine easily being armoured, and so that's the the no action alternative.
11:21:29 . it's not a great alternative I mean I just wanna really give you some kudos tammy that one of the feedback that i've gotten from the folks that live out there, especially
on the South shore is that It's
11:21:37 really the first time they've been involved in these questions you know if you only are solving problems to maintain access to the National Park, the the folks on the other
side end up with a lot of that energy washing away over there at
11:21:50 least with the perception. So I think the outreach has been really strong in this project.
11:21:54 I'm really really excited to see it moving forward and this is the obvious I mean, there's so this is such a nexus to to address
11:22:02 But I guess with the side channel by the shop it seems like you're, you're getting public works ready for the idea that this side channel still likely going to a road away that
bank and and have to move them partly away and maybe
11:22:15 even off the property. I mean, what do you is that the idea that we're talking about.
11:22:20 My understanding is, they're completely open to a feasibility effort which we would, we would proceed with to the degree that I mean, I think the funding would allow for some
measure of feasibility.
11:22:34 Worth update, have and they even bite I mean i'm so grateful they've invited us to take that on at least initiate it and find the funding for it.
11:22:41 And similarly don't know specifically the plans of the hot tribe.
11:22:46 But in the past, right next door is, you know, former gas station.
11:22:49 There are fuel tanks there and on the public workshop.
11:22:52 , and it's fine as long as it's just overbank flooding, and that and and flooding occurs on that.
11:23:00 The property and Jason to it the fort and family there's there's over being flooding.
11:23:09 We can't really do anything about that but flooding combined with the maximum rosa power of the mainst. I don't think that's happened yet.
11:23:19 There the the maximum amount I mean I don't know if there's some measure of risk of that in the worst case scenario.
11:23:26 And so this project is different because of its scope being so enormous.
11:23:30 That it's not where you know it's a serious project.
11:23:35 Everyone on board. Okay, I mean, it was so massive before thinking about the whole middle middle, the ho!
11:23:44 That it was hard for me to get my arms around so this is more manageable for my brain to think about that.
11:23:49 Appreciate it, and that's just everyone's invited to the picnic right?
11:23:53 It's at the at the shop on Saturday, from new to 3 and 56 32 Upper Ho road.
11:23:58 So I I hope that that any any residents out there or in you know, people with opinions about how we should proceed.
11:24:07 Come and and join us, and make their voice yes, more. All the voices speaking from the river.
11:24:13 The river needs all the voices there well thank you very much.
11:24:19 It's awesome. I saw that monte is here with us now with Monty.
11:24:23 If you have anything you want to add, you can turn your camera on or raise your hand.
11:24:25 Otherwise. Does anyone have a question specifically for Monty? There he is in the snow again.
11:24:36 Tammy did a great job of summarizing the the issues out there and the risks.
11:24:44 You know and kind of the what's going on with the river, and how it behaves now, and Why, I don't really have anything to add to it.
11:24:53 Tammy said. Other than you know, public works is supportive of the this project, and
11:25:00 It would be great if you know work could be done eventually to protect the lender side channel which could help protect the facility out there for sure.
11:25:13 But that's important all off off channel habitat for fish, big time, and they have had some success with projects like this on the quadolt and other areas.
11:25:27 So. again. public works is supportive. Great thanks, Mondi.
11:25:33 Thank you, and we can ask Joe questions later. I guess when we're with talking with so any other questions for Tammy this morning.
11:25:48 No, no, i'm happy to make a motion if you're ready share I move that we off.
11:25:57 Let's see a resolution resolution in the matter of authorizing the Jefferson counting Board of commissioners to legally find Jefferson County with respect to an application
for Grant assistance to the Rco entitled the pro River
11:26:12 resiliency second, all in favor alright bye also a letter of support.
11:26:23 So they're seeking great yeah so we'll get that on let her head and separate motion for that
11:26:39 And is it the final draft that you'd like us to approve?
11:26:44 Tell me the one in our packet the the letter of support draft, or with any changes you would like to see. i'll move to approve the letter of support.
11:26:56 I think. Put it in our packets day. Second: All in favor.
11:27:02 Okay, , Thank you. Okay, So Carolyn, let me know that Stacy can answer our question about the I item, 6 on consent from this morning.
11:27:17 So, Carolyn, do you want to bring stacy over maybe Bronniko's ,
11:27:36 Hi So thanks. This was something that is more with the health Department than public works, and I see veronica's on as well.
11:27:46 So the Loans we're initiated between what 1990 and 1996, or so Originally they were paying to Jefferson County, and then administration of the loans was moved over to quimper
community Credit
11:28:09 Union in April of 1997, and then in 2,011, they were returned to Jefferson County.
11:28:17 I do see that the Quinn emerged with kids up Credit Union around that time.
11:28:22 So you know, the loans did start with Jefferson County and returned to Jefferson County.
11:28:29 So the treasures office was collecting on them. We had quite a few.
11:28:33 I think that were initiated and paid off in the nineties.
11:28:39 By the time I came on in 2015, we had 7 of them remaining.
11:28:47 2 were making monthly payments, and 5 had the terms of payoff due at change of ownership and or death, which would be a change of ownership as well.
11:29:02 So with the one that was paid off, and is before you today to release the
11:29:07 The lean on that the d to trust That leaves us only one remaining loan.
11:29:13 The actual funding for that the same fund 160.
11:29:19 The ecology loan that, provided funds to loan money.
11:29:27 Was paid off by the county in June of 26 team, July of 2,016
11:29:36 As part of appropriations just to close that out and reduce bookkeeping, and that payoff at that time was $7,351. in that fund.
11:29:48 There's also $95,000 that would go back to the general fund.
11:29:56 Once that gets closed out, unless it's used for something else.
11:30:03 So I know I just went off on answering things without hearing your specific question, and what I heard during the comments.
11:30:09 Please let me know if there's something else you'd like to know, hey?
11:30:12 Did you have further questions. Okay, So in the case of that we're looking at today and the consent agenda that is that the full reconvenience means of a full release of the
lean. is that correct right they've paid it in
11:30:31 full, and it actually started out at, you know, a little under $6,000 for the original loan
11:30:39 And then you have that before you up there. pay off of 1515,034.
11:30:51 So I think it was unfortunate, and I understand at the beginning that the terms were not allowing any payment other than full payment.
11:31:03 And so you know, quite a few of these got up pretty high in the amounts.
11:31:08 This is one of the first ones i've seen where they're paying it off.
11:31:09 But they're not selling the property. Okay, and and and Then the need to assign a different trustee because of the title company change got it.
11:31:28 That. so that's kind of secondary a a formality because of the recombination is that right?
11:31:34 So I know Veronica was working on that part.
11:31:41 , So this is because the original title company was pioneer and pioneers no longer here in Jefferson County.
11:31:46 This is actually happened a number of times when these loans are paid off.
11:31:52 Because pioneer was used. you know, few times in the early nineties. so so we are just using a different title company for this full reconference.
11:32:04 Gotcha. Okay, Thank you. . any other questions. while we have these lustrous ladies with us?
11:32:14 Any questions at all. when's it gonna rain again, I don't know 20Â min.
11:32:24 Okay, Thanks, you guys, Thank you. So maybe we should go back
11:32:37 I'm that open make a motion that we approve the sorry Okay, I can.
11:32:47 I move that that we give full wreck, advance, and substitution of a trustee regarding water pollution, control, loan from parcel 702, 2, 5, 4 0 1 2 for Thomas Fields and Pamela
11:32:58 field. well said, thank you, i'll second up all in favor bye, bye, Okay.
11:33:11 So the one thing I had had a completely different personal number on the agenda that I did it's interesting.
11:33:16 I guess the yeah. it's it's a completely different parcel number on the agenda 9, 6, 6, 9, 0 0, 1, 2, 2.
11:33:29 That's weird Yeah, we can see which one it is down below
11:33:53 Everywhere I see it. Do you guys see that I I see the discrepancy?
11:34:12 I don't see on the docs I don't I don't see see the one.
11:34:17 But whichever is that a scribiner's error we'll make sure that it's the right person one
11:34:27 Documents being signed don't have the parcel number on it
11:34:34 Yeah, even the statement of issue doesn't match the recommendation right
11:34:46 We can fix the agenda request later but as documents don't contain the
11:34:54 The that parcel number I think it's okay to go ahead and and approve these as presented, and we can fix it on 80 capture later.
11:35:04 Okay,
11:35:08 Thank you. Where is the correct parcel number located them?
11:35:13 Do you see that on the is it going to be on the I'm.
11:35:15 Not sure which is correct. The agenda request or the agenda.
11:35:19 Well same on the agenda request and the agenda I'm.
11:35:22 Not sure what grade was reading from from the recommendation a couple lines down.
11:35:27 Yeah, the agenda request is a 7 o 2 number, and the agenda itself is a 9.
11:35:32 Nice nice 6, 6 number. We can work with Health Department and get the right number.
11:35:39 Everywhere, and then Okay, Oh, I see 7 o 2 on the recommendation. Right?
11:35:47 Yes, others. Okay. Well, the 9 numbers there are 3 times, and the 7 numbers there.
11:35:55 Once you have to multiply, and then divide it's complicated math, Okay,
11:36:07 Okay, So it's 1136 we have Now we have about 20Â min to talk about what we've been doing for the last 2 months, because we haven't briefed each other for that long about feel
like it's been
11:36:21 that long can I? can I throw one more little mention to work which is that
11:36:28 I have decided not to a tip Theossack No time meeting.
11:36:32 And so, unless the 2 of you are planning to attend, we need to cancel the special meeting.
11:36:38 So. alright, both of you planning to attend. I was gonna attend.
11:36:45 Okay, that but that's fine it too so it doesn't I think we need to cancel the special meeting notice.
11:36:50 Then, is fine. What about the staff should do that before noon?
11:36:54 So great if you were nodding. Are you not attending?
11:37:01 Thank you. That was all my very small ranch. Okay.
11:37:10 Anything else, Mark Mark, do you have anything you want to bring up anything that's crawled on your desk in the last couple of hours?
11:37:17 No. Nope. Okay, So do Do we wanna start with a look back?
11:37:24 I mean. How long has it been it's been like 3 weeks trying to keep it short?
11:37:31 Maybe we can do look back in the next 20Â min and then book far in the afternoon if we can get to it.
11:37:42 Yeah, sure 7Â min each. So who wants to go brotherton you've set for we're starting basically back to the 20 third, right?
11:37:54 Well, I think that means the 16 We didn't yeah maybe 20 third I'm gonna start 23 mostly we were together on that week.
11:38:03 We had lots of lots of group meetings, no shooting zone conversation. See?
11:38:09 Went to the Senior Symposium on on Tuesday.
11:38:12 The 20 fourth really enjoyed the presentations from the seniors, and giving feedback to them.
11:38:17 The housing fun with the developmentally developmental, disabled, environmental, Disabled Advisory Board has changed its name.
11:38:24 We met also on the 20 fourth it's now Id ab intellectual and developmental disability advisory board.
11:38:33 So that's official glad that that kim's gonna be joining us again.
11:38:39 We continuing the housing fund board meeting on the 20 fifth was as to wash we're still still working through stuff.
11:38:50 I can't even I think we'll have an rfp for the 1590 stuff.
11:38:56 I'm working on that tomorrow with one of our members We had our first resignation resignation.
11:39:00 Peter Bonian resigned. So we do have an opening on housing fund board.
11:39:05 I'll start a great meeting with the Ymca. and holy cap, and I think before I there was some, there were some issues with kind of inking the the fact that Ymca.
11:39:18 Would take care of childcare at Seventh haven those 28 spots that we have at the affordable housing complex, and they have committed in principle to to take a responsibility.
11:39:29 It looks like they've got a sustainable model that will pencil.
11:39:33 So i'm excited to say the ymca is on board to provide childcare at 7 table.
11:39:38 So that's really exciting development. Oh, lots of meetings with residents, voters salish behavioral health advisory meeting.
11:39:49 We did on the 27, and going to the second year of the real navigator, is kind of the pre law enforcement diversion program.
11:39:59 There were 2 applications from jefferson county there's 5 real teams through the 3 county salish region. and we did have 2 2 organizations apply this time, but are still with
discovery behavioral health to
11:40:13 continue to continue that the real pre law enforcement diversion, and I think the Advisory Board met for 4Â h, or something going through the different application.
11:40:25 So they really did a lot of due diligence Let's see.
11:40:30 Maybe I should go to hold instead of work week. the next week.
11:40:36 Of course we had to be R Valley sorts. Special meeting on Tuesday after Memorial Day was off.
11:40:42 Great to be at the Commissioners breakfast with the Heidi, N.
11:40:46 K. and Mark and the library is doing great, and I was very impressed with the fact that they have had no staff transmission of covid infection of Covid during this whole time.
11:40:58 That is pretty laudable. So yeah good work there and really exciting.
11:41:03 You know we're going to web 3.0 and I think we're going to library 3.2 and I think our our Jefferson County library system with their digital navigator and other programs are
really on the on the
11:41:14 leading edge for that. So you know, I think there were examples of their hybrid meetings that King County Library is looking at, you know.
11:41:21 So whatever little Jefferson County can be a model for some of the the larger counties, you know that you're you're doing something right?
11:41:30 Oh, let's see parks and right wreck advisory Board.
11:41:32 We do have 2 open members, and I think we're gonna be seeing the the capital the capital plan and the strategic strategic plan.
11:41:40 Matt did some really good updates on that we're gonna be finalizing recommendation of that approval that will come back to the voc soon.
11:41:50 With j bet on Friday. I think I missed that one, but I did catch them last Friday, and there was something I was going to report from that.
11:42:03 I mean they're they're moving Oh, loved going through I mean I we've all signed eulas and and customer agreements with phone companies and cable companies and usually never
read them and just afraid that there's some
11:42:17 bugaboo in the middle, you know page page 8 of 13, you know where they take all your rights away, so I cannot say how happy I was to participate in reviewing those customer
agreements with Pud for Broadband
11:42:31 retail. I mean it's just it really speaks to the power of having a public utility provide this this critical infrastructure that we can look at those customer agreements before
11:42:43 They are agreed on by the Pv. Commission so really appreciate that the public's ability to give input as to how Jefferson
11:42:51 Pud provides broadband and that included the the third party contracts for other folks.
11:42:56 It's open open fibers so if there's another isp that wants to come in and offer this service on their on their fiber.
11:43:03 They can, but they have to compete with Pud and talking to the communication manager from from Ud.
11:43:10 There's lots of isps that have talked about using the fiber, but only on an exclusive basis, because it's awfully hard to compete with a public utility district that you know,
has sustainability as its
11:43:21 business model more than profit. So really exciting there that's my 7Â min, right?
11:43:31 No, you still have. Oh, I can go on okay. You have, like a minute and a half.
11:43:40 Sorry solid waste. How? Well, maybe I I will.
11:43:45 I mean we had board of health the week before and my chamber cafe on air quality that I did with Peter Ryan's and Phil Pilgrim and Eric from Eric Jorgensen lots you can go
11:43:59 back and watch that on the chambers. Youtube page But like lots of good conversation and and slides about kind of some basic rules on ventilating spaces safely.
11:44:08 How it's that that layer of mitigation that we have not always taken advantage of.
11:44:14 But I think that's a it's a program that small businesses can take care of to that can take advantage of a service to give you some real metrics on what how your ventilation
is working and how to
11:44:26 make prescriptive updates to that ventilation.
11:44:29 So I encourage people to check it out and reach out to to fill to to hire that service, and I will stop there.
11:44:39 Hey? se seating, seating your extra minutes, to the the good Commissioner from district one
11:44:53 Okay, yeah, I will try not to repeat too much of that.
11:44:56 I also attended the the potential High School senior symposium, which is just always so gratifying.
11:45:02 And you guys weren't, able to have one the last couple years. so even more impressive to see that work that high school seniors are up to, and they they have a project that
they present to the public and get feedback,
11:45:14 on and ? Okay. Sorry, Mark. Did you say something?
11:45:25 Okay, Can you hear us, Mark? Oh, now I can. you went.
11:45:30 You went mute for a little while, but your mute symbol didn't come up so that's weird.
11:45:36 I think it was on your end, Mark. Yeah. and I still find your microphone very quiet.
11:45:41 Mark a boy. I
11:45:48 I. Yeah, Yeah, you are yeah for this afternoon. especially it'd be good to have your volume up.
11:45:57 Let's see been working with the Eddie and Mark and Heidi contributed some work to trying to clarify So contracts and expectations between county and Edc and that will also apply
to how
11:46:13 the Edc interacts with the Icg: So Mark is going to be bringing that to the administrators.
11:46:18 And just, you know, in this kind of newly restructured Edc.
11:46:21 What are our expectations? and how do we make that as clear as possible?
11:46:26 Cindy Brooks or new directors doing a great job.
11:46:29 And so stay tuned for more information on that let's see, I think I think I was just the deliver of the questions from Cindy, because I happen to have breakfast with there.
11:46:40 So. Oh, great! Well, we're starting a finance committee on the board, which I will sit on in part to ensure that we have more clear communication since we're the you know kind
of the largest kind of
11:46:55 fiscal sponsor. we're not the fiscal sponsor.
11:46:58 They are a separate nonprofit corporation. but because a lot of funds come through us to them.
11:47:04 So. we'll be talking more about that I think especially how what the interaction is between the Icg.
11:47:10 And the economic framework the Icg. adopted. And how does that relate to the work of the Edc.
11:47:19 Let's see been having other conversations around childcare, which you've heard a little bit about you know we we are included in Senator murray's.
11:47:34 Your mark asks to advance to to Congressional Committees for funding, which is exciting.
11:47:38 1.5 million for that project for fiscal year.
11:47:42 23 a lot of steps before that's finalized but really great to to see that make her initial cuts and fingers crossed on that we're still working on trying to find a site for
11:47:56 The child care facility, working with the Hospital and Ymca.
11:48:00 And Peninsula College, and others on that project let's see Workforce Development Board meeting.
11:48:10 What to report there, you know I think you've heard me say just continually trying to figure out how we can take better advantage of those dollars. you know.
11:48:17 So we lost our work source office here. Then, for example, they a board, put out a Rfp.
11:48:25 For new service providers for the work source office and They didn't advertise that on the pencil at all.
11:48:33 They only had advertisement kits up county and So just continuously trying to reminds that you know, because kids up county is a fiscal sponsor a lot ends up happening in kitsap
and we just don't get the same
11:48:47 representation there. I was pleased that the after the library breakfast, I spoke with with Chris Stack person there about trying to get more employment services back at the
Jefferson County Library, which
11:49:04 Employment security. A State agency used to be there on a regular basis, providing services to job seekers and brought that to the workforce development folks, and they they
agreed that that was a good idea.
11:49:18 So we will have some sounds like we love some Jefferson Kenny presence for job seekers at the library back.
11:49:24 I'm really grateful that the library's willing to serve in that role and provide that space and technology.
11:49:32 Let's see it's hard to her to to hide the highlights of a few weeks
11:49:43 I think we all spent some time working and thinking about
11:49:48 Our State Trust lands took up a whole day of research and phone calls.
11:49:55 We Heidi are both serving on a subcommittee of the Board of Health to work on the Board of felt reorganization, and that process will be kicking off officially.
11:50:05 Today. So those positions that Dr. Barry and I mentioned earlier are going to be advertised on the Port of Health. Excuse me, yeah.
11:50:11 Board of Public Health website, and in the newspaper and so that's going live.
11:50:18 We're supposed to have that board in place by July first, but we, we anticipate that it might be delayed a little bit, but the State was really delayed and finalizing their
rule.
11:50:26 So we wanna make sure the process is really thorough and good.
11:50:31 And even if it delays us by a week or 2 let's see Ebc.
11:50:40 Board meeting last week. they're a little concerns about having enough operational funds.
11:50:50 It's a lot of kind of cleanup necessary Staff is spending a lot of time just trying to get their systems in place by files up to snuff and so working on.
11:51:02 You know, be talking about, hey? What are our expectations given that, given the current funding? and if we want to ask more of the Edc.
11:51:11 Where is that additional funding gonna come from? So stay tuned on that.
11:51:21 We did Jefferson Kennedy Covid.
11:51:25 Coordination meeting on Friday and generally get very good feedback on our new Covid personnel policies.
11:51:31 Doesn't Sound like there's been much trouble in implementing the new you know, each department coming up with their own covid response.
11:51:39 Plan, and yeah didn't really hear much concern about it.
11:51:45 We said the second half of the meeting talking about the courthouse security, which we're going to be talking about this afternoon.
11:51:52 So that initial conversation was helpful to kind of narrow down.
11:51:55 I think the the few points we wanna discuss this afternoon and ongoing.
11:52:00 So, thanks to Mark for thinking and putting that on, that agenda is really useful?
11:52:07 I think maybe i'll leave it there for now and i'll.
11:52:13 I'll remember what I forgot to mention. and Oh, wait I forgot that was the hypothesis.
11:52:20 Hey? So we're starting on the 20 third right we're all together on the 20 third I took the 20 fourth off for belated mother's day celebration with my mom and that was awesome
I love spending time
11:52:38 with my mom, so any extra time I can get with her I will take
11:52:45 Wednesday was the Budget Committee meeting, but we were all there.
11:52:50 The 20 fifth On the 26 we had a special logging, lodging tax committee meeting just to talk about our calendar for the year, and kind of some unfinished business.
11:53:04 We had from last year's work so everything's going good with that committee.
11:53:10 We got a new member from Kalala Lodge, the new general manager out there, Amy.
11:53:16 She seems great productive participant of the committee. already.
11:53:23 Thursday afternoon I had a trust land transfer kind of the side committee meeting, where we kind of talk about tours of tours of potential projects that might come up in the
next legislative session and kind
11:53:41 of what the what the work group is doing. And so we are planning 3 or 4 tours this summer, and one of them is going to be David Bay on June seventeenth.
11:53:53 And that's gonna be a very small tour because we're going on a boat with taylor selfish, and it's a small tender
11:54:03 But we just got confirmation. that Commissioner Franz will be joining us on that tour.
11:54:06 So it made the boat, much smaller. feels like but anyway.
11:54:11 That's working on the logistics of that pretty actively right now, cause that's coming right up 17 On Friday the 20 seventh I attended the Jeff come meeting in Greg's place
and that was
11:54:25 great cause. I had never really been exposed to that group. and appreciated hearing their conversation and seeing the new director Stacy in action and kind of seeing how the
dynamics go with that group.
11:54:37 So i'll Yeah, I was I was sad it took me so long to get to one of those meetings and look forward to, maybe serving, and if you with the the County Commissioner spot on that
board spend a bunch of that day dealing
11:54:56 with the public records. request that I think we all got, and then the afternoon on the 27 we had our another meeting on the the State Proviso Trust land transfer work.
11:55:10 Group. We are kind of coming to the end. The light is a the end of the tunnel.
11:55:14 On that current work. groups. time together I think we're rent. we're running through. I think 3 or 4 more meetings, and then a number of us will probably stay on to be part
of the committee that that rides
11:55:34 along through the pilot. The first round of projects that move through the redesign trust land transfer project process as it moves through the next legislative session.
11:55:47 So stay tuned on that I think i've raised my hand for that.
11:55:52 Continue along, and Dave up will likely be on that expansion.
11:55:57 Dave. A natural area will likely be on that list in the next session.
11:56:03 I missed tractor days, I think, in Northland.
11:56:06 Pretty sure I missed it. I was like I missed tractor days.
11:56:09 How did they do that? and Then let's see last week?
11:56:19 You mentioned the Board of Health Expansion Subcommittee, Kate.
11:56:23 And yeah, we're working on that and I kate got more tasks out of that committee committee meeting, and I just kind of kept kept notes to good notes during the meeting, so I
was helpful in that way, but I didn't come
11:56:33 up with a bunch of homework to do thankfully, because I had a really busy week last week.
11:56:39 I I loved attending the library event. I think it was the thing I looked forward to most when I was elected, because I am such a library like geek fan like jump up and down.
11:56:52 I love the library. so super excited to hear what they're up to and excited for their capital projects, and love the way that they're interacting with the community.
11:57:05 And Yeah, it's and the the new pavement and sidewalk work that's been done there just looks great to me, and I got my angryest call last week calling it the sidewalk to nowhere
and i'm
11:57:19 like sidewalk to nowhere it's to the school in the library.
11:57:24 So, anyway. maybe i'm that wing that but just can I check in with you.
11:57:30 I mean a sidewalk to a school and library is a good thing right?
11:57:32 It's not a Okay, you're walking from the school.
11:57:39 And then where are you going? So, anyway? It is shockingly expensive to do these projects right now, and I think that that the public gets sticker shocked sometimes.
11:57:49 I do, too. I I get it. but it is just the cost of of doing work, and but it's infrastructure that lasts such a good long time.
11:57:57 It has so many benefits. So but I think that's part of the the frustration is just how much everything costs, especially in the public sector.
11:58:06 Right now. So, anyway, that was Then Then I had a couple of meetings regarding the sewer projects, one with the with Bob Wheeler and the Jamestown and Port gamble tribes and
then our
11:58:23 consultants to talk about any potential cultural concerns with the the routing of the sewer project.
11:58:32 And so there were a couple of questions They had and I know that Bob's working on, following up with them.
11:58:37 But it was a great great to meet them and hear their questions and experience kind of the whole project through their eyes.
11:58:45 As we traveled the entire sewer project anyway.
11:58:49 I'm almost done and then let's see J. Jefferson Transit Finance Committee in the afternoon that day, and then Mark and I did an early agenda read for this meeting, which is
Why, maybe it
11:59:06 wasn't as thorough as it should have been with public comment periods which will add for those sessions later.
11:59:12 But and then I left the county for a couple of days to support my husband and his opening his art show.
11:59:21 So super busy. it just always feels busy, and then you try and fit in your family, and things go off the rockers right.
11:59:32 So. mark you, get a minute
11:59:41 20, third with the board all day, 20, fourth, 18 meeting in the afternoon, 20 Fifth Budget Committee, followed by a joint review of the annual report with Judy Shepherd, the
Rosanne Carroll Stacy Pareda and and
11:59:58 others, and we're doing that joint review as a result of a audit comment that was made, and So that was a very productive meeting to look over the annual report language, and
then housing fun board in the afternoon on
12:00:14 the 26 lodging Tax advisory committee, and I sat in on that
12:00:20 Then I had a couple of internal meetings with staff, and then I took the 20 seventh off a nice 4 day weekend.
12:00:30 Then on the thirty-first special meeting to talk about the tree harvest, the Dnr is looking at another 18 meeting in the afternoon.
12:00:42 Library district. What a wonderful event that was! I think Tamara Meredith, Dr.
12:00:46 Meredith is an amazing CEO. really. I was impressed with the the trustees as well, and and their their education and experience.
12:01:00 And then I
12:01:01 And then I had a meeting with Brian Gleason he's applying for a grant to get upgraded Jabs equipment for District Court and then I had a meeting regarding election security
with Philippine Sucker and
12:01:14 Rosanne Carroll, and then covid coordination.
12:01:17 On Friday and i'll oh and then Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock.
12:01:25 Cindy brooks, and kate and I talked about piff, and I walked away. I think with 4 different tasks that i'll work on getting complete this week.
12:01:34 Oh, I love to hear about that i'd love to hear about the piff conversation.
12:01:40 Power. Now i'll i'll come find you but I forgot.
12:01:44 I don't know if i've said this out loud so I think I've said it to each of you individually, maybe, but we did move most of the the orchard at the sheriff's office on
12:01:53 Memorial Day. 6 trees, 6 trees, 6 of 6 of 11 to 2 failed, and trying to hold them out, and then 3 were too big to move.
12:02:04 So we will be monitoring their success. in their in their new habitat. but super excited after I think a year of trying to get that project mobilized, grateful for Steve Dowdell
who's the farmer who took
12:02:18 the trees and planted him on his farm, and then the art.
12:02:23 Frank from the sheriff's office helped all day that day and he is a force of nature that one yeah hat tip idea. that's that's good. We'll have to follow up in 6 months to see
how all 6 are
12:02:36 doing visit the trees, anyway, a good year to a good spring to transplant I had a I had the best brain in the county to help me figure out if it was still even viable.
12:02:50 So Karen Page is just brilliant with fruit trees. And so she, just, you know, went out there like couple of days before we were gonna do it, and said, do it now.
12:03:00 But but you can still do it. So anything else sitting on one to add, before we adjourn, for we recess I was just National Park soon, and welcome her, and start off a relationship
on the right foot, for sure and I I just I forgot
12:03:27 to say that I have been in communication with the the owners of the lagoon down in Gardener, and talking about what what they want to use for their property.
12:03:37 And I also went down. Part of the overuse is kind of the disposition of that fish and wildlife.
12:03:44 Parking lot and signage is really faded down there.
12:03:46 Signages, you know, kind of non-existent at the private property.
12:03:50 No trespassing, and overnight camping signs are faded.
12:03:54 So working on on a plan for communication. Still, right now to look for that amicable solution.
13:30:31 You wanna wait for a minute. Rent
13:30:41 Okay, Thanks, Bill. has his hand up i'm bringing him over to There's a Donald on the line, and Tim Mcconnell.
13:30:53 I think they're both fire department so listen or if there were
13:30:59 Yeah, they're both in policy alright well let me know who i'm supposed to bring on for this conversation or bread
13:31:11 So how's my sound volume now? little low to change microphones.
13:31:21 Man. I can hear you well, because I met your phones on, but
13:31:28 How's that? Is that any better not the same Okay, Have you opened up the Have you opened up the audio settings?
13:31:39 And there's a slide bar for your volume on your microphone
13:31:58 Do that, mark. if you click up on the little arrow to the right of your mute button and go to audio settings. What's the mic that you have?
13:32:10 Is it the microphone for? array real tech or audio that's what it says.
13:32:17 Oh, so still not good, it I mean it'll do but you're you're half the volume of everybody else.
13:32:28 Well, that's okay. Well, i'll i'll get todd down here after we're done or tomorrow morning and see what we can do.
13:32:41 Sam afternoon, Gentlemen, I don't see bre Brent or Brett yet
13:32:51 I don't take cheap. blacks gonna be on day as he's out of the office. i'm not sure if someone's trying to come into me.
13:33:05 Oh, might be Brent. Oh, we're we're virtual today, yeah.
13:33:11 But I can and if the chair is okay, I can turn on the camera for this room.
13:33:16 Cause Brent and his i'm sorry go to your name and Emily are here as part of this presentation.
13:33:22 Okay, if that works for you, Carolyn: Yeah, let me get that cover this. So you need a microphone.
13:33:33 Can you grab this one
13:33:46 Great, thank you. So just a couple of minutes and we'll get started.
13:33:52 Everyone call back in the session whenever you're ready are you ready!
13:34:00 Hold on!
13:34:04 I could call this caller calls back into order and we'll So there's brent june sixth 2022 Border County Commissioner Jefferson County meeting back in order after lunch.
13:34:22 What everyone have. I had? Vidy boom from the football?
13:34:29 Good. Yeah, I had. I I had chili cheese potato chatter. Wow!
13:34:35 That's sounds fancy. Yeah. with bacon bits and green onions.
13:34:40 Hmm. Actually, I need a wife I just got a salad i'm still trying to eat my lunch I'd left over Lasagna.
13:34:50 I think i'll be having it for the next 2 weeks next time
13:34:58 You ready, Brent. Yes, thank you I can hear him too.
13:35:12 , That's a lot better for the deaf Guy got it and wanted to thank you for the opportunity to join you today.
13:35:21 To share information about what has been somewhat of an emerging issue with regards to
13:35:33 Despite the recent rains the fact that we've identified that we've had a drier than normal.
13:35:42 Really a couple of years, if not a decade.
13:35:46 And that information is coming from the inter agency fire.
13:35:55 That provides information to local fire districts, and
13:36:04 We rely upon that in the office of fire marshal and so our presentation today is to look specifically at some of the potential ideas that we've called from our our peers at
the different fire
13:36:21 districts. Do you have the slides available and up and running?
13:36:29 Who are you asking? Oh, Philip, who or shall I show I?
13:36:38 I can. I can put them up I didn't I didn't know it was gonna be me.
13:36:41 But that's. Okay, no no worries and brendan and everyone after we do your presentation, we are gonna have a an opportunity for public comment or questions.
13:36:52 We decided earlier today that for this, and then the last agenda item this afternoon we are going to have public comment periods. so.
13:37:00 But we'll do that after your presentation thank you Oh, thank you, okay, Almost there
13:37:29 And I wanted to share that I am joined I'm.
13:37:35 Joined by our assistant Planner Hello, my name's Emily Laura and I've been helping friends out with this project as well as Chief Black and Assistant Chief Brian Tracer. Great
It's Nice to see
13:37:53 you, Emily. I'm sorry we're not there in the room with you.
13:37:59 Have your baby capture on, or something. next slide. Okay.
13:38:12 So I wanted to share our agenda we're gonna talk about the history of Bern restrictions followed by the approach of other agencies.
13:38:20 Then we're going to look at some of the substantive issues.
13:38:23 That really reflect ban or restriction and some clarity surrounding that we're gonna look at the one-year delay.
13:38:30 Some of the questions surrounding that we're gonna look at the variability among fire districts. and then one of the Probably most significant issues has been enforcement.
13:38:40 And so when I say enforcement i'm referring to how do we enforce provisions?
13:38:46 That may be enacted and then we're going to look at the 2 groups of recommendations.
13:38:51 What to do the current year and and approach to for future years.
13:38:58 Next slide,
13:39:02 So we're gonna first start out it's always important to to set the the framework of why are we here?
13:39:09 What are the reasons that bring us together? What is the issue that we're trying to resolve?
13:39:15 And then what is the history of legislation in this area?
13:39:17 Next slide, please. So I wanted to talk about and i'm gonna pass it to Emily to share some of the history here
13:39:28 So on June 20, eighth, 2,005 board had resolution number 42 O. 5 established an open county county, open burning bands and regulations which belt off the W.
13:39:43 D. Nr. and Orca Burn bands, and then following, we had a resolution: Number 43 O.
13:39:52 5 on, issued on the same day, which ban certain fires and we've had subsequent burn band resolutions done for the summer seasons of 2,01320 20 and 2021, with its we believe
that other years
13:40:12 there are bands from the State. So resolutions were not passed at that time just for those members of the public.
13:40:25 The Washington Department of Natural Resources is Wdn. R.
13:40:26 And the Olympic region. Clean Air Agency is Orca, and I just wanted to provide that clarification for those watching today.
13:40:46 Next slide,
13:40:48 Do want me to take this one. Emily
13:40:54 Well, how can you tell So the the, or the resolution that Emily was just talking about?
13:41:07 42 o 5 was based on on this whack which is a It's it's it's a part of the clean air act regulations that are promulgated by ecology mostly enforced
13:41:25 by Orca, and the basis for the resolution is that number 4.
13:41:32 So i've highlighted that in and yellow and and that's really the basis for it.
13:41:43 There was no other basis for it. at that time for that resolution, then this.
13:41:49 So it allowed the county to have its own regulation related to outdoor burning where appropriate fire protection authority.
13:42:03 Has declared a fire danger burn, and less, that authority grants an exception.
13:42:09 So if you, if you look in the resolution, you will find this reference in the resolution. resolution 4,205.
13:42:21 What one thing I I did want to point out for the commissioners that's really important in that particular component of the resolution the authority vested in the county for
per meeting in that resolution was
13:42:37 delegated, so that the fire districts could issue their own permits in charge of fee, and I think that's one of the powers vested in in the office of the fire marshal that this
13:42:51 resolution did delegate. So I have a question On the last slide.
13:42:56 I was trying to understand how the different numbered items relate to each other.
13:43:03 So number 2 talks about urban growth areas other than when they include in a do not include an incorporated city.
13:43:14 Does that does that supersede 3? So is it.
13:43:20 Is it all referring to an urban growth area or so it's a These are the 4 things that the that were regulated in the clearing in the Washington clean air act and regulations
related to out or open
13:43:38 burning and so, first of all, it prohibits outright causing or allowing any outdoor fire containing garbage, dead animals, asphalt patrol impro products, paints, rubber products,
plastics, or
13:43:55 any . so that's always that one completely makes sense But then the second one talks about our nerving growth area right and so the clean air act the washing cleaner act, and
its regulation prohibits for all time all
13:44:14 every year residential burning and land. cleaning burning in any open growth area, unless, it's it's not in and in an in an incorporated city.
