Minutes of the 4/21/97 General Meeting of the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council 1 1. The meeting was called to order at 7:35PM, Craig Beles presiding. 2. The treasurer was present but the Treasurer's Report was not. 3. There were several Announcements of general interest: a) The Ferry Advisory Committee will meet 4/22/97 at VHS. b) Ron Sims has asked the Community Council to send a representative to a meeting on the needs of Unincorporated Area Councils. c) The Vashon Island Growers' Association booth in Vashon is open again for the summer. 4. The president recognized attending guests including Councilman Greg Nickels, Tom Fitzpatrick of DDES, Leonard Garfield of KC Arts, and Karen Ko. 5. Two Community Council Committees had reports to make. a) The Land Use Committee updated the status of several issues. i) The Tahlequah Y monopole permit appeal pre-hearing will be held April 29. ii) The county is working on revision and elimination of P- suffix zoning to simplify the zoning code and remove redundant requirements. iii) The KC Charter Review Commission will be discussed at the Citizen Participation Initiative meeting. b) The Safety Committee reported on the creation of a bicycle safety program at CES to teach proper bike handling skills, traffic rules, etc. 6. Tom Fitzpatrick of DDES presented a summary of proposed changes to the Community Plan under the annual review of the consistency of local plans with the County Comprehensive Plan. a) Under the proposed revisions, most of the Community Plan's policies would be simply repealed. b) Many instances were shown where the supposed conflict or redundancy requiring repeal of Community Plan Policies was not in fact a conflict or redundancy. i) This is to be expected early in the process, as the proposals were generated by staff unfamiliar with the Island. ii) Islanders wishing to comment on the proposals should contact Tom Fitzpatrick at DDES. His email address is Tom.Fitzpatrick@metrokc.gov 7. Laura Bienen's Motion to endorse proposed island-specific forestry regulations was brought forward for debate. a) Some island-specific regulations already exist, but their inadequacy has prompted concern on numerous islands in the Sound. b) The proposed regulations are a joint effort of numerous islands' citizens. c) Specific proposals include: i) On-site posting of forestry permits. ii) One-year replanting requirements in place of existing three- year requirements, to simplify enforcement, improve forest regrowth, and reduce erosion. iii) A switch from 40-acre clearcut limits to 2.5 acre patch clearing, with multiple 2.5 acre patches allowed on a site under the same permit. iv) A new requirement that permit applications be complete and accurate when filed. v) A requirement that loggers with a history of violations post bonds before operating on islands. vi) Official recognition of the sensitivity of sole-source aquifers. d) Several questions were raised about the economic impact of these proposals: will raising the cost of logging make small-lot forestry uneconomic, forcing small land owners out of forestry and leading to conversion of their land to non-forest uses? Others have discussed the proposals with loggers who say they would not have such a dramatic impact. e) The question was called and the motion passed, 125 Aye, 5 Nay, 6 Abstain, 1 Inappropriate. 8. Leonard Garfield addressed the issue of the Harrington Log House move, restoration, and grant. a) The Landmark Restoration Program was advertised to all owners of landmarked properties in the County, including many on Vashon. In exchange for the grants, the program requires deed restrictions enforcing preservation of the landmarked structure, a preservation agreement mandating 1 year of maintenance for each $1,000 granted, and negotiated public access to the restored landmark. b) Moving the Harrington Log House is essential to restoring it, as its current location just a few feet from the property line makes it essentially unusable, and unused properties are not economic for private owners to restore and maintain. c) The proposed restoration and move has been subject to thorough review by the Landmarks commission and complies with all their preservation rules. d) Mary Matthews reiterated her objections to the proposal. i) Moving historic structures is inappropriate. ii) The house is to be modernized, not just restored. iii) There are many other landmark properties on the island more deserving of funding, such as the Pt. Robinson Lighthouse complex, now leased to the island parks district. e) Kurt Timmermeister, the owner of the house, noted that he had applied for the grant because the program was specifically advertised to private owners of landmarks, he has complied with all the requirements of the program, and only his project, the very last grant to be approved, has been subject to these objections. He also noted that he had previously negotiated an agreement with Mary Matthews, which she and her organization failed to act on. He does not have the money to complete the project on his own and does not want to sell the property, so if the grant is not issued the restoration will probably not go forward. f) The Motion to request the County Council to reallocate the grant money to restoration work at the Light House was put to a vote and failed. 44 Aye, 52 Nay, 4 Abstain, 3 Inappropriate. 9. Jake Jacobovitch introduced two new Motions for the adoption of Community Council policy documents. 10. Mark Salkind introduced a Motion to endorse the schools' new bicycle safety program. 11. There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned.