HomeMy WebLinkAbout022525 email - Upper Hoh RdALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Good morning Commissioners,
Thank you for hosting the Monday meeting yesterday, where we were able to explain the multitude of perspectives as to how the Hoh Road closure impacts so many families and businesses.
I also appreciate the update call I received this morning from Greg, regarding the March 10th meeting with Olympic National Park to discuss the road. I forgot to ask, is this meeting
open to the public?
The following bullet points have come up over the day, after experiencing the meeting.
-There is large, modern digital sign on the Upper Hoh road currently. Located at the 5.5 mile point near the Jefferson County Rd works shop. The sign reads that “no public access.
Road closed. Local businesses open”. Hoh Valley Cabins and Hard Rain Café are beyond the 5.5 mile mark. We feel that the sign gives our registered guests and potential customers
doubts about whether they are even allowed to proceed past the signs. Knowing that the road closure is another 3.5 past this sign we would like to request that the sign at the county
shop be moved to not unnecessarily alarm potential customers. The sign at the junction should also be changed to inform the public that the road is open 8 miles. No public access is
so strongly worded that the general public feels they are breaking the law by venturing past the sign. We would like to have it moved to the turnaround before Rock Creek, mile 6.5 approximately.
-Additionally, these signs seem very expensive. The cost of two stop lights for a temporary road should be quite comparable to one of these signs. Half the stoplight budget would be
quickly covered.
-Stoplight budget. Hoh Valley Cabins, Hard Rain Café and Peak 6 would like to respond to Greg’s estimate that the stoplights would be a major financial hurdle to getting the temporary
road working. If the money needed for the stoplights are what is stopping the temporary fix from getting done we would enter into an agreement where we would donate $10,000 ($3,333
each) from our businesses in return for opening of the road within a week of the receipt of the donation.
-We desperately need to get our season started. Getting the temporary fix in place in the month of March is key to having an intact tourist season.
-The Park has expressed the temporary fix is their favored answer. In informal conversation today the Park employees we have contact with do not want to wait for a large permanent fix.
-New information: With the higher river level it has been observed that the Spruce Creek bridge’s upriver riprap is experiencing erosion, the soft soil after the washout site and before
the rip rap needs attention. Neglecting to re-inforce this area with rock will cause the scope of this project to change exponentially. Doing nothing to stop road and bridge erosion
is negligent behavior toward our road resource.
-What stage is permitting at for this project? Have permits even been filed? Knowing this is a long process that will need the blessing of multiple agencies, we need permits to be
kicked off. Do not wait for April to begin the process, it will cause significant issues if the work is done in May. Traffic will be a nightmare, and two full months of our tourist
season will be lost.
-Don’t let the pr message for the 2025 season be “sorry we’re closed” tourists plan well in advance for accommodations and activities. They need to hear that the road has been reopened
in the Spring in order to have confidence in their summer travel plans.
-To further explain the contribution that our businesses make to the Hoh Valley (Jefferson County) we supply garbage and bathroom facilities to keep the Upper Hoh Road from turning into
a sanitation disaster. Between the 3 businesses we have up to 7 porta-potties offered to visitors, 2 dumpsters, and up to 6 trash cans these are emptied weekly at no cost to the county.
Instead of having to pay for a rest stop and deal with the dirtier side of tourism we have chosen to use our own profits to fund it. So in addition to sales tax and property tax our
county benefits from community service that has gone unnoticed, and taken for granted.
-Are the county commissioners aware that the Park’s draw for the public isn’t the visitor center. Greg showed concern that the Park wouldn’t be ready to re-open its visitor center on
short notice. It should be noted that it is closed all winter and re-opened on a weekend basis in the shoulder season. It’s only 9-5 7 days a week during the Memorial Day to Labor
Day period. The Park is ready to accept visitors immediately.
Thank you for allowing me to share this important detailed information with you all. The two minute time limit made expressing the finer details of the situation very difficult.
Best regards,
Anna Matsche and family
AAQEBGq6oqPioAAFhCLAAAWEIuAADAQTAAAMBBSAAAkEFKAACQQQANZgBpAG4AZQByACAAZABlAHQAYQBpAGwAcwDHCuJmIcHNFBAHIbAiAACAPzIAAJBBAgAAAEASAACAPxZ3Oxg7FABAV0QaAABURBx9Inw/HgAAVEQgfSJ8PyIAADBBJMRRUTwmAAAwQSjEUVE87
gEAAIA/NAAAgD82OY5jPTgAAHBBOlVVVT88AABwQT5VVVU/QAAAAEBCOY7jPUQAAABARjmO4z0qAACwQSwAALBBLgAAoEAwAACgQEgAAABBSgAAAEFMAACgQE4AAKBAAAA=",
"@type": "KeyPhraseExtraction",
"@context": "http://schema.microsoft.com",
"@EntityId": "18a83d00-7640-490e-9a2b-a0b7c1584464",
"@extractionTimeUtc": "2025-02-26T03:17:53.9146785Z"
}
]