13:44:29 So for our county. that would mean port towns up
13:44:37 So then does 3 relate to 2, or as 3 for the whole counties what I was getting at with my initial question
13:44:48 So. so 3 relates to the whole county but What's important is, there has to be a reasonable alternative to burning And so that's probably not the case throughout the whole County
looks like the what you
13:45:07 can do in 3. You cannot do it in an urban growth area with an incorporated city you can't do.
13:45:17 You can't do to residential burning or land clearing clearing, burning, and an open growth area.
13:45:23 That's a city period. so in port townson Oh, we're talking for counts and purposes of our county. these recreational fire, though a recreational fire outlaw Yeah.
13:45:38 A perfect growth area , for one of the distinctions.
13:45:43 I I really think is important. is that to breed burning is is what we're looking at today.
13:45:49 So other than recreational fires. but these are the regulations that are in place through the whack.
13:45:56 But and I wanted to point out that our real focus is is
13:45:59 Others than recreational fires. So the first 3 were really primarily related to air protection of air quality, and the fourth one that we relied on in passing our resolution
in 2,000, and 5 is really related to
13:46:21 fire danger. So I believe that this provision was put in there to make it clear that, local governments, or use the words of the of the of the whack, appropriate fire protection
authorities had the ability to issue fire danger
13:46:44 regulations not based on air, so that so there wouldn't be a claim, a branch under the under the Washington Clean Air Act.
13:46:57 That makes sense. Thank you. I just wanted to be sure I was grounded in these facts before I moved on to the next slide.
13:47:05 So so so this brings you now to what?
13:47:13 What the resolution says. Resolution 42, o 5, And again it relies on that whack that we talked about a minute ago.
13:47:23 And and it has It has 3 basic prohibitions.
13:47:37 One open burning shall be curtailed during periods of closure defined by Dnr. that's due to fire.
13:47:46 Danger open burning shall be curtailed during periods of closure, as defined by Orca, due to air, quality, degradation, and 3. It can be open burning can be Cursor Kale during
13:47:59 periods identified by the county in consultation with the fire chiefs.
13:48:04 So it had those 3 things in it, and, as Emily said it, in a inner timeline slide.
13:48:13 This resolution was implemented in 2,005, 2,013, 2,020 and 2,021 Yo may remember last year doing a resolution around the middle of well I don't remember but it was during
13:48:36 June. I believe there was a worry about fireworks primarily, and so we declared our own.
13:48:46 Burn band for last year. and so that's a separate type of ordinance.
13:48:54 Basically, use the same way. And all those years previously to implement resolution, 4,205 questions.
13:49:05 So far this does include recreational fires. Right? This is any open burning.
13:49:14 Well, but you have to look at the definition of open burning and it and it may, it may exclude recreational parts.
13:49:22 I'm not just not sure for these purposes honestly I wasn't thinking about that.
13:49:27 Think it about more for the future. but it's a good question okay.
13:49:34 So We also have adopted in our county the the International Fire Code, and that was adopted in Jcc.
13:49:48 1,505 0, 3, 3, and we
13:49:56 We adopt it, subject to the modifications that the State does in chapter 51, 54 of the whack.
13:50:04 So currently chapter 51, 54 of the whack adopts the or the State.
13:50:09 The 2,018 international fire code so this is an addition to what's what's in our resolution?
13:50:21 42 o 5, and what's in addition to the Washington click, Clean Air act, and add its regulations. so it says, Open burning shall be prohibited when atmospheric conditions are
local circumstances make Such fires
13:50:39 hazardous exception prescribed burning for the for reduce reducing the impact of wildfire when authorized by the fire code official.
13:50:53 And then we're open burning creates, or adds a hazard, hazardous situation, or a required permit has not been obtained.
13:50:59 The fire code official is authorized to order the extinguishment of the open burning operation.
13:51:07 So for our purposes. Fire code official is the fire marshal That makes sense so far.
13:51:14 Here's here's the part that's sort of missing in our current structure.
13:51:21 What are atmospheric conditions or local circle?
13:51:25 What does that mean in contact? We need what we're missing is something that would help us make this enforceable within the county.
13:51:39 That makes sense. Okay,
13:51:46 So. Emily, you want to take this. Do you want me to keep going up to you?
13:51:54 So we're gonna go on to examples of regulations by other jurisdictions.
13:52:01 And it's really important to note that a lot of what we're doing here is based off of what we're seeing is a common practice both within the department of natural resources.
13:52:12 And the Washington State Department of Parks next slide. Yes.
13:52:21 So for examples for Washington State parks they follow these burn band levels where fire risk is shown as a low medium high, extreme, or no fires, and it's also color coded
as well, which and that's associated with a
13:52:42 burn band level. and then those levels have associated restrictions based on the fire risk.
13:52:54 And also those fire levels are advertise through their alerts.
13:53:00 Washington State parks alert center. So that is how State parks have dealt with this in the past.
13:53:07 So next slide
13:53:12 This might be one of your slides, Philip. these are slides related to the Dnr process.
13:53:29 And it basically what it tells you is the way the Dan are does.
13:53:34 This is they've adopted rules and the rcw cited there allows them, or authorizes them to adopt the rules, and then they've adopted and whack 32, 24, 3 o one what are
13:53:48 called industrial fire protection levels, or if Pcs.
13:53:53 And and if you look at or if you can go to the natural resources department of Natural resources, website, you can see how they explain graphically what what happens and and
what doesn't happen under the if sorry under the sorry have in
13:54:22 trouble with this. There we go. industrial fire precaution.
13:54:27 Levels, or if pls so like with the with the the parks, the Washington Parks department.
13:54:41 The Wnr. has adopted a caller coded system, and this is their color coded system.
13:54:48 It's important to understand that this system applies to to forest plans within the State, and that's that's property zone by day.
13:55:04 And R, and also properties that are regulated by Dnr.
13:55:09 And that includes forest land within our county that are regulated, and it's primarily designed to deal with industrial operations.
13:55:19 Industrial logging operations within the county and It's not too important for our purposes, but each of these are broken down a certain way, and the regulations I think for
this purpose is just to show you there's a
13:55:35 color coded system. and you may remember when we did fireworks or something called the National Fire danger Rating System, and and and Dnr.
13:55:50 Talks about that in their fact. sheet that's quoted up here, and and they say that the national fire danger rating system provides the technical basis we're establishing, the
ifpls and then you may
13:56:08 read that, but that's the that's the the national fire danger rating system.
13:56:15 It's a color coded system that we looked at in connection with fireworks regulation that we did in March of this year.
13:56:26 So all kind of color, coded sort of consistent a way of of looking looking at things.
13:56:35 Questions. So far anybody know what a Who? who owl is?
13:56:45 It It has to do with certain kinds of operations that are prohibited at certain times a day.
13:56:54 Interesting. Okay, So this explains how the National Fire danger system is related to the
13:57:05 The Wdr system. and then you want to pick pick this up guys Emily or
13:57:15 Brent. Yes, we'll take it up
13:57:23 So the industrial fire precaution levels, or this slide here.
13:57:28 We're looking at shows levels one through 4 and so in this example.
13:57:38 If you look at the level one it's a close fire season fire, equipment, and firewall service is required.
13:57:44 Level 2 is a parcel. how toll, I guess.
13:57:50 What Commissioner Dean referred to limits certain activities to between the hours of 8 and one Pm.
13:57:58 And then level 3 is a partial shutdown, which perhaps some activities so altogether and limits other activities between 8 and one Pm.
13:58:09 And then level 4 is the general shutdown. All operations prohibited.
13:58:15 Next slide,
13:58:21 And so this example just shows how the burn restriction or exactly what's in the burn restriction at a given place in time.
13:58:34 Looking at the map. So here we're looking at Jefferson County. the fire dangers low, the code levels low, so no burn bands.
13:58:43 In effect, effective of this date, and then it writes, or what kind of permits you need.
13:58:51 If you do want to break there. And the local information is there, and also all the other information about silver, cultural burning fireworks and incendiary devices on being
our land next slide
13:59:18 And then this is another map showing the industrial fire precaution levels in the State So you can look and see what kind of bands are in place, on what types of plans For example,
you can see us
13:59:38 Forest Service Park Service there's state versus Federal land, tribal lands, and then delineated by their fires.
13:59:49 Shutdown sounds. next slide
13:59:53 And then you can see that Jefferson County. we have 6 such zones, and so
14:00:02 That gives us the the opportunity for us to have some recognition of the regional variation within our county.
14:00:12 Next slide. So in summation we looked at the history. We looked at some of the the questions, or all of the questions that we have been requested to look at by our fire districts.
14:00:33 We came up with 4 substantive issues first slide of the substantive issues.
14:00:44 And this one really talks about the nomenclature, ban or restriction.
14:00:50 And so burn bands and restrictions. are often used interchangeably. but bird restriction implies the allowance of certain fires based on fire risk.
14:01:03 And well, if you're a member of the public and there's a restriction in place there's a big question.
14:01:09 And so, how do you know what is permissible and what is not permissible?
14:01:13 And so that's one of the the objectives. of clarifying our color and level of restriction, so that, members of the public are clear when we reach a certain color level, what
is permissible burn plans imply on the other
14:01:39 hand a much more severe restriction and and even out outright prohibition of all outdoor fires, and that's all based on fire risk next slide.
14:01:55 So, and I just wanted to make sure. So that was the first of 4 areas substantive areas.
14:02:03 The clarity of the language. What is restricted?
14:02:06 When is there an actual outright ban? and the same one has to deal with?
14:02:12 What we've seen is a bit of confusion and that has to do with the one year delay.
14:02:21 It does not apply in the case of an ordinance adopted by a county or a city.
14:02:29 That are more restrictive than the state law doesn't apply, because what we're doing we are not applying State fireworks changes that are more restrictive than the State.
14:02:44 So any enactment of of a resolution, or later of an ordinance that does not address the fireworks versus fire ban.
14:03:03 All fire restrictions shall not have that the screen for those in the public that are not able to see it.
14:03:14 Rcw. 147, 2, 5. Oh, sub paragraph.
14:03:22 4 talks about a one-year limit on more restrictive local laws.
14:03:28 Next slide. Ask a question on that so if if the State has not banned fireworks in a given year, a local wouldn't a local ban then be more restrictive than the State.
14:03:47 Yes, if if the State has not banned fireworks that's correct, and and we do a local ban on fireworks.
14:03:59 When the State has none, then we would be more restrictive than the state.
14:04:07 But your call that we do. we did we did have a local fireworks law that's in effect this year.
14:04:16 We passed in March, one that will become effective.
14:04:22 Next march, so that it's consistent with this state law, and the one that's in effect now is triggered by a or can be triggered by a local burn band.
14:04:36 So if we if it's and that's the trigger.
14:04:42 It doesn't have any that trigger doesn't have anything specifically or necessarily to do with fireworks and And so we may be able to do regulation without without concern for
this the safest course, would of course,
14:04:57 speak to have something that you know that applies prospectively.
14:05:03 But I don't think this applies to the burnt to the burn Restrictions burn bands the current ordinance on fireworks is just tied to when a burn ban is declared that makes sense.
14:05:23 Yeah, I I think maybe maybe a little more context but I think we're getting there.
14:05:27 Yeah, it's a lot to assimilate it's about 3 days of work for me to get to where we are now to understand this, and you guys don't have an even looked at the powerpoint you'd
probably need to study it and
14:05:43 instead study up on it and what we'd hope to do is just sort of a 30,000 foot kind of level today, and it kind of get you some perspective on. You know the basis for everything,
And then and then go from there
14:06:04 And The other substantive area of concern and developing regulations has to do with the variability among our fire districts, as we are aware of.
14:06:16 I did identify that in our a gender request that, what is it, Port Townsend?
14:06:23 This part of the county might have 23 inches a year.
14:06:26 But when you get to closer to forks you're talking about a 110 inches a year, and so the question is, how do we account for this regional variability among fire districts, and
and So one of the things in
14:06:42 the longer term is to find a comprehensive way that that can be addressed potentially through an ordinance.
14:06:52 And, as i've indicated, and we do have a slide up with the picture of Jefferson County, and it shows the main areas where fire districts are located.
14:07:05 And they have different clients climates different levels of precipitation. As I've stated, and so consistency of coordination also applies to other counties and other regions.
14:07:18 And so one of the one of the 4 substantive areas is that we want to be able to recognize this variability next slide, and then the fourth area.
14:07:34 That's substantive is a mechanism for enforcement of open burn restrictions does not currently exist.
14:07:44 There are different approaches to enforcement code and enforcement and fractions, and then there's criminal, and and a third is that One approach would be to adopt the enforcement
mechanisms
14:08:01 from the recently the recent ordinance repealing, replacing Chapter 8.7, 5, which was our fireworks and Skyland and ordinance for Jefferson County, which incorporates all 3
approach and gives us the County, the
14:08:19 maximum amount of flexibility. but that is one of the areas that we will need to work with the sheriff the prosecuting attorney's office and the fire districts to really come
up with
14:08:33 a a viable enforcement. Approach and as you know we are the Department of Community Development is coming back to discuss code enforcement on the thirteenth of July, and so
we'll be able to talk to you about
14:08:51 capacity, that and and and some of the concerns there
14:09:01 So i'm gonna pass the baton to emily, and she's gonna share proposal that borrows heavily from the examples that we've seen from both the Washington State Department of parks
14:09:15 and the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Fine! alright! So this is an overview of the fire restriction fire level matrix that Brian Trace, or Assistant Chief tracer,
created.
14:09:37 So, as you can see, it follows a similar color. Coding?
14:09:42 Pattern going from no risk or other all the way up to extreme or red.
14:09:51 So we'll take a closer look at the levels in the next slide.
14:09:56 So these are the the lower end of the spectrum for fire risk.
14:10:02 So we have virus, other or very little, to no risk.
14:10:08 Level 0, open, open, burning, so no no restrictions.
14:10:13 And then one degree up from that we have low or green virus at level one, and that should list allowed uses of fire.
14:10:25 So, for instance, Lane, clearing your gibberly clearing wood fires or recreational fires charcoal, barbecue drills, gas propane, field appliances, tiki torches and list goes
on
14:10:40 there into fireworks and firearms. and then those restrictions.
14:10:44 It shows the areas that that's allowed and the dates those would be allowed. and there it does mention Ugas land clearing and yard debris, and the next level up is moderate
or blue level.
14:10:59 2 they allowed uses are a little bit more restricted here, so there is yard clearing, but let's see
14:11:10 Just a little bit more restrictions here, less listed.
14:11:14 And then the restrictions for moderate or blue again. They have both that will different uses, and the dates that are are for those restrictions next slide.
14:11:30 So, Emily, I don't actually see any differences sorry with the fading slide from the previous slide.
14:11:36 I didn't see any differences on the allowed uses list. Yeah, I see that. So I think the in the next column.
14:11:46 The restrictions. It says, possible restrictions. So then it's up to up to leadership, to decide what those possible restrictions are.
14:11:57 And it also says, Fire advisory. What is that refer to?
14:12:00 If something comes from the State right? When the fire districts issue a fire advisory.
14:12:10 What I get off my understanding, it would identify well what is permissible, what would not be permissible.
14:12:19 And so, as you see on this list, there isn't really any change, both moderate and low, are are fairly similar.
14:12:29 What is being allowed is clearly spelled out.
14:12:32 The only restrictions other than the only difference really is that we do have possible restrictions.
14:12:40 And so we, one of the things that we would do is we would find Tunis with our fire districts, and identify what those possible restrictions what they should entail what should
be included so that's why i'm saying
14:12:52 that we're we're really in the process of developing this with a put from the fire district.
14:12:58 So I thank you for pointing that out. maybe chief tracer or Chief Savage could talk a little bit about this.
14:13:10 If they're willing, brian you ann I am here here. Well, my my input on moderate blue that possible restrictions.
14:13:24 That's when things start getting interesting the fire seasons cranking up, and the Dnr.
14:13:30 May start issuing a fuels advisories and that kind of thing.
14:13:36 Yeah. I was just wondering where those words Fire fire advisory.
14:13:41 Showed up I believe that's just primarily a a title, a category title.
14:13:50 The the advisories. If anything will be coming through States to us, and then we'll go from there
14:14:02 Alright, next slide,
14:14:09 Alright, so moving on the fire level, the next level is high or yellow level.
14:14:15 3. There's 2 allowed uses listed Here so gas or propane field appliances or wood, or solid fuel, cooking fires enclosed flames.
14:14:30 Only again. we're having there's a possible fired advisory.
14:14:34 I guess title or oversight in this column, and then listed restrictions.
14:14:42 There and then going on for the next virus level is very high or orange level.
14:14:51 4 only allowed use is gas or propane field appliances, and so fire restrictions.
14:14:58 There are no outdoor burning or discharging of firearms, and then our most restrictive level is extreme, which is red or 5.
14:15:09 All burning is closed, and the restrictions are no outdoor fires, burning or discharge of any kind or type.
14:15:19 And I just wanted to circle back to the question.
14:15:22 That was posed by Commissioner dean hoot owl for the public this county administrator has found the definition.
14:15:32 It's an historic term used to notify woodcutters of elevated fire.
14:15:38 Dang danger, and to only cut in the morning when you can hear Hoot!
14:15:44 Oh, and I wanted to acknowledge fire, Chief.
14:15:49 Our system. fire, Chief savage, just to clarify on extreme and close generally.
14:16:01 When you reach that that level there will be not only no no burning, no fires, no discharging of weapons or fireworks, but it also in usually ends up with commercial timberland
state
14:16:14 timberlands, Federal timberlands being close to public access.
14:16:18 Which due to the fire danger, The more people you have on the landmaster more it will be a potential risk.
14:16:26 So Philip. question for you. Yes, the preemption clause about firearms.
14:16:35 This doesn't violate that preemption you you're talking about in the clean and the Washington clean air act.
14:16:44 But well regarding the discharge of firearms I didn't think we could regulate firearms, because that's a purview of the state.
14:16:55 I know we can do certain things, but so we can say no shooting weapons if there's high virus.
14:17:04 So so this what we'd we'd have to be doing is in in the development of of regulations.
14:17:13 That implement. This is looking at these proposals and see what we can, and we can't regulate and how to go about regulating them.
14:17:24 We. This is just the system that was proposed.
14:17:28 The risk system that was proposed by the fire chiefs and and the color coding system.
