Minutes of the August 18, 1997 General Meeting of the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council 1 1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30PM, Craig Beles presiding. 2. The Treasurer reported balances of $84.93 checking, $2,459.01 savings. 3. The Board presented Anne Woodward for ratification as a new Board member. The Council voted to approve the nomination by voice vote. 4. Sen. Mike Heavey presented information on the proposed use of the Maury Island gravel pit to provide the fill needed for the third runway at SeaTac. a) The runway is expected to need 23 million cubic yards of fill, roughly the size of Capitol Hill. b) The Maury Island gravel pit has a permitted capacity of about 75 million yards in 400 acres around Gold Beach. c) Current use at the pit is around 15,000 yards/year, so the runway would need a massive increase in work at the pit, estimated to mean 18 hour/day operation, heavy barge traffic, etc. d) Heavey suggests amending the Comprehensive Plan to designate the pit as a "critical area" for aquifer recharge and other reasons. 5. The Public Safety Committee reported it is investigating possible locations for bicycle racks around the island and in the town of Vashon, since most places have no provision for bicycle parking. Also reported, a small turnout at the latest sex offender notification meeting held by the County police. 6. The Outreach Committee is looking for new members. 7. The Land Use Committee had numerous updates: a) The effort to repeal the Community Plan in updates of the Comprehensive Plan has been stopped for now. b) The Motion for re-opening the study for the North End sewage plan has been amended to address concerns about the original motion. i) The new motion was presented by Douglas Mesney and Hita Johnson, and seconded by Sharon Nelson. c) Misty Isle Farms has applied to draw additional water for irrigation, prompting concern for Burton Water Co. resources, and possible nitrate contamination of groundwater. d) Nextel has agreed to move its new monopole in Dockton to address neighbors' concerns, and to provide additional screening. e) The Telecom Ordinance is still on hold. f) The appeal of the Sprint monopole permit was decided in favor of Sprint. The neighborhood is appealing to Superior Court. g) Ron Sims has proposed creation of a rural forestry commission to address forestry in unincorporated King County. 8. The Motion to demand restoration of phone service to the ferry system was brought forward for debate. a) Numerous people noted that the centralized phone system is essentially worthless for getting updates on the status of the Vashon-Fauntleroy run, noting that it reported the system to be running on time during long delays and was unable to provide information on current backups. b) No one supported the new system or reported satisfactory use of it. c) The Motion was put to a vote and passed. i) Aye 72 Nay 0 Inappropriate 0 Abstain 3 9. The Motion to study the restoration of natural tidal flows at Portage was brought forward for debate. a) The Motion does not call for immediate restoration of the filled-in channel, but for study of the proposal by the County. This will include addressing concerns of erosion and other possible side-effects as well as determining the size of channel needed and the best method of opening it. The proposal would only go forward if the County's study found it feasible. b) The Motion was put to a vote and passed. i) Aye 75 Nay 0 Inappropriate 0 Abstain 1 10. The Motion to request a waiver of appeals fees for the Community Council was brought forward for debate. a) The County has made Unincorporated Area Community Councils a part of the process for reviewing land use decisions in unincorporated areas, but routinely fails to provide timely notice of many actions. As a result, the Community Council often cannot take any action until the initial decision has been taken, leaving the options of doing nothing or appealing. At present the cost of appeals is often borne by committee members. b) The decision to appeal is not taken lightly. There is considerable work related to an appeal, and Council members are not paid. c) The Council may override the Board if the Board approves and appeal that the majority of Council members do not support. Board members are also subject to recall if they offend a majority of Council members. d) The Motion was put to a vote and passed. i) Aye 65 Nay 12 Inappropriate 1 Abstain 4 11. The Motion to support the new driving range at the Vashon Golf & Country Club was brought forward for debate. a) The use of the property is an acceptable accessory use under County regulations. b) The Club has a good record on minimizing use of pesticides and fertilizers, and continues to work on this issue. c) The Motion was put to a vote and passed. i) Aye 74 Nay 3 Inappropriate 0 Abstain 5 12. David Vogel presented an emergency Motion for the Community Council to join, without liability, the appeal of the Sprint monopole permit decision. a) The appeal is proceeding to court, and wide community support is needed. b) The decision fails to address issues legally required in the permit process, and provides a precedent effectively declaring industrial facilities appropriate in any rural neighborhood. c) The Community Council would not be assuming any financial liability by joining