14:17:35 So we're we're not this is not trying to necessarily turn it into a regulation.
14:17:41 But if we we, we would have to come up with something that would make sure that you know nothing in it was was was violating. You know, any law with respect to the discharge
of of fireworks there is a
14:17:57 preemption in State law. So we were going to try to regulate that. We have to make sure that we fit in the the extent to that.
14:18:08 And we may be able to do that. Okay, alright.
14:18:12 So this has to be refined. and that'll happen yes, yes, it. It needs refinement but it's but it gives you I think, a really good idea of the system that that that the fire chiefs
came up with
14:18:27 it's color coded it's it's pretty easy to understand. it's a pretty easy to implement, by you know, putting some fire danger today is red or orange or whatever and it would
then it could take you to
14:18:43 something where you'd understand what you can't or can't do. And those periods of restriction.
14:18:51 Okay, thank you.
14:18:55 So, moving on to the next slide,
14:19:03 Actually and unless there are any other questions I just wanted to make sure before we move on, well maybe just a follow up to Mr.
14:19:10 Hunsecker's comments. I do worry a little bit about having a different system.
14:19:16 You know our county is 60, some percent Federal and State land.
14:19:21 So you have the Forest Service with their, you know. Do they have one matrix?
14:19:25 Does the National Park have another znr have another like?
14:19:30 It is, I I worry a little bit that there's a lot of competing jurisdictions within the county.
14:19:36 Was was this kind of crosswalk with those to see if there's consistencies and ease of understanding for the public.
14:19:44 So the in general, all of the forest lands, federal and State, all of the Dnr system that we talked about for industrial for industrial operations in the forest lands.
14:20:01 And so what we have and we have to do is when we we, we will be able to come up with something that will be, I think, will be both consistent with that, but also does our own
regulating in a in a manner
14:20:16 proposed by the chiefs I think we can get to something pretty close to what they're what's being proposed in the matrix and and the chiefs themselves has talked about you know
coordinating with dnr particularly on
14:20:29 those forest lands within our county that aren't owned by dnr chief, do you wanna talk a little bit about the how that works.
14:20:40 So the Board understands. Oh, a lot of this that we've been been discussing all along is tied to the State Department of Natural Resources.
14:20:52 And their fire games, rating system. Everything we are composing is based off of what the Dnr produces for a fire danger rating for that particular day and activity.
14:21:07 Again. the the facts we can't really look at the feds because they don't
14:21:15 They they tend to be a little different than even the State.
14:21:18 So when we look at the Jefferson County your lands that we are talking primarily about our open lands, Right? and when it comes to a parcels they may have joint jurisdiction
with the fire
14:21:35 districts for fire protection. that's where some of these fire restrictions applied to our properties is because they're paying a force assessment a protection tax to the State
of Washington because they have
14:21:51 timberlands. So a lot of these things a lot of the levels of matrixes are all tied together because we want to use the Dnr is our basis for what we make our decision bases off
you know our I
14:22:07 look at I got half a dozen websites queued up right now to show you if you want to see them.
14:22:13 But the matrix that they use is the simplest way for us to Cross Walk, and that's why we chose what we're using is a lot of those restrictions are already protected by the state
ie the
14:22:31 firearms one because it's joint jurisdiction on a lot of our private properties.
14:22:36 Does they pay that for assessment? So therefore, it prohibition on discharging firearms during a high prior danger, is already covered by State law.
14:22:49 So same thing with fireworks. you know we we have a prohibition with a county ordinance. but we also have the State back in us up.
14:22:57 So that's where it's all at is with our our our matrix coinciding with the dnr and device natural resources, so that we can.
14:23:10 They. They set us of the umbrella, and we can look at our local area based off of our weather.
14:23:16 Our winds are tamps Are our hes what kind of trends we've had?
14:23:22 Is it what training wet, or is it training the warm and dry?
14:23:25 And then we can look at Okay, Yeah, the the fire danger is moderate. Let's start talking about what we're gonna maybe potentially restrict.
14:23:36 If it goes into that high range, then we have our options with with the the matrix we have set out.
14:23:41 Then we have the ability to to to talk about it as a group with the the fire marshal and and with the input from the Dnr.
14:23:50 Does that? Did I confuse things, or do I give a little clarity?
14:23:53 No, that helps in just 1 one for the refinement.
14:23:57 Just because I i've heard you and Mr. Hunscker.
14:24:01 Talk about the industrial and forestry lands.
14:24:05 But does that same matrix apply to recreational lands if it's undeveloped private property, and they pay a force assessment to the Dnr Yes, that would apply to Now, in ours
recreational lands
14:24:22 as well and and they use a similar good the same matrix for Yeah, they would didn't follow the same matrix for their backgrounds in their recreational area.
14:24:35 If the the dnr fire manager at forks for the Olympic region says we are now at a moderate, the indices say we're a modifier danger, the weather since we're going to stay in
a
14:24:45 modern fire danger. we're gonna start restricting things no, no open burning, no simple cultural burning whatever they they choose to do.
14:24:54 Then the recreational managers for the Department of Natural Resources will follow suit.
14:25:00 Thank you, and moving on. what is the value of the matrix?
14:25:07 And we wanted to point out that we see 3 key in principle areas of value.
14:25:12 Our first and foremost we identified that there's a concern about transparency and so i'll clear purpose, and probably for burn restrictions would be written into the code.
14:25:29 So there's a transparent way for the public to One know what's permissible and to to be able to to burn debris during that time when it is and then another area is predictability
the levels
14:25:49 of fire restrictions would be uniform among the various fire districts, and what we're hoping is that the public would gain a clear understanding of when different fire restrictions
are in place, and then most importantly what
14:26:07 constitutes safe open, burned practices the open burning permit process would be consistent and efficient, and, as I mentioned earlier, the resolution adopted back in the 2,005
did delegate much of the
14:26:28 permitting authority to the local fire districts. And, we would envision that that would continue.
14:26:34 And then thirdly, enforcement The responsibility would be clearly to find, and and I knew that we are having discussions now, and we are coming to the board.
14:26:45 At a later date with the Code Enforcement workshop.
14:26:49 But the overall goal would be that the mechanisms for compliance would be based upon what?
14:27:01 Both the Oh, I should say not both but the 5 districts. The prosecuting attorney's office, and the sheriff's office that identified is the best approach, and I think we've already
coming
14:27:11 pretty close to that, and the fire lantern's organs next slide
14:27:21 And so now our recommendations. So we really have 2 recommendations.
14:27:27 So provide guidance regarding the development of a resolution restricting fires for 2022 and and then to provide us guidance as to whether or not we should move ahead with an
ordinance for
14:27:43 future years that would provide a a really It would be a part of the code specifically outlining what is permissible to burn and what is not as well as the color codes that
we shared earlier and
14:28:03 then that would be something that it is easy to access by the community, because it'll be a part of the municipal code.
14:28:15 And and in doing so provide that transparency that the community may benefit from
14:28:26 And that concludes our presentation
14:28:33 I. I just wanna say I appreciate the that you guys are working towards predictability inconsistency amongst the different levels of governance about this issue, and that it
will make it a lot easier for the public to understand if if our
14:28:50 language. and what, for example, our coloring the system matches what the State agencies use when they're regulating fire their lands?
14:29:01 Okay, I I do really appreciate that. So Kate or Greg, do you guys have questions?
14:29:08 I also wanna let folks who are joining us today know that we are going to have an opera opportunity for comments and questions from the public. So if you're if you're on the
attendees list and have joined, us via
14:29:23 zoom. Please raise your hand using the raise hand button at the bottom of the zoom screen, and we'll call on you after
14:29:30 Commissioners have a chance to ask the questions they have. We go back to the recommendation slide.
14:29:36 Please, i'm sorry Kate, which where do you want to go back to
14:29:57 Where, where is open brain defined? I didn't see it in that whack that we were looking at. there's recreational fires, residential fires.
14:30:04 But open fires is something i'm curious where that definition lives.
14:30:09 So it it. It comes from the it's either gonna come from the whack.
14:30:17 We might steal it from the whack from dnr or or there's a definition in the international fire code for open burning.
14:30:26 One of the one of the others. But it is it is a it is a term that's been defined and and there is a relationship to recreational burning.
14:30:37 As you were talking about that'll have to be addressed as well in this ordinance that's one of the details that will have to be have to be worked out so going through this and
then connect it to that you know
14:30:48 good. the white signs I see that the fire districts put out with the red burn ban on them right that's it was burn.
14:30:55 Band signs are dnr triggered. Is that right?
14:31:01 Dnr High fire danger in the region basically triggers the fire districts to put out kind of region.
14:31:08 Why burn band currently, or the county, or the county issues one as we did last year?
14:31:15 We? Yeah, the finite districts came so there is did we issue that last year, and in 20, because Dnr didn't, and if the impact was the same, because it's not only those 3 years
that i've seen those burn
14:31:27 bands going on but by me good alright so I appreciate the question, and that's kind of why we are here the matrix that we came up with so between July first and September Thirtieth
there's
14:31:43 been that land clearing for bigger clearing fires Part of the clarification for this is to go.
14:31:50 Hey? get rid of the words, burned ban, and go to a matrix.
14:31:54 Mr. Brother, tend to to kind of answer your question. The color codes better specify when those those items would be banned.
14:32:03 When we get up to certain levels within that matrix would correspond with what the the Nr.
14:32:08 Is doing and what they're gonna do on state land such as State parks for closing brick cats or those recreational fire.
14:32:16 So it's kind of a combination thing it's kind of 2 separate things.
14:32:19 Yes, we kind of currently have our band, because we have a Mac wearing debris.
14:32:25 Between July first and september thirtieth which doesn't include recreational fires or fireworks per se until it gets to a certain point and that is based off atmosphere conditions
again the dnr and state
14:32:37 is doing the conjunction with what we're seeing here in Jefferson County Great, and and then just to follow up in the you know, talking about the micro climates.
14:32:50 I mean, are there regarding burn man's maybe not fireworks, but just burn bands.
14:32:53 Is there really that much distinction between the different East Jefferson?
14:32:58 Fire districts, or is it just West Jefferson East Chapter Center kind of 2 great question.
14:33:04 So if we look at yesterday, and I hope everybody in Port Town is is is doing well.
14:33:09 I happen to be in the Miss that. With the first incident with the tree that was cut down, I drove 20Â min and got to the backside of Mount Walker.
14:33:16 It was sunny, dry, and almost 60 60 degrees. So yes, we can take those microcliments between each of the fire districts and have a little bit of difference actually quite a
bit of difference.
14:33:26 Huge difference if you look at the the basic to be Jefferson the way it lays right now.
14:33:33 The county. You have 4 to 5 different micro climates that you have Port Lovelo Port level gets the convergence zone.
14:33:44 They get more rain, and Quilsy does. for a prime example.
14:33:48 Last year. Cool scene During that heat wave hit almost a 110, whereas the rest of the county was running around right 95 to 100.
14:33:57 Right our our h is that day we're a single digit the rest of the county was running in the set double digits 15 to 20.
14:34:06 That's a pretty significant thing by the way when you talk about low R. H.
14:34:09 Is high Tps like that. our h is relative humidity. Correct?
14:34:13 Thank you. Yeah, I I keep forgetting that I I need to to both vocalize some of those things that i'm used to talking to other people right?
14:34:23 Correct a relative humanities. When we look at the last we're looking at what kind of train is involved, you get out towards Port Ludlow and 4 towns and you're a little more
rolling you get in cool
14:34:39 Scene and Brennan and parts of Discovery Bay.
14:34:41 We have more slopes, and that all plays in our factors and for our fires.
14:34:47 So. Chief, can you talk a little bit about wind variability, too?
14:34:51 Does that come to play port towns and the gardener block, which is protected by Clown County.
14:35:05 3 swim fire district over there. you guys get the straight wins all the time, right that they come hammering out of the West northwest.
14:35:13 A lot on you guys. we never see. him. Sometimes you might have 2530 mile an hour winds up there, blowing trees over and taking out fire lines, and it's 5 miles an hour down
here at Wilson and
14:35:23 sunny it's literally I i've sit and Listen to to chief tracer chasing down power lines and trees, and i'm going. Wow!
14:35:32 They get ammered and nothing touching us it could.
14:35:36 In the winter we can get the northeast wins out of the Fraser River valley. right coal.
14:35:42 Strong winds. Same thing when we get a strong front moving in from the Pacific, a lot of times they've come hammering up the canal, and we'll get higher wins down here and then
you will
14:35:54 up there and port towns and are in north county so it there. they play a big big role when we get these big frontal systems so I could dry cold front coming through a lot of
times.
14:36:07 We'll get strong downwind can you downtown in winds before the fronts get here.
14:36:11 Where are you Won't have them up to port town. so you Don't have the train features to to channel those wins until after the front approaches.
14:36:20 So Yeah. W. when's play a huge role in our our our fire weather and our fire endangered rating.
14:36:29 So you guys are looking at the same kind of granular control that that we put into the fireworks ordinance. We're kind of looking to emulate that, for the burn ban is burn band
options as well is that correct and
14:36:41 Then last year we last year we found a lot of questions.
14:36:47 If you will, hey? is charcoal cooking open, and I use my propane, regulated smoker.
14:36:54 Can I, you know, and it was hard to define those little things within the the little ordinance that we have.
14:37:00 So again trying to move forward to anticipate some of the the questions and better educator communities on what we can and can't do in order to be safe. alright.
14:37:10 And then I think communication has to be a big part of this effort, too.
14:37:13 You know, if we make rules that are super granular and and understandable.
14:37:18 But you can't communicate it when i'm driving down that you know, and see the burn band assign.
14:37:23 I think it's just on the to work, on I guess the burn. Bad signs are gonna be a if the and the matrix is adopted will become a thing of the past, because we'll be talking restrictions
not bands again
14:37:35 that all about garbage is communicating
14:37:43 We have another county that we have to coordinate with because there's a part of our county actually protected by another
14:37:52 Another agency that's not in this county So you know I have actually have a question about that.
14:37:56 It's been brought to my attention but i'm from a resident and gardener where you know basically water side of I of 101, I think, is served by clown 8, or something and they
would love to be or at
14:38:10 least this one person would love to put a pitch between together to make that part of Jefferson County part of Fire District 5 Discovery Bay, and i'm wondering, is that something
I Don't know how this decision was made in the
14:38:20 first place, and is that something that we have the power to control?
14:38:24 If the residents want to be back in a Jefferson County Fire district.
14:38:28 2 things their commission they, as a group, voted to be incorporated into Column county 3, so they would have to petition and vote that back in
14:38:40 I will say that we met with the chief of of
14:38:44 Colin County 3, and he likes our matrix and what we're doing.
14:38:47 He's also gonna take it to their chief and the clown County board.
14:38:51 So the Atlantic peninsula will be unsafe that's great.
14:38:56 So they would petition the Board of County Commissioners or the Fire district.
14:38:59 Who would they petition? Do you know where that that leaves?
14:39:06 Hello! i'm trying to remember it was before my time but I think it involved a vote of the of the folks in that district.
14:39:15 I think it's the fire district that voted to merge into into the Clown County district.
14:39:23 And we, you know our fire districts in this State are independent of county government.
14:39:28 They have their own their own areas. And so I think it was a merger into that clown county district, and Brian Shaken has said yes.
14:39:37 So that so it was in a it was I i'm i'm guessing it was like the merger between.
14:39:47 You know the city fire department and East Jefferson. Same process with a proposition that went on the ballot, but and only went to those voters, and they got to vote on it.
14:39:58 So there would have to be some sort of a campaign to change that I don't know about.
14:40:05 I don't know what it what it would take to do that, since there are already part of a fire district, you know you'd have to.
14:40:10 You probably would have to rearrange that fire district somehow and that's beyond my knowledge.
14:40:19 Okay, thanks. You need A. You need a a lawyer that does more fire district work to be able to explain it to me or or explain it themselves.
14:40:32 So the the recommendation that we've presented to the board is that
14:40:38 The fire marshal and the prosecuting attorney's office continues working with the fire districts to refine a resolution for this year.
14:40:51 That's the the first and most critical recommendation and then the second most critical recommendation is that after that resolution is presented to the board for adoption,
that we work on a codification for
14:41:08 a future years and threat is is that I mean, can we put this on a parallel path with our fireworks?
14:41:16 Ordinance, so that we can get, you know, this new, whatever repeals and replaces 42, o 5.
14:41:21 If we go this path by march of 23 Philip, what do you think about that?
14:41:28 Well, So first let's talk about the resolution that we're talking about for this year if we're gonna do a resolution.
14:41:40 We're probably gonna do one that's nearly identical to the one we did for last year, so that we so that it plugs into the current existing resolution, which is 4,205 and then
we do it that way
14:41:53 we're not gonna have any problem with anybody complaining about the current regulations of fireworks.
14:42:00 So that's number one number 2 we should work on We should, you know, target you know, roughly a year to do this as it took us roughly a year to get the fireworks.
14:42:14 Regulation together i'm not nearly as worried about that one year prohibition on fireworks, cause we're really not doing this for fireworks.
14:42:26 We're we're we're doing it for open burning right.
14:42:30 It just happens to impact fireworks, so maybe we can get it done more quickly than that.
14:42:35 Maybe not. but we'd we need to have some time to get you know, to iron out the details to make sure that we weren't, you know, creating some prohibition that's or creating some
law that's already
14:42:50 prohibited like fire, or like firearms the discharge of firearms stuff like that.
14:42:56 And then you know some of the things we looked at today in the matrix.
14:43:00 We need some more clarity on we need to make sure that we're coordinating with you know clown County Fire district 3, and maybe with all of clown county and we need to make
sure that we're
14:43:16 that we're coordinating with primarily Dnr. since there's a joint responsibility Oh, with G.
14:43:25 D. Nr. and the and the fire districts related to those I'll just say those industrial areas that are on the on the forest lands that are not directly controlled by Dan.
14:43:37 Are the ones where the the owners are paying a c for protection from Dnr.
14:43:45 Which it's not really providing as a practical matter So so all that's gonna take time making sure we get it coordinated.
14:43:53 I I I my guess is that we'll probably end up somewhere close to the enforcement mechanisms that we have in the that we have in the fireworks ordinance. that was well batted
people understood how
14:44:11 it worked the Commissioners you all understood how it worked and why we wanted the flexibility.
14:44:16 So I don't think that's gonna cause us a lot of heartburn that we will have to coordinate with as we did with that one with sheriff's and and the prosecuting attorney
14:44:27 I think the hard part is going to be getting the matrix in an enforceable form and then coordinating.
14:44:37 And then, you know, having some discussions with public getting embedded right for public comment, I think, is really important.
14:44:45 And then parallel on a parallel track.
14:44:50 We need to plan a a public information campaign, Right?
14:44:55 How are we gonna implement this? So people understand how it works I think Ultimately it'll be it'll be much more understandable than what we have.
14:45:03 Now, if people wanna understand details, it's gonna take some time to do that. So I I need to make a public service announcement.
14:45:12 Here. We are over time on this agenda item so if you're here for one of the other agenda items this afternoon.
14:45:19 Either the Jeff com agenda item or the lost it.
14:45:24 Now right now, Security agent item, we're just running a little bit late.
14:45:29 We also wanna know if are there other questions from you?
14:45:33 Case or Greg on this item before I make another call for public questions or comments on this item.
14:45:42 You know I have one other question and Then I think they want at least a recommendation to stay the course I don't know if you need a specific action for these recommendations.
14:45:51 But i'm i'm in favor of the resolution like we did last year.
14:45:54 I just want to be clear that would end up with those same Burn man signs out after July one, and that would be for residential fires and not necessarily recreational fires.
14:46:04 And then land clearing fires, you can still pull a permit with Orca.
14:46:09 Is that correct? Even with this, the the resolution that we had last year in the burn band.
14:46:16 Go ahead, Chief, You guys are ready to talk about this. Yeah.
14:46:20 So currently Orca allows fire districts to work in agreement with them by contract.
14:46:29 So currently in Jefferson County, Coolestine Fire District District 2, and us here at Ejfr.
14:46:34 This one have contracts home in our local agreements with Orca to issue.
14:46:41 Bernoulli permits. everybody else in the county goes from Corka, but you will need that resolution.
14:46:50 Similar to before, because it has other implications. particularly fireworks, or under our current under our current scheme.
14:46:59 That's effective until March of next year. and Do you need an action to move forward with these these recommendations? or can you just move forward these recommendations?
14:47:08 If there's no objections we just need a you know a yeah, we like it.
14:47:15 Keep going, you know it does not have to be a motion or anything we're just we're trying to get your input and you know, and then we'll we'll start working on an ordinance.
14:47:27 Putting it well, we'll put together resolution which shouldn't be difficult.
14:47:31 And then We'll start working on an ordinance I guess that'll primarily be me and the chiefs working back and forth with input from Brent.
14:47:39 Does that make sense for? Yes, that makes sense. And you know we we have a.
14:47:45 We have established a pretty good working relationship through the through the process of working on the fireworks ordinance.
14:47:51 I got a a tutorial on Friday from cheese 7 sevage on how the
14:48:02 You know how they use the data that same data that Dana uses showed me the websites he was ready to show today.
14:48:09 That's it's actually pretty interesting and that's how I came to understood that you know these these force lands that are actually within our county are regulated to some extent
by that So that was really helpful and I
14:48:24 think together we'll come up with something that's both tight and useful.
14:48:32 Great Well, I appreciate it I Won't I won't hold this up anymore.
14:48:35 Sure I was just gonna say, I mean I am i'm super supportive of you guys moving forward with this approach and path that you've laid out, and then I don't know if Kate you have
any other questions or can we all
14:48:47 just raise our hand and say, we support you, moving forward. Okay, raising hands.
14:48:55 Okay, Okay, yeah, proceed. Awesome. good work, you guys, I I like less confusion the less confusion that we're working towards through this process for the residents of our
county and our communities.
14:49:15 Any other questions, Mark, I saw you unmuted yeah Are you gonna invite the public to comment. Yeah, why I have a couple of times, and i'll say it again.
14:49:25 Now, is are there any questions on this discussion we've been having around fire regulation?
14:49:33 If so, use the raise hand button at the bottom your zoom screen or press star 9.
14:49:39 If you're on the phone with the question I have not seen any hands go up.
14:49:49 So I think we'll close this Agenda, item and move on to Jeff Comm.
14:49:55 Hey, Carol, can you bring Art and Stacy over Stacey?
14:49:59 Hubert. Sure I was wondering if the same on phone call Part the 2 of them.
14:50:04 Okay, i'll bring them over
14:50:12 Phil, do you have a question that's just me asking to be demoted?
14:50:16 Oh, I i'm also going to be leaving thank you
14:50:30 Who's gonna
14:50:35 I don't have the the authority to demote you up there there, you in Okay,
14:50:49 He's on the attendees list with his hand up Yeah, great.
14:50:57 It was Mark that really invited Stacy out, and and art is Tim.
14:51:01 Tim was on the board, too. but arts been our chair, I think, is Vice chair now, but has been really instrumental in Jeff.
14:51:08 Calm passing over from leadership transition. and really enjoy working with Stacy so far.
14:51:17 There's some big capital issues coming up with with Jeff com and there's also, you know, I mean the same staffing crunch that is hitting everywhere is getting Jeff calm.
14:51:27 But I think it you know when you're talking about the the staffing of of a of a 9 1 one center.
14:51:34 It's it's there's a urgency that you can not have someone there. right?
14:51:40 So. yeah, we're we're in good hands with with Stacy and I I would i'll pass it over to you unless Mark has anything else to to say. Yeah, I would just say in addition to staffing
challenges
14:51:51 Stacy and Willie Bents occupy I think 1,800 square feet between them. and when the Eoc is activated, people are jammed in there like sardines.
14:52:02 And you know we've studied the potential expansion of the facility there, and you know we've got some concept plans and some cost estimates that are a bit stale now. but you
know i'm hoping that we can keep that on our radar as we move into the
14:52:19 future. But Stacy is a breath of fresh air I've been associated with Jeff-com since I got here.
14:52:26 And I think the place is running better now than it has.
14:52:29 So thanks for joining us today. Stacy and educate away.
14:52:37 Okay, I I will do my best. so just a little bit of a kind of a brief overview.
14:52:46 Sorry my phone. i've got hr director on recovering from a surgery, and so kind of wearing multiple hats here.
14:52:55 So just a little bit of history. I just came on board as the Jeff Com.
14:53:01 9, 1 one director in January of 2,021 i'm Bryant to that I came from Washington State Patrol.
14:53:12 I'd been with Washington State patrol right around 17 years. and my last position there was actually as a station manager.
14:53:19 So I managed one of Wsp's 8 dispatch centers. and I did the one in Bremerton. so I was very, very familiar with this entire area of the Peninsula.
14:53:33 Since that for the State Patrol is what we dispatched for out of primitives.
14:53:35 So coming up here. This has been an amazing operator for me. I've had just an amazing group to work with, as Greg Brotherton mentioned.
14:53:48 I had art as the chair, for when I was hired that just recently changed to Chief Mccarn from Quilocene.
14:53:59 So he is now the chair and andy per steiner is the vice chair, and they've been an excellent group.
14:54:07 I've had the opportunity to actually meet and interact with quite a few folks from the Board over the last year.
14:54:19 Just recently Greg actually came and paid a visit to the dispatch center and got an opportunity to really see the the dispatch center.
14:54:28 My it set up, and kind of just get a boots on the ground.
14:54:34 View of how how we are set up in relation to the eoc kind of how tight space is, and just the the general environment that the dispatchers are working. in.
14:54:46 He also got to see firsthand a lot of the changes and improvements that we made last year to the center.
14:54:54 And so that was, it was great. I was glad that he was able to find out and see that and I encourage anyone that's interested to please you know.
14:55:05 Let me know, and and you're more than welcome to come out and take a tour and see Jeff come 911. I think it's it's really a great thing to see in person.
14:55:15 So as as Mark and and Greg mentioned we've been kind of battling the the personnel issue and staffing shortages.
14:55:26 It. it's been you know not isolated to Jefferson County just about any county that you go to in the State.
14:55:36 They're going to be talking about how they're having issues with staffing.
14:55:40 I was just at an app co conference which is a conference that allows us dispatch directors to get together kind of talk about different things that we're seeing trends that
we're seeing you know new technology it gives us a
14:55:56 chance to to talk with the State, and at that conference we were all sitting around and kind of one of the biggest topics that we discussed during one of the training sessions
was staffing.
14:56:11 We talked about. You know. How can we do better at retaining our personnel?
14:56:16 What can we do to recruit new personnel? and you know to be honest at at that meeting, or conference? there was really a lot of folks that were thinking outside of the box?
14:56:29 And I think there's a lot of opportunity. out there for us to reach out and hopefully find more applicants to come be a part of this environment and and working in dispatch.
14:56:51 So I sent out a basically it's a chain of command spreadsheet.
14:56:56 I'm not sure if anybody can put that up where everybody can see it.
14:57:03 Or if you need to, you mean you're you mean your org chart, that would be it.
14:57:07 I have that I can share screen alright, so greg's got it.
14:57:13 Thank you. So this is basically the organizational chart of Jeff Comm as it sets right.
14:57:19 Now. as you can see the dispatch cat, which we do have for the dispatchers, since you know pretty even with me.
14:57:27 As far as you know, decision making authority. but
14:57:32 I have from a previous person that was in this position.
14:57:37 During a you know, Budget Crunch basically trying to to find a way to to fill things.
14:57:46 At that time there was a office supervisor, and there was an admin supervisor position.
14:57:54 And during that budgeting crisis the Admin supervisor position was very much done away with.
14:58:05 It was basically given up, I think, in order to provide more options and and more maybe pay to try and adjust within the calm center itself.
14:58:19 So in all actuality there's there's the board there's me, and then there's one supervisor position that I have because that position is vacant the person that was filling that
position left
14:58:33 October of last year. and so at this point in time I'm running with no supervisor. that's on the floor. for the dispatchers to interact with that basically that responsibility
has fallen to
14:58:50 me as far as the dispatchers go for staffing you'll notice on the the left hand side at the bottom of the columns.
14:59:02 You'll see I have 2 vacant communications officered positions.
14:59:06 Those have been vacant for a while. Now I do have one calm clerk higher.
14:59:14 So that's basically a part-time dispatcher and after June twelfth this month, I will be down One more additional Communications officer.
14:59:28 I have one more leaving, and so that is gonna put me down 3 full positions, and at this time I have one communications officer that is out on extended medical leave.
14:59:44 So in all actuality. I am down right now or after June twelfth.
14:59:50 I'll be down 4 dispatch positions and one supervisor.
14:59:57 So you know you can look through and you can see that that's going to lead me with very few dispatchers to try and run a 9.
15:00:08 1 one center, 24Â h a day, 7 days a week 3 65
15:00:14 There's there's no way to leave a position unmanned.
15:00:21 I have to have someone here, as it is the minimum staffing is 2. and even when I have 2 on there's times where even they get overwhelmed with traffic, and so I guess we get
into the summer months, especially,
15:00:40 holidays. and people are getting outdoors they're starting to go do things they're starting to get out in the water.
15:00:45 They're all of these different you know things start to happen and so it can create quite a bit more work on the dispatchers as they're as they're working right now.
15:00:59 The staffing is, they do 12Â h shifts. they do 6 Am.
15:01:05 To 6 P. M. and 6 P. M. to 6 A. M.
15:01:09 That was something that they had requested previous to me, so they seem to like that shift.
15:01:16 But with these impending vacancies that I have is becoming more and more of a struggle to keep the dispatchers from having to work, you know 6, 8, 10 days in a row, and when
you're talking about 6 8
15:01:35 10 days of 12Â h shifts that's a lot of hours.
15:01:40 And so you know. No, not only is that difficult for them you know they can't have a life outside of dispatch when those things start occurring.
15:01:50 It. It really takes their quality of life, and it really tanks it.
15:01:54 So one of the things that that i'm gonna be looking at doing is is
15:01:59 We are coming up to a contract negotiations here for the Union.
15:02:04 I actually just received the letter today for the the opening of the contract.
15:02:10 And one of the things that I know we want to talk about in there is pay.
15:02:16 And so Not only do I want to look at potentially, like a hiring bonus, but I also want to make sure that I am looking at those that I currently have already on staff the amount
of work that they're putting
15:02:32 in, and what things I can do to try and improve you know they're they're working area, improve them, you know. staying.
15:02:42 Retain them. Unfortunately, you know we're fighting against a lot of different businesses out there.
15:02:52 It's hard to to pay folks at a wage that they want to come work those long hours, you know when you have Mcdonald's, and those that are paying $15 an hour.
15:03:06 And you know my starting pay is is maybe $10 an hour more.
15:03:11 But at mcdonald's they can pick their shifts they can go to school.
15:03:15 They can, you know, do a lot of different things whereas in the dispatch center.
15:03:19 You're gonna be working days you might be working nights you're gonna have overtime. it's very stressful.
15:03:24 Those types of things make it very challenging to draw people in
15:03:32 And so couple of things that I wanted to do with recruitment.
15:03:37 Is, I want to go out Art was able to get me a contact at the high school here, and so I want to be able to go out and actually try and make contact with some of the kids that
are graduating from their senior
15:03:53 year. Maybe They don't have plans to go to college or Maybe they're gonna take a break before they go to college, and they want a job that's gonna provide them some good benefits,
you know decent pay things like that
15:04:06 and see if we can't start kind of getting to them before they get out into the to the world.
15:04:15 That was one of the things that one of the Crests directors had mentioned, and Crescent is is down on the Columbia River.
15:04:24 And you know in Vancouver, and one of the things that that they had mentioned was unfortunately a lot of times.
15:04:32 By the time someone comes to us and they're ready to become a dispatcher, or they're looking at becoming a dispatcher.
15:04:39 They've already experienced quite a bit in their life and There's the potential for them to have already made some decisions that could potentially keep them from becoming a
dispatcher or working in a law enforcement environment and so that was another
15:04:55 reason that she had talked about. you know, trying to make contact with them in their senior year.
15:05:01 Let's let's talk to them let's let's get out there and start you know communicating with them about what our job is hopefully before they have that opportunity to get out and
maybe make a decision or go down a path that could
15:05:14 eliminate them from from doing it. I see your hand up, Mark. Yeah.
15:05:20 Did did you know about the Chimicum High School Job Fair?
15:05:23 What was that last week? Was it 2 weeks ago? It was 2 weeks ago.
15:05:30 Yeah, and unfortunately no I hadn't gotten notice of that art was the one that brought it to my attention during the board meeting, and so I again had asked for a point of contact.
15:05:44 And now i've got one so that I can get in on those even if it's you know something I can't attend.
15:05:51 I can hopefully have my pub ed folks get out there.
15:05:55 But again, you know, that comes down to staffing Yeah, I gotta be able to get those folks out there.
15:06:03 And right now that's that's hard but you know knowing that it's it was happening I would have gone.
15:06:09 I would have made it a point to get there. you know or I would have come in and worked a console, so that my my puppet folks could get out there.
15:06:19 But that's I'm hoping will be something that I can definitely lean into in the future is getting out there and making those contacts, and you know Stacy. something that I I
learned when I was taking my tour is that the
15:06:34 dispatchers really feel a lot of meaning in their work it's a meaningful job, and I think that's something that you don't always get at that at that pay rate. you know.
15:06:43 But I mean I I was, of course, all about questions about Matt Walker, and luckily enough, Marlowe is there.
15:06:48 So I got the whole story. But but I mean you're you're.
15:06:52 You are helping people every day, in that job and that is you know it's got a lot of challenges to it.
15:06:57 But there's an upside to it, too, that I think you should focus on recruitment.
15:07:02 Yes, absolutely. and and you know a lot of times I think it's it.
15:07:06 It makes it easier to now that Senate bill 55 passed, which was the State certification for 9, 1 one dispatchers.
15:07:14 So what I think that did was that opened the door for us to be able to say, Hey, You know truly this is a first responder position.
15:07:24 You know you may not be out in the field fighting a fire.
15:07:26 You may not be in a police car, but you're helping them You're still doing that part of the job last week.
15:07:36 I came in on Wednesday. and Lord help him!
15:07:42 I worked a console for 4Â h, and so I sat down, and and just before I took over the console Marlow, one of my season dispatchers helped deliver a baby boy.
15:07:57 So There's, you know the the potential for the impact that you're going to make on folks is huge in this position. and you're right, Greg.
15:08:08 I definitely want to make sure that that information is put out there and that it's focused on that you know this job really does save lives.
15:08:15 We just do it in a different way. So that that is my hope. Thanks.
15:08:24 Did you have something else that already have anything you want to add?
15:08:30 I just I just have a quick point. stacy. obviously has a huge mountain in front of her, with personnel issues but 1 1.
15:08:39 I'll say victory is the recent you want to talk about the recent upgrade and interoperability.
15:08:43 How we have the backup system as far as the cad system.
15:08:47 Stacy just go ahead. yeah i'm gonna I'm gonna get into that.
15:08:54 So recently. we just did a cat upgrade.
15:09:00 We went live in March of this year. it was a cad upgrade that was in conjunction with Pencom.
15:09:11 So Colin County. yes, Sorry. Not computerated drafting.
15:09:18 It is computer edited dispatch And so we just had that upgrade done in conjunction with Pincom.
15:09:28 And what that has allowed us to do is it's really made it more interoperable for us to be able to take calls for Pencom, for instance, every once in a while you'll get a caller
that maybe is
15:09:43 traveling through, and you know calls us and they're actually into Column County.
15:09:52 And so by the time we get all the information in there and calling county, and they need to be handled by, you know the call and county area responders.
15:10:02 And so what we can do now is we can just input that call directly.
15:10:05 And Colin County can actually see it so instead of having to Make a phone call and say, Hey, we're sending you a call or hey? Here's here's the caller you know. they're gonna
have to repeat all the
15:10:16 information to you for this call. We can actually take that call, put it in, and it shows up in their queue.
15:10:23 The same can go for them to us. The other thing that this has really helped is that if one of our centers, for whatever reason, has a an issue like a power outage or some sort
of major emergency where our center goes down the other
15:10:42 dispatch center can just naturally pick up our cad system so they can go in and they can start taking calls for us.
15:10:51 They can go in. they can dispatch units as they need to.
15:10:54 They can talk with our units via the message system.
15:10:59 It really has given us an opportunity to have a a backup 9, 1 one center, whereas before it was mostly just them being able to take our phone calls.
15:11:11 So this really has given them the the opportunity to be able to interact with us.
15:11:18 On a on a different level and that's been very helpful. It was also very I think, cost effective for us to do that when you're talking about new computer dispatch systems.
15:11:31 Those can be extremely expensive if you're going it on your own, and we were able to do a 70 30 split with pencom.
15:11:43 And so what that did was it took you know a set of us having to do 100%.
15:11:48 We're only having to pay 30% of that and at the same time create that redundancy. so overall.
15:11:56 I think it was a It was a good project. There were a lot of hurdles.
15:12:00 There was a lot of meetings that had to be done just because of again communication right?
15:12:06 We're dispatchers we're supposed to be able to communicate really.
15:12:09 Well, you would think that that would happen. However, there was a lot of miscommunications.
15:12:14 There was a lot of information that wasn't passed down from previous directors previous leadership.
15:12:18 As to how this all came about and so working through all of that. I think you know, in the end. it's it's been a It's been a blessing I think we've really been able to change
things and and we're going in
15:12:34 the right direction. Yeah, prior to stacy's arrival when we had Carlhattan as our director.
15:12:42 He He was a strong proponent of actually picking up Jeff Comm and moving it to Port Angeles.
15:12:49 So we would have a combined 9, 1 one center, And there was quite a bit of debate about that.
15:12:55 And I think our first responders are law enforcement folks.
15:13:00 We're not big on that idea and so i'm I'm really happy to see the joint cad system up and running and hats off to the organization for getting It done.
15:13:12 Yeah, it sounds like it increases efficiency a lot.
15:13:17 It really does it really does and so i'm i'm super super excited about about the direction that we're going with that. you know some of the other things that my board i'm sure
is you know is aware of just because we
15:13:31 have our our board meetings each month. but for those that you may not aware, you know, when I stepped into this position
15:13:40 There was a lot of catching up to do the not just in regards to financially, you know, in the budget, but just the overall state of the dispatch center, the buildings, the equipment,
the furniture that the
15:13:57 dispatchers sit at all of that was in just horrible, horrible state.
15:14:06 It just you know a lot of our equipment was end of life.
15:14:12 A lot of it did not have any maintenance contracts with it.
15:14:18 There was a lot of extra things that you know, had been purchased and never used.
15:14:27 There was just a It was in a real shambles to be honest, and so I've worked a lot with my It Systems manager rich to pause, and between the 2 of us we kind of went through and
started cleaning house you know we went
15:14:41 through and said, Okay, what is what needs to be replaced?
15:14:46 Right Now, what's what's working what can keep working what isn't working at all?
15:14:53 And so we went through, and we did quite a bit.
15:14:56 And June of last year we were actually able to get all new dispatch furniture for the dispatchers.
15:15:05 So we got brand new. We call them consoles, but brand new dispatch consoles that had everything working on them.
15:15:12 They were able to move up in town. They were able to stand or sit, but they can move the screens in and out.
15:15:19 Just you know little things like that. The The consoles that they had previously were falling apart.
15:15:25 Sometimes they were tilted they wouldn't go up or down they were locked. So there was just a lot, you know, that could have could have been done differently for that.
15:15:37 And prior to me being here, and it was just it was kind of like Jeff Common was being left as an afterthought.
15:15:42 And and nobody was taking care of it. and so being able to do things like new furniture.
15:15:50 We got new paint. we put in new carpeting.
15:15:53 We just made their atmosphere that much better.
15:15:59 It. It looks better. They feel better, you know. They like the environment.
15:16:02 Now, and so little things like that that we can do are very helpful.
15:16:11 Let's see. Yeah, our what else? well I just wanna you know, in in the work that Stacy did and rich. I wanna you.
15:16:20 Know we we had a surplus a budget surplus last year, and I think it's important to say that a lot of that was Yeah, it's we made more sales tax revenue, but a lot of that was
15:16:28 contract renegotiation or eliminating contracts. We didn't need, and it was a tune about $335,000 in surplus.
15:16:38 So that we've never really had a you know a rainy day.
15:16:41 Fine. and now we do have a rainy day fund, and and I do
15:16:45 I wanna say, about a third of that, and Stacy and riches work or trimming the fat, so to speak, off the budget and you know, down to what we need nothing more.
15:16:56 So I wanna I I really appreciate her work on that I think that's she needs to get credit for that, although, as part of that, having vacancies, too.
15:17:08 No. Okay, separate, separate. Yeah. Because any cost savings is eating up by over time.
15:17:12 I mean it's you know they they can't leave those they can't leave those seats empty, you know. So a time and a half employee has to come in and cover that that's even been a
a deputy occasionally right you
15:17:31 know, at their deputy, working at their bargaining unit overtime rate to cover And those were those were people that were dispatchers 8 10 years ago, before they became deputies.
15:17:40 So I would, I would say a personnel cost, probably, if if it was analyzed, might even be a little higher.
15:17:46 So. but That's a great question but there is no salary savings, because that seat has to be filled stacy. Have you coordinated with R Hr.
15:17:56 Folks here to help, you know. Have you gotten any support in terms of brainstorming other ways to promote open positions?
15:18:03 Or okay. I haven't. but I I do know that i've reached out and done what Jeannie that runs the county website on Facebook I did reach out to her.
15:18:20 And she I put together a a little quick flyer and a click blurb that we're hiring and kind of what we do, and she put it up on the Facebook page. and so I've been appreciative
of that and I
15:18:31 know that the the sheriff and a few others of the fire chiefs have been saying, you know, hey?
15:18:37 We'll put it out on our our websites as well that you're hiring but beyond that no I I have not reached out to your hr for that i'm not sure other than you know how like I said
15:18:53 probably the biggest problem that we have out here is that we are on a peninsula, and when you're looking at a pool that you want to draw from of applicants that pull out here
on the peninsula is very small and when
15:19:07 you're competing with some neighboring agencies that are either larger or have a bigger budget that they can kind of you know.
15:19:20 Boost those pays that makes it a challenge i'm competing with Pincom.
15:19:25 I'm competing with kitzap county and Those are those are 2 big players, and Sometimes that can be can be a real real challenge to try and draw them into a a smaller agency.
15:19:38 That maybe isn't able to provide some of those bonuses that those other agencies can. if you focus on the cat more.
15:19:48 Yeah, yeah, I know. everybody says we should, you know, put something up on the dispatch page that you know.
15:19:53 Hey? we have a dispatch cat so but beyond that kinda the The other part that I really wanted to talk about was just, you know, the overall budget, as Art mentioned when I came
into this the budget was in very sad
15:20:14 State, and there was a lot of extra contracts, there was a lot of extra money being spent in areas that it wasn't necessary and so rich, and I worked to trim that.
15:20:24 Out. And so when we put forth the the budget for 2,022 things were things were done a lot differently.
15:20:33 There was, you know, excess pulled from certain places and and reallocated input into areas where I knew I needed it on the the budget that I sent out to everyone to for the
meeting a large portion of our
15:20:52 revenue comes from the sales tax which for Jefferson County is one tenth of 1%.
15:20:59 So you know one penny for for what we get for the the sales tax, and you know, yearly what the what it has been. is It's been right around 690,000 that we get from that and
we do
15:21:19 get, you know, assistance from the State in the form of a grant.
15:21:24 We are a grant county so anytime that we are able to put forth an application with the State each year, showing what our basic basic service operations costs are.
15:21:41 How much we get for our sales tax and you know how much we're putting out the account, or the State will make a determination on whether or not they can provide Us.
15:21:53 Basically a substance assistance on that. and So we do get some of that from the State.
15:21:59 Of course, as our sales tax revenue goes up that amount for that Grant goes down
15:22:07 So that they can provide that to other counties that that may not be able to have that
15:22:11 But I can tell you that probably out of the State there are very few counties.
15:22:19 That are not operating at a 2, 10 to 1%.
15:22:24 Sales tax and the reason for that is because of staffing.
15:22:31 If you look at that budget that I sent you you'll see, you know, when you go down to how much we spend just in wages alone for communications that's 712,000 and so the sales
15:22:51 tax money that we do get is pretty much eaten up in communications.
15:22:55 Wages kind of right out that right out of the gate.
15:22:57 So you know, in preparation, or anticipation of the cost of doing business going up, you know, looking at a 2 tenths of 1% is something that you know.
15:23:13 I think i'm going to have to start looking at and and researching more, and I know that that can come with a burden, and it can come with a hurdle for trying to help the public
understand what that money is used
15:23:28 for, and and how it'll be allocated and I wish there was other ways to to generate revenue.
15:23:37 We do have some as far as our tower rents.
15:23:40 We have some folks that are leasing part of our towers.
15:23:45 Cairo, Verizon Jefferson transit things of that nature.
15:23:51 So. so we get some miscellaneous revenue.
15:23:53 But again that's it's not enough to to really make up for
15:23:59 The cost of doing business, And so what happens is is when I create that budget. And I have that revenue forecast.
15:24:09 And and it says, this is how much you're gonna get on your sales tax.
15:24:11 This is how much you're gonna get from the state for your grant
15:24:15 And your miscellaneous revenues, then I have to look at the difference.
15:24:19 And then that difference gets pushed out to the user agencies.
15:24:22 And so the user agencies are the ones that pay what we call user fees.
15:24:28 And so that is calculated, based on a call for service.
15:24:32 And so there was a lot of discussion this last year, about whether or not we wanted to go away from just a one year call for service, maybe to like a 3 year average.
15:24:46 But I think there was enough agencies that didn't want to do that.
15:24:50 3 year average. and so I think that probably this year there'll probably be some more discussions about that.
15:25:00 But I know that the key this year for dispatch fees was about 564,000.
15:25:09 But yes, and then You know the city of Port Townsend, You know they had 314,000 in user fees. So you know the rest is obviously broken up again between the fire districts Yeah,
and and the reason that
15:25:30 we discussed a 3 year average call volume was to smooth out any dramatic increases or decreases from year to year. because, Jefferson counties user fees jump substantially.
15:25:46 And so, you know, I threw out on the table. I think it was being.
15:25:49 Maybe it was someone else that maybe we smooth it out a little bit and, like Stacey said there wasn't enough support for that, and we might have to look at revising the entire
agreement and make make a movement to a
15:26:01 3 year moving average part of that revised agreement.
15:26:07 Yes, and the and the reason for a lot of that was and unfortunately, I think Covid hit.
15:26:14 And when Covid initially hit, I think because there was different directives that were put out by various.
15:26:22 You know, user agency heads. I think you had a dramatic decrease in one agency's calls for service versus another agency ended up having to kind of pick up that piece, and and
it caused an increase and
15:26:39 so again that's that's where that you know this was a based off of one year, so that was 2,021.
15:26:46 If you were to look at a 3 year average. It evens the playing filled out a little bit more, and and it, you know, can take into consideration in those years where you have a
pandemic or You have a You know a natural
15:26:58 disaster or something happens that just may increase the calls for one agency over another.
15:27:09 , Okay, I see, Kateis see your hand up Yeah. who has the authority, don't act the increase in sales tax ,
15:27:16 I I believe I have to put that before the voters.
15:27:23 Any other questions for us. Stacy, hey? can you just briefly talk about the the radio system upgrade.
15:27:31 That's the other big capital need that might that that contemplation of the 2%.
15:27:37 The the tax increase would also feed. Yes, so I sent out a sorry I'm trying to get my mouse to behave here.
15:27:46 Okay, I had sent out a copy of my 2,022 capital budget and what I had in there was basically I had our cad upgrade, which has already taken place.
15:28:03 What the our portion of the cost associated with that upgrade was I had in there our ups replacement, which is our uninterrupted power supply.
15:28:13 So basically that, you know, keeps us running If we do have an issue with our power, and we do get bunks out here quite often.
15:28:20 And so under the proposed capital purchases for 2,022, you're gonna see quite a few items listed.
15:28:29 One of them is the zetron radio update So basically, the update which we I got approved from my board is basically just going to get our radio consoles back up to an operating
15:28:52 I'm trying to think of operating version that will allow us to be able to have maintenance and not be using computers that we are having to find parts for on ebay.
15:29:08 I don't know about the rest of you but as a director of a 9, 1 one center.
15:29:13 When someone tells me that we're keeping our radio computers going by finding parts on ebay, that's scary
15:29:21 That keeps me up at night, because if one breaks I have no guarantee of getting a replacement.
15:29:29 This update will at least get us to the point where we can have some of that support.
15:29:36 And we can keep the radios running. And so that was an emerging need.
15:29:43 The board was wonderful, and and helped me get that approved so we're moving forward with that.
15:29:54 How our radio system, even with an update again. So the update just gets us to where our head is just a little bit above water.
15:30:01 The radio system is in need of a full upgrade.
15:30:05 It. Many components of it are way past end of life.
15:30:10 If they break, we don't have the ability to get every place for a reasonable cost.
15:30:17 And so what's gonna happen is down the road you know in another year or 2 we're gonna have to look at replacing the full radio system, and that couldn't mean going from what
we have now which is which don't get me
15:30:36 wrong. I am not a radio. speak, so please bear with me on this.
15:30:42 But we could potentially go from Vhf and new Hf which is what we currently have, and is very limited on the channels that we can use up to maybe a 7 or 800 Megahertz system
or a digital
15:30:53 system, and those types of upgrades when you're talking about radios.
15:31:00 Those are close to a 1 million dollars. Those are not a small chunk.
15:31:05 Of money that has to be put forth to those. So one of the things that I want to outline in going and and proposing that 2 tens of 1% is this: money is going to be allocated
for and used for a
15:31:23 radio overhaul and that this is what the benefits of that is going to be.
15:31:28 And you know right now I have a group already a work group comprised of a representative from each of my user agencies that are talking about what their needs and their wants
are out of this radio system.
15:31:42 And so I think if we can convey that and we can show the what that that funding is going to be used for. I think it'll make it make it a lot easier to to put forth and hopefully
get past the other part
15:31:58 of that is our our viper system, which is our 9, 1 one and answering system.
15:32:04 So the phone system that the dispatchers use day in and day out again.
15:32:08 This is another system that's passed end of life and does not have support on it.
15:32:14 To get a new system. it's about a $171,000 for a small agency, such as us.
15:32:23 I am working right now with the State. However, they had a potential for equipment grants to be granted to various counties based upon applications that were submitted.
15:32:36 They had a approximately a 1 million dollars that has to be spread out
15:32:43 And so I was very excited this last week that my application made it past the first phase, and so we are now kind of getting down into the nitty gritty of
15:32:59 What parts of my equipment Grant would be funded.
15:33:03 My hopes is that they can fund a good portion of that replacement cost for a 901 system with only a small portion of us, you know, paying a certain amount.
15:33:19 So right now they're calling for a 20% match by the county, which, due to the the I won't say windfall.
15:33:30 But the the surplus that we had. I am able to do a a 20% match for that.
15:33:37 So my fingers are crossed, and i'm still waiting to hear what the final decision will be on that
15:33:46 There's just a couple of other things that we have on there as far as capital improvements.
15:33:52 We have to get our stencil recorder updated.
15:33:55 That is what records all of the radio traffic and the phone calls that come into the dispatch center.
15:34:00 There's a an update if we stay with stansel or there's a full replacement cost that could go along with that that's about 21,000.
15:34:10 And then we have remote site, monitoring that we would like to set up, which would help us with our generators.
15:34:16 And it would also help us be more in the loop of when we have a radio tower go down right now.
15:34:25 It's more of a but we don't know there's a problem until something's not working. so.
15:34:30 Oh, hey? we can't transmit on this channel or we're getting a lot of static from this channel that you know what's going on.
15:34:37 So then we have to send somebody out to that tower to take a look at it, and try and troubleshoot.
15:34:42 If we have remote site monitoring we'll automatically get notifications when there's an error when there is a problem when something's not working right you know something doesn't
boot up in an emergency
15:34:54 situation. The last estimate we got was in 2,018 for that, and that was right.
15:35:00 Around 40,000. So there's a lot of capital projects there's a lot that I know has to be has to be done, and i'm hoping that you know, working working with the members of the
Board and in my user agencies.
15:35:16 That we can find ways to to keep Jeff come running and keep us going in the right direction.
15:35:23 Did I see your hand up again. yeah we've we've talked in the past about the need for more physical space for your upgrades and could the increase in sales tax also help to support
that effort I think it could
15:35:43 I think one of the issues and and I know
15:35:47 Mark. and I discussed this as well and that's you know part of the issue is finding a place.
15:35:54 For everybody, you know. there was. there was talk of extending the building
15:36:00 Where we are currently at, and creating a larger space to be able to have the dispatch center in.
15:36:06 But you know again that that comes at at a cost and I don't know with the Eoc, because there seems to be a lot of desire to keep us in the Eoc somewhat close together.
15:36:20 I think it's it's going to be hard to find a good space where we can do that that that's gonna be, you know. Well, within the budget But that would be beyond you know that first
year.
15:36:33 Let's say, or first 2 years of that radio upgrade then. yes, that that funding would be used for continuing projects so increasing our space. maybe finding a new building, you
know, different things recruitment stuff like that So yeah,
15:36:50 that's all gonna be you know. planned on and and you know. Ca: Categorized out for for what that what that would look like.
15:37:00 Alright, I see your hand up. Yes, just to that one of the things that we talked about, and it's you know that there needs to be a lot of discussion.
15:37:08 On this is, maybe if it wasn't gonna stay at the at the jail is to a lot of the fire service.
15:37:14 A lot of the fire agencies need new admin.
15:37:15 We need, you know, Quil. scene we did a new admin building would be to combine and build the 901 center, maybe on the second floor, or something, because then you can You can
set you know you're sharing
15:37:24 footprint you're sharing generators setting backup you have a 24 building man all the time.
15:37:29 So I think that that's a bigger discussion maybe maybe 2 or 3 different alternatives, and then a cooperating, you know fire district, or you know it doesn't have to be quotes,
and it could be logo it could be chef, but I
15:37:42 think economy of scale might come into play there and I've. I've heard other conversations going on about this. so I make.
15:37:53 We need a bigger community. bigger conversation about capital needs for emergency services.
15:38:01 Are there any, Greg? Did you have anything? This is your agenda item. Is there anything else you wanted to cover?
15:38:06 Because we have a couple more things that we want to get to today.
15:38:13 Good briefing on kind of the you know I want you guys to to meet Stacy, and and we're a little bit about the the path that yet Jeff Khan is on.
15:38:20 And remember the Jeff Com is you know not a county agency.
15:38:25 It's a little different than emergency services and that that makes you know these conversations even more complex.
15:38:33 Thank you. Stacy and Art for being here today. Thank you.
15:38:39 Yeah, Yeah. you too, Kate. I. The next item on our agenda is Cornell Security, and I see a number of folks in the waiting room and the attendees list who are probably here for
that but was there.
15:38:57 Anybody on the attendee list who wanted to make a comment on that last topic that we were talking about.
15:39:04 Oh, we weren't gonna do public comment for jeff con right we're gonna do public comment for this one. so
15:39:09 So we're gonna have a workshop on courthouse security now, and I think I don't know if Marker Kate, who's gonna tie this up.
15:39:19 But after we get through an initial round of comments. maybe we'll ask for a public comment period in case there's anybody left.
15:39:29 Not a not in the zoom room. Who wants to make a comment.
15:39:36 So right well Kate te did offer our covid coordination meeting, so I think it's only appropriate that she teased off today real quick.
15:39:43 Here. there's a caller on the line any in five*, but have to hit Star 9 if you are a department director. we're elected official.
15:39:54 So I can bring you over There might be staff representing departments to in the attendee list.
15:39:58 So if anyone would like to be brought over to join this conversation, feel free to raise your hands and will Yeah. And i'm happy to see our 2 judges here today, Thank you Judge
Walker and Judge Harper for joining
15:40:12 us alright should jump in. Yeah. Okay. Great. hi! Everybody Nice to see you all, and I suspect others are gonna join us.
15:40:23 For many of us. This is round 2 of this conversation this time around.
15:40:28 We've had this conversation many times over the years some predating me i'm sure, too.
15:40:33 You know we have a number of challenges being in this beautiful historic courthouse.
15:40:40 And I think we're gonna focus primarily on the courthouse today.
15:40:42 I know that there are potentially needs and other county buildings as well.
15:40:47 But for today's purposes let's stick with the courthouse.
15:40:51 You know it's a beautiful building to work in and it has some real challenges.
15:40:56 And so, as the Commissioners start to think really long term about capital needs of of our facilities, I think we have to be really mindful of of the courthouse and the investments
that we make here and how we address
15:41:14 a number of interests. Of course, security of our employees and of the general public is really important to all of us.
15:41:23 Also having access to to county services, is, I think, a a high interest.
15:41:29 We have You know what what brought up this question?
15:41:35 Why I asked for us to have this workshop this afternoon was We're in the process of renewing an Rfp.
15:41:42 Sending our new artp for security services. and that was a good time to ask ourselves, How is it going?
15:41:50 You know we we had a big move of security down to the basement.
15:41:53 Is that the right location is the services that they're providing the appropriate services is the level of service appropriate for the courthouse.
15:42:00 Any changes we want to make, and we should be thinking about now before that Rfp.
15:42:05 Goes out and we were also approached about the state's historic courthouse grant program, which Funds restoration of historic features.
15:42:17 It does not funds kind of modernization unless it is that is, in an effort to maintain
15:42:25 The historic features and uses of a property, and so got me thinking, you know, should we be revisiting
15:42:33 The analysis that was done. What was that? about 6 or 7 years ago?
15:42:38 About how how to best perform security here, and what our options were.
15:42:44 And then, you know our Do we want to forego using the the front of the building and having that, the access be off limits?
15:42:53 And, you know, really changing the the functionality of of our historic courthouse for me, that feels like a a loss.
15:43:01 But you know we have to be practical. So the Covid Corvation meeting.
15:43:07 On Friday we started diving into this topic and i'd say we, It was really helpful to get feedback from many of you, and we we narrowed down kind of 3 3 topics.
15:43:18 One is the the building itself. what what is the kind of best use of this building in terms of providing that that access and security.
15:43:31 And there's you know, maybe a bit of attention there inherently.
15:43:35 But what kind of capital needs? How do we do that secondly is the the role of the outside security that we're using? what's the right scale and scope of that? are they in the
right place should We be looking at
15:43:46 that would be differently. And then thirdly I think it's no coincidence that this came up given the situation a couple of weeks ago.
15:43:54 How prepared are we for Something like an active shooter?
15:43:58 Events in the courthouse, and you know we're I think i'll i'll aware of that right now.
15:44:07 And you know. Do we need to be thinking about any changes to our operations, or just be thinking about doing some additional training, and that probably goes for our other county
offices as well?
15:44:20 So those are kind of the 3 buckets we narrowed it down to and so for the benefit of the other commissioners, it's open that
15:44:30 This group could talk a little bit about their opinions. especially the the building and the security functions itself.
15:44:39 And anything i've forgotten mark no kate a good good intro to the topic.
15:44:48 So happy to hand it back to you. Chair, Eisenhower.
15:44:51 And this is a group that often doesn't need much prompting to share opinions.
15:44:58 So the the real issue at hand is renewing our contract with security services for the courthouse that's the the time sensitive issue here, right?
15:45:10 And so that's what you discussed on friday and the coordination meeting. Oh, I see that that prompted the the big picture discussion, and some work was done and Cc.
15:45:24 You spoke to it on Friday. i've actually forgotten The work we did was right around the time.
15:45:28 I got elected, and had some an analysis done, and some recommendations made about how we might proceed on security.
15:45:37 And that is an issue because of a a role specific to courts.
15:45:42 And in in time with Mr. Hunsecker about it.
15:45:45 That will apply to court houses in general it's not just for the courts themselves.
15:45:50 So there's there's a really there then we also have a new law pertaining to
15:45:55 It's specifically firearms and security or in election sites that is a new requirement, too, so i'd say there are a number of overlapping issues.
15:46:06 That again, kind of blurred that line between the security services and the building, and how we how we best use this building itself.
15:46:13 Okay, so i'm curious about the conversation about the contract for security service in the courthouse, and also curious about how we're going to incorporate these new laws that
were just mentioned into you know to make sure that we're
15:46:31 meeting meeting all those I don't know what order we wanna take things in.
15:46:38 But I see hands going up so. maybe. Let me just say this: There was a general rule.
15:46:43 36 that was published by the administrative office of the courts some years ago, when I arrived here in the summer, 2,017 courthouse security was a big issue, and
15:46:54 It floated to the top of my priority list in a January Ppc.
15:46:58 Solution started providing security on the second floor, and I think Mr.
15:47:04 Huntsucker might be in on this call. if he wants to clarify whatever I might say.
15:47:12 Technically having the security on the second floor did not comply completely with general rule.
15:47:17 36, because we're supposed to screen people entering the courthouse at all entrances, and the second floor was not an entrance, and so, having security in the basement on the
east end of the building does comply with that because
15:47:32 the other 2 entrances or the other 3 entrances are secured, and the election security rule, I think, is, is new.
15:47:43 Roseanne raised that I i'll defer to her and Mr.
15:47:45 Huntsucker on that. but I think our security regime meets the requirements of of that new law.
15:47:54 Except we'll have to alter our behavior on election night by having Ppc.
15:47:58 Security remain in the building until after the elections office has closed.
15:48:06 So so I think what we'll do is we'll well, this hear from the people who have their hands raised.
15:48:12 But I also want to say that there's interested in having a public comment opportunity.
15:48:18 As part of this session. So after we do kind of a first round of comments, we will open a short public comment.
15:48:25 Session, and then see if there's any more discussion that we need to have
15:48:29 So let's start with Jeff. Yeah, I just wanna clarify something that the position of my office is is kind of like what Kate said is, we've always wanted the front doors to be
opened, and we would like access to
15:48:43 our office, and part of the reason for that is that we go out.
15:48:47 I know. Half my staff goes out in the field every day, and they have access to every all of our residents.
15:48:53 And and taxpayers that I feel they should have access to us.
15:48:59 But there are other ways to accomplish that and I I you know.
15:49:01 I just learned I wasn't here friday, and I just learned that that of the decision that that the courthouse would need to be secured rather than just the courts.
15:49:11 And so, of course, my office is willing to work with everyone on whatever is best.
15:49:16 But again I do favor access over non access. Thanks, Jeff Mendy.
15:49:23 I see your hand up,
15:49:28 Good afternoon, everybody. one of my questions has to do with something that Kate just mentioned, and that was the analysis that was apparently done. I'm.
15:49:37 Not familiar with that analysis and i'm curious as to what the outcome of the analysis indicated.
15:49:45 Just briefly, because I know that there's other people who have their hands raised.
15:49:50 I would i'm in favor of one of 2 things either the security remaining where it is, or there being a secure security at every entrance.
15:50:00 I love the front doors of the courthouse it's absolutely amazing that we work in such a beautiful building.
15:50:07 However, I also think that other departments, including the commissioner's office, the auditors office, the treasures office also need to have the the protection provided through
security.
15:50:20 I think that those offices are just that as much at risk as the court rooms are.
15:50:28 Thanks, Judge Walker. stay seed. Is this a good time for you to
15:50:33 Give us a brief on that analysis that you are familiar with.
15:50:38 I think Mark could probably speak to it a little better than I could.
15:50:41 But yes, they they had been doing, you know, plans, or at least exploring what it would take to provide security for the courthouse.
15:50:55 And I just recall one of the options being building somewhat of a vestibule that was at that basement entrance that would allow security to be outside of, or at least be done
prior to the Commissioner's office.
15:51:13 And then so much as they also talked about fencing around the courthouse that would include the back parking lot.
15:51:23 I think you know. with Covid we ended up with you know.
15:51:27 Do the best we can with what we have, and that has been a good option having it down in the hallway.
15:51:36 So I think Mark was the one who was involved, or knew of the actual planning, and you know we knew it would cost a lot.
15:51:46 I think this the crux of it yeah some of the options. and it's it's been 5 years since I looked at that study.
15:51:52 But I do remember the the fencing idea wrought iron, and you know the cost of rod iron for the perimeter of the size of what we have here would be exorbitantly expensive, and
if we were to build a structure
15:52:10 on the East End outside the building you know we'd have to run power.
15:52:14 We'd have to run fiber we lose 2 88 parking positions there.
15:52:20 We'd lose the bike racks and and so because of the urgency of it, we went with the second floor screening option, and then, when Covid hit we modified it.
15:52:32 So we have what's currently in place but i'll dig up that study.
15:52:38 And and maybe i'll circulate it so people can read what's in it.
15:52:44 Touch harbor. I see your hand up
15:52:53 Yeah, Thank you. and Thanks for having this get together on this topic.
15:52:58 Briefly. It took a long time for everything to happen.
15:53:06 With courtroom and cordial security. Jill Landis, I know, was quite vocal about it.
15:53:10 Before I became a judge, and so I appreciate it.
15:53:15 I think she did, too, what was done a few years ago with getting some security.
15:53:21 But my my views basically are this: I strongly believe that there should only be one public access into the building and one public access entrance and one exit, as we have
now in the basement, I believe that screening should
15:53:39 be immediately at that inference obviously similar to what we're doing, whether we continue doing it in the basement like we are, or build an annex outside the handicapped inference
other than the cost, and so forth, doesn't make
15:53:55 any make any difference to me. The The advantage there also is there is handicapped access along with the screening
15:54:06 The front doors. I know the front of the building the front doors and all that are beautiful.
15:54:13 I don't see a practical way that we could utilize the front doors and have a secure courthouse.
15:54:20 The entry way and the way it's laid out and constructed compared to what's necessary down in the basement to do a proper screening activity.
15:54:29 I don't know how you could do that at the front door entrance, or any other entrance other than the handicapped inference like we're doing now.
15:54:40 The The court rule has been mentioned Gr: 36, and basically you know, like it or not that rule, and everything that went into that role.
15:54:53 In my view, established a standard of care that we really really have to adhere to.
15:55:00 In in my opinion, and that means security for the chords security for the entire courthouse.
15:55:05 And I said: I said this back when we were discussing this 5 years ago, or whatever it was.
15:55:13 My personal feeling is, the securities should be for the entire courthouse and all the employees and all the departments, and not just simply the course.
15:55:22 And when the decision was made to simply have equipment, and screening upstairs in front of the courtrooms, I understand that, from strictly a budgetary standpoint.
15:55:34 But to me that was a disappointing a disappointing option.
15:55:41 That ended up being present. It was certainly better than nothing but it's nothing like we have now, which I think is important, and as in the side, I mean, I understand that
the present system isn't very very convenient to the
15:55:59 commissioner's offices or to the administrative offices across the hall.
15:56:04 I don't know the answer to that other than placing the security, and so forth in an annex outside that door.
15:56:12 Because i'm not aware of any other inference that could accommodate the type of security of screening that we've had now for the last couple of years.
15:56:23 So those are my views of the present security group that's been contracting with us to do this I haven't followed it very closely.
15:56:34 They've always seemed to be pleasant as far as I know they've done their job.
15:56:39 So I don't I don't have any bones to pick with the existing group as far as that goes.
15:56:46 I think that's all I have thank you thank you Judge Harper Roseanne. I see your hand up, Roseanne Yup.
15:57:01 I can hear you , Okay, i'll keep this short cause I know it's been a long day for you guys.
15:57:05 This Roseanne Carol Jefferson County Auditor.
15:57:09 Signs do not seem to be a deterrent even with the signs and the screening.
15:57:16 The prohibited items, such as guns and knives, are still being found during the current one entry screening process, and I feel very strongly that the safety of all staff in
the building has to be our number one priority and I agree
15:57:30 with everything that I've heard that has been said so far thank you, Thank you, Roseanne Ruth.
15:57:37 I see your hand up thank you heidi i'm glad to hear a concurrence that the screening should remain downstairs and be a feature that all the department's benefit from I think
we live in
15:57:52 a time where unthinkable things are happening at such a rate that it's hard to know what the current norms of behavior are anymore, and the security plane that we did in 2,017
is probably somewhat out of date now
15:58:08 so. I I agree that we should probably consider to stay with the current contractor.
15:58:14 I i've had the opportunity to be downstairs screening jurors and and watch their work.
15:58:21 We're getting a lot more service from them downstairs than we got from them when they were upstairs, and had the significantly fewer people to screen and spend most of their
time on the phone, and seem to consider it a bother
15:58:34 to get off their phone and screen somebody and that's really changed by giving you more to do.
15:58:40 And They've risen to the challenge and most of the personalities that we had down there have been well suited to the job.
15:58:48 So I I don't see a reason to leave that agency.
15:58:54 I would suggest we might want to consider the exceptions to screening that have become the norm here in our county.
15:59:00 I mean from the beginning. Lawyers didn't want to be screened We don't screen employees.
15:59:05 We don't screen electives. We don't screen delivery people, and we don't just we don't screen the secretaries for attorneys. We don't we don't screen a lot of people and going
15:59:15 postal is a term that was coined with an employee.
15:59:20 What bizarre a former employee but still it's also happened with current employees, and all you have to do is put on a suitcase, and you're going to court.
15:59:30 You don't have to be a nonprofit They like they wave you through.
15:59:33 You've got a hand talk you're gonna get wave through.
15:59:37 So we might want to look at tightening up some of our practices.
15:59:39 But I do think that the contractor is fine, and I think staying downstairs is fine.
15:59:45 Maybe you might want to look at selling the equipment that's too big to put ups sit down scares.
15:59:51 Well it might still have some value and not be completely out of date.
15:59:54 Thanks, thanks, Ruth. I see your hand up, Stacey.
16:00:01 Thank you. I I appreciate the comments everyone's had and Won't repeat anything I will say you know, just generally reducing risk financially, and for human loss.
16:00:17 Is is important, and you know, self-insured, and all of that.
16:00:21 But on the comment about the 2 to 3 people I know when we went from nothing, you know, downstairs to having them downstairs.
16:00:30 I had heard some comments that were concerned that 3 people seem like a lot, and I don't know how you can.
16:00:40 I don't know an answer. that would allow sufficient staffing when it's needed that doesn't look like over staffing when it's not needed so I think that's just an inherent issue
for security I
16:00:56 also will say that I look out over the front of the Court house, and I have worked a lot of weekends, and there are a lot of visitors wandering the property and having weddings.
16:01:11 Picture photo Ops in the front garden on the stairs next to the treasurer's office on the
16:01:18 I think it's the west side of the building and so I would contend that without being able to walk through the front door, it is still an asset to the community, and a tourist
drop
16:01:36 Thank you, Stacey. Does anyone else have anything they'd like to. Oh, Brian, I see your hand up. so I would just like to point out that from the previous county I worked at
I did have a Judge that was attacked at
16:01:52 his home while I was there. Yes, it was off counting property, but it was a direct result of his actions in the courtroom.
16:01:59 That was something in him getting acid, throwing in his face.
16:02:03 I also live through the time when my building did not have security, being District Court in Superior Court did, and we frequently watched people come across the way, pick them
guns up and walk into my building and come into my courtroom which should not provide a very
16:02:20 safe feeling for any of us inside of it. So I highly would like that.
16:02:24 Everybody be protected because we all know that someone gets mad at Judge Walker and Harper.
16:02:31 They may not take it out on them or the court staff, but they could certainly walk down to the first floor and take it out on another elected official or staff member.
16:02:39 So we really need to have security. It needs to be able to be in one place.
16:02:44 We need to. Very have strong screen for weapons so we don't have an incident that could occur inside the courthouse like a Grace Harbor County.
16:02:53 Did, I think, in 2,010 or 2,012.
16:02:56 So. thank you. Thank you. Brian. I see hands going up on the attendee list, and i'm just gonna say again, if anyone else on the attendee list would like to make a comment.
16:03:07 Please raise your hand using the raise hand. button at the bottom of the zoom screen or by pressing star 9.
16:03:12 If you're on the phone and we'll bring you over in a minute, Kate, I see your hand up.
16:03:19 Yeah, Well, well, folks are considering public comment something i'm curious about, and I think we looked at this in the 2,017 report.
16:03:29 But I do think it's maybe time to revisit is an audit of you know how is our security.
16:03:37 You know we have like Ruth mentioned you know we've changed equipment because of size considerations given the the size of the basement.
16:03:47 And Jen's up camera but she might have some some thoughts on this, too.
16:03:50 But you know what is the are we? Are we prepared for the kinds of threats we could anticipate here. and you know I think those are us who sit in the first doors that one might
enter in the courthouse without anyone between us and them you
16:04:06 know. Maybe i'm more aware of it right now? that you know is our security equipped for an active shooter.
16:04:16 Are we protected at all in our 2 offices?
16:04:21 And again, I think to the question of and maybe because we hear the most. Why on earth are there 3 people sitting around on their phone all day? it's Yeah, I think those are
questions we we should be asking do we have the right.
16:04:32 Number of people? Do we have the right type of security, and is it Are they in the right place to actually be providing the the type of protection that we all need and deserve?
16:04:44 Then I see your hand up
16:04:50 Hi So I totally agree with what Kate had said.
16:04:54 You know we That was an issue before on the second floor with the phones, and you know, not having a whole lot of traffic come through.
16:05:01 I did just recently. give the security Guards and up it's not even an updated list, because it has been around since Trevor had been here.
16:05:12 Trevor Hansen, the chief civil deputy before me on who to be scared, and I noticed they were letting a lot of people through a lot of people that they knew they would come into
the building all the time, but they're
16:05:25 not county employees so hopefully that has been remedied and they're gonna start, even if we see you every single day.
16:05:33 You're not a county employee and you can't just come right through security.
16:05:37 But on a different note, i'm going to be attending a training that I believe some people in the building probably have had if's called Alice, and it's an active shooter where
I will be the trainer and I
16:05:53 will train people in the building on what to do if there's an active shooter situation.
16:05:59 And it it does stand for alert lockdown, inform counter, and evacuate.
16:06:05 So I will be attending that in July, so that could be something.
16:06:08 That I could offer people if they wanted to take that course with me.
16:06:16 That's I love being the chair because I wait till everyone else talks.
16:06:21 And then I was gonna say that I was gonna say I just pulled up the Alice website, and I did Alice training somewhere else. And I I've always thought that we should have that
training here in the courthouse especially now that we
16:06:31 have heightened sensitivity around what just happened last week.
16:06:37 And the Some of the news reports of some of the foibles that may have happened inside of that school.
16:06:45 Who knows what happened really, but just wanting us to be as prepared as we can be in case anything does ever happen in our building.
16:06:55 You know I I want it for me, and I want it for all of you.
16:06:58 I want us to all be informed enough to know how to be a good member of this team.
16:07:03 If somebody of crisis like that does happen in in the courthouse.
16:07:11 So if I could just say one more thing before. Yeah, Yeah.
16:07:15 On mute Every office has the little buttons that they do come to our office.
16:07:21 The it does work. Obviously, we haven't had a whole lot of you know.
16:07:25 Sometimes people push it on accident and it'll set our our pagers off, but they do work.
16:07:30 We are in the building. We are kind of the first response.
16:07:35 If you do have an issue with anybody, if you do have an irate person, and you want us to just come by.
16:07:40 Sometimes our presence just to be there, does help. So we are in the building.
16:07:46 We are watching the cameras. we are around so just to let everybody know that as well.
16:07:52 So, Brian Brian, do you want to say something else?
16:07:55 I saw you a message come from me at first. Yeah, I would just like to say that I would highly encourage the entire county. go through active shooter training.
16:08:05 We did that in Thurston County. multiple times including public defender's, office elections offices that were not on the main campus, just so that everyone could experience
it.
16:08:15 And we were graded, and then we got a fatality report at the end for the offices.
16:08:20 You would have I done partly, and it was quite shocking to find out how many of us, potentially based upon our actions, whether let us, through the shooting incident forward
of unfortunately been a casualty, so if we can
16:08:33 arrange something, and and even have, after hours training in the courthouse, or say they storm or Bcc.
16:08:41 Meeting, or they come in and do something like that at night.
16:08:44 I think our large meeting room should have some type of training that can be done with responding officers from all of our agencies.
16:08:53 Yeah, Stacey, I see your hand up Oh, you're muted still.
16:09:00 Yes, I I would like to thank Jennifer and the full team.
16:09:06 They are really nice to have in the courthouse and she just reminded me that we have not had to use that button since we've had security.
16:09:19 So I think, that's a okay really big tell when we did have to use it.
16:09:22 Periodically, and it was very upsetting and distressing to the office
16:09:34 Okay, So is there anyone else? I Don't know what we're trying to get to today?
16:09:39 We're not we're not trying to pass anything or vote anything.
16:09:43 We're just trying to have a discussion about this so i'm gonna say one more time to anyone on the in the attendee list.
16:09:51 If you're interested making public comment, use, the raise hand button but at the bottom of the screen or press Star 9. if you're on the phone to raise your hand and Jean Ball
will bring you over
16:10:04 I see your hand up,
16:10:14 Afternoon. Can you hear me? Yeah, We can hear you, Jean Val Quill Seen, I completely agree with all of the comments made today.
16:10:25 Security for the entire building is of but most important. I think that, considering the current unrest, it seems unwise to ignore these telltails, and we do so at our own peril.
16:10:39 The elections office, the judges chambers, the commissioners floor basement first 4, whatever you call it.
16:10:47 I think you know an outs of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and not only should visitors to the courthouse be screened, but I think employees should also go through those
metal detectors, You
16:11:04 never know I You know I like to think that we have reasonable people employed.
16:11:07 But have 10 histories in various places throughout the country people going, let's say, postal and I would hate to be accounting where that happens so to send everybody through
the metal detector I think is not
16:11:21 unreasonable I would like to see i'm not sure if you did this with the recent window upgrade. but I would like to see both proof windows and the entire first.
16:11:32 Floor. you guys are sitting ducks down there if somebody you know gets a hair across.
16:11:40 I'll i'll leave that last word too, as a frequent flyer to the courthouse.
16:11:44 I do not see the process burdensome as compared to the risk to staff.
16:11:50 I do not want to attend any of your funerals.
16:11:53 Certainly not from an incident that occurred while you were in office.
16:12:00 I think that taking this security issue seriously is is important, so I do hope that you will be able to accommodate these needs.
16:12:11 And yes, the front doors are beautiful, but they pale in comparison to the safety of our staff.
16:12:18 And if we think that the beauty is more important than the safety in retrospect when something goes wrong, we're really gonna be sorry about that decision.
16:12:26 So thank you for having this this discussion. Thanks, Jean. Is there anything else that anybody else wants to say?
16:12:37 We still have one merge at the item on our agenda today. we only have a few minutes left in our time together.
16:12:45 Thank you for all coming and sharing and being part of the conversation.
16:12:48 I see your end up, Kate: Yeah, just just lastly.
16:12:51 And I think a lot of these problems are somewhat inherent in combining administrative offices with our criminal justice.
16:13:01 And courts functions. And so, as this conversation is helpful to, as we think about, the long term needs
16:13:09 You know we anticipate meeting a new county building at some point whether that's their administration or for courts law, justice.
16:13:16 Something like that this these conversations will help inform that too and it's it's not over by any means.
16:13:24 I I would love to follow up with some of you about the idea of doing another safety audit.
16:13:29 And but i'm generally hearing a lot of consensus, which is great, which is what what we have is working.
16:13:34 But I think we'd like to get a little more data.
16:13:35 Make sure that we are indeed protecting ourselves adequately.
16:13:39 And and then consider investments as we need to move forward but it sounds like there's generally interested in keeping something very similar to what we have, which is cool.
16:13:46 Thank you. Great guys. How are you a finger to , I just say much, much more, Kate did it.
16:13:53 It sounds like we have a general consensus as to kind of proceeding with the Rfp.
16:13:58 As it was. But I guess Kate wants to wait a little bit longer, just to do a little bit more auditing. But I just appreciate everyone's perspective.
16:14:04 And you know. yeah, safety first I don't think we're gonna be able to pardon ourselves enough ever, you know.
16:14:11 I mean looking at the buffalo shooting and and you know there's there's just escalation that's happening everywhere, but doing everything we can to be safe and I really like
Stacy's comment about I forgot that I
16:14:22 had a little button I don't actually know where it is because that there has been a prevention is is you know, amounts of prevention worth the pound of care.
16:14:30 And I think that's that's true in this security conversation, too.
16:14:33 So. thank you everyone. it's under the coffee platform
16:14:39 Thanks. Everyone appreciate you all making time and thank you. So we have one more item in our agenda, and Carolyn will need to bring jail silver over
16:15:08 Sorry the candy list keeps changing and fluctuating it's hard to
16:15:23 Okay, Jell, are you there? , , and everyone boy, you all have done a ton of work today. I appreciate you all. i'm really impressed.
16:15:36 Thank you. i'm gonna make this really short you have materials to read from me.
16:15:41 You have seen presentations recently, as recently as March and last November, on the pulling together and restoration pro jobs and job pulling together jobs and restoration
and coastal resiliency.
16:15:54 Project, and we are going into our. We are in our fourth biennium. Going into our fifth biennium.
16:16:00 We have up to 26 employees, on the coast conducting invasive plant prevention and control that supports everyone's restoration, forests, rivers, agriculture, road projects,
etc., and we're really pleased to be able to work with
16:16:20 Tammy on the middle. Her resiliency plan project with Phil Robinson on Jefferson County roads.
16:16:25 Which are a model of week free road transportation corridors, because we work so closely together, and we just are committed to continuing to create the resiliency that native
plant communities need to be able to
16:16:40 provide their services, the resource and the natural resource industries that rely on them, and I welcome your support.
16:16:52 I appreciate all this i've had all these years, and we would like a letter of support that could could include the a letter of local support and and a local support, document,
and I believe you have a draft for review
16:17:09 there could be some updates to that that I believe.
16:17:14 Julie Shannon has. So if you are so inclined to continue supporting 1 point, 4 million dollars out of wicked through our Co.
16:17:27 For invasive species, not just in Jefferson County, but but the majority is there, and I can share.
16:17:35 Share my screen for just one short blast through to show you some images from Jefferson County.
16:17:41 And let's see from the current it's do I need to have it up in prism on the ninth, which is So if we're gonna we're gonna consider additions, or changes to that
16:17:58 letter, and that needs to be done today. cause we're that meeting again before the night It hasn't been it hasn't been changed. It has been words met so just it's It's a it's
Yes,
16:18:10 But yes, so this is. This is West Jefferson County.
16:18:13 This is the Upper Quinnall. We work on reed canary grass, or Robert not weed and Scotch room.
16:18:19 In this Scotchroom is really bad for forest and rivers, and, as you all can tell right now, it is terrible.
16:18:24 And so many thousands of seeds lasting 80 years it's never ending.
16:18:30 And there's a lot of job opportunities in it re canary graphs.
16:18:34 Similarly. and these this is a map of all the Sites that we've been working on, and for Jefferson County.
16:18:41 We've got the upper quinult we've got the lower queues.
16:18:45 We've got the snaphot and clear water we've got highway 101 the entire hoe corridor.
16:18:50 Goodman Creek, and up, up, up, on the whole corner, and then up unde road into the upper upper bogus.
16:18:58 Shel. and so we're just covering a lot of ground in Jefferson County, and i'm really proud of the 225 acres of Scotch room.
16:19:07 We did last year, and unfortunately we're redoing them all this year.
16:19:11 But that's just the way it goes We're stopping seeds as much as we can, and we So the county projects that you see here in boxes. You can see the county line here's Jefferson
County line
16:19:22 Jefferson County line, and As you know, we know no boundaries, so they just keep going over everything.
16:19:29 And Tammy presented really nicely on the linear project in the middle her resiliency plan.
16:19:35 This is Fletcher Ranch this is the mouth of Owl Creek.
16:19:38 There's a project in El Creek There are projects here.
16:19:41 This is Spruce Creek. This is the problem Area for the spring Where Spruce Creek is.
16:19:47 The road is is failing, and the deep-seated landslide is here, and this is Canyon creek
16:19:52 And so melting glaciers, lots of settlement, lots of rain, lots of river instability.
16:19:58 And lots of Scotch room in mind, going out to 2 roads and to harvest units, and then to rivers
16:20:08 And so I just i'm gonna send a new link to this presentation.
16:20:13 I'm not going to make you all sit through anything else this today, other than maybe just going through the images really fast.
16:20:19 But I want you to gap that scotch room is a wildfire hazard, and it reduces carbon sequestration. and it's a circular impact, not just 2 rivers but also to forests.
16:20:35 So we cover a lot of ground and we're working in in West Jefferson County.
16:20:39 You know the rivers are just crazy active and and glacial melt is is affecting that, and so there's just a lot of projects that we're covering, and a lot of support.
16:20:49 We're giving to a lot of different partners from the state to the Feds to the camera's to private industry and tribes.
16:20:58 And so we're, gonna be doing we did a reconary grass methods, protocol, and we're going to be doing scratch room next, and we'll share that with everyone.
16:21:04 Okay, that's the south shore road and that's Fletcher ranch and lots of folks working at Baker Bar on the Ho.
16:21:15 All of the pictures in here are in West Jefferson County.
16:21:18 The forest there is in the queues and so i'm done.
16:21:23 I just wanted to keep you some beautiful images to go out on and know that there are folks pulling together for for everybody to succeed.
16:21:34 And thank you so much if you would consider a letter of support.
16:21:37 Thanks, Jel. Did Kate or Greg, do you have questions?
16:21:41 And you know a common or 2 i'm glad that you flip through the the slides quickly was black and white in the agenda. and it's much more impactful here an updated link so we can
update it
16:21:53 to anyone that that follows I often go back to them too It's I appreciate it, Kate's question to tammy earlier about whether this this support is in conflict at all and it sounds
16:22:05 with the other and it's sounds like no and i'm absolutely. I love having you over there working for the the public benefit and the ecological benefit.
16:22:15 So i'm I you yeah no no problem. here i'm happy to send the letter, and I don't see any problems with the the draft that we have in our pack.
16:22:23 So are you guys? Okay, with the slightly words, me looking at the slightly words Smith, copy and getting that on letterhead for us to sign this week.
16:22:33 Or do you want to look at that, or do we want to just send this letter?
16:22:40 Those are the 3 options we have. Yeah, I think it would need to just be script those errors and like, we have to approve language.
16:22:48 So it it shouldn't be anything other than minor edits if it's going to be changed from the one in the packet, so is it.
16:22:56 Minor edits, there was nothing else changed. Do you happen to have a version of that show that we could look at?
16:23:09 Because if so we could send it to to Julie and Commissioner Eisenhower, I meant actually to be able to put up on the screen Yeah, I'm: so sorry I haven't I have it.
16:23:21 I can share. Oh, okay, thank you. . I could pay them .
16:23:28 It might be up on my screen. Now, i'm not sure I think it's there now, right you see it Okay, i'm gonna make it bigger.
16:23:40 Thank you.
16:24:04 Let me know when you're done so I can scroll for you
16:24:24 You done, Kate we're almost there
16:24:38 I I will move to approve the letter as presented today.
16:24:41 I'll Sec. Oh, Oh, third, no all in favor Okay, We'll get that letter out, Jell.
16:24:51 Thank you so much, , looking forward to seeing you out here whenever you can make it.
16:24:57 Good night. Good night, thank you. So that happened really quick.
16:25:03 Did Greg second that, or did Heidi end up?
16:25:05 Greg did I was just trying to second, something for once trying to get out of here by 4 30, cause our clerk says we have to.
16:25:18 We're virtual now, so So Oh, I did that we could go all night
16:25:30 Is there anything else that you guys any additional agenda items that you had, that you wanted to bring us today? Gregor?
16:25:39 Kate, can I give you my Co: 2 update for the day?
16:25:42 Yeah, I have my little Co. 2 monitor in here and Of course we're all in our offices, and I had my window closed for most of the day, and during the talk about burn band.
16:25:54 I was getting so tired I was really struggling, and I looked in.
16:25:58 My Co. 2 with over 2,000 parts per 1 million so I opened my window and back down to under 500, and I'm feeling much better.
16:26:07 But just for anyone out there, if you closed up in a small office, open that window makes a huge difference.
16:26:18 Any anything else, Marker Kate, that you just scheduling wise.
16:26:26 I have a couple of conflicts I mentioned. The 20 first is going to be hard for me.
16:26:32 I have a long plan trip, and didn't get the our because of June team that we were meeting that day in my calendar in time.
16:26:41 So. I it's gonna be hard for me to join really at all on that day.
16:26:46 And i'm sorry about that and we did shorten the meeting that day, because we also have a transit authority board meeting that afternoon.
16:26:54 So. we're only going until 3 that day. and transit from 3 to 5 that day i'll be able to join by phone, maybe the first couple of hours. so but I I apologize for the
16:27:09 conflict. and then but just be good to know i'm.
16:27:15 I am not available that that same conflict that Saturday that the 20 fifth, which is when the cry festival, is, I will be at hoopfest in Spokane.
16:27:26 That's a big deal and basketball family so I I am not able to attend that. and Heidi, wondering if you are great, said he's not available that day.
16:27:36 But it's good to let pride know if if Okay,
16:27:44 So hopefully. Somebody from the city will be able. to be there and Maybe we could see if there's anyone else interested from the county. but it is our proclamation so well i'll
see if I can Jigger my my
16:27:57 schedule around, but I have that day currently out of the county
16:28:06 Who best is like Mecca so like can't get out of that I've never heard it who tests before.
16:28:12 What is the biggest street ball festival in the world, I think, and it just happens to be in Spokane, and people come from all over the West, the Us.
16:28:23 To play 3 and 3 in the streets. and so we have a couple of youth teams going.
16:28:29 My daughter included but it's it's a big deal, now like that.
16:28:37 Tens of thousands of people descendants spoken for this I I don't.
16:28:40 I don't know the exact number. but it is massive Wow, Mark, I saw your hand go up.
16:28:46 Yeah, I just wanted to remind you, commissioners, that i'm out next week I I picked my daughter and my 4 grandchildren up at the airport on Monday, and so i'll be back on the
20 first.
16:28:57 So Heidi, you'll be reviewing the agenda with Monty that week for the 20 first this week next week to 17.
16:29:09 Yeah, Okay, I will send that to monty working 50 Yeah. that that'll be the sixteenth of June.
16:29:21 Thursday. Yeah, and i'll ping him this week just to remind him.
16:29:29 And I think the calendar in the our agenda packet this week.
16:29:36 Had my the dates I'm gone one this week so I have a periodic partnership leadership council meeting, and Everett on Wednesday and Thursday.
16:29:45 So I've got those 2 days and then you guys are gone at the timber Thursday and Friday offices.
16:29:55 Oh, darn yeah,
16:30:02 Okay, 30, anything else, anything else, any last minute. Okay, Okay, Well, let's adjourn for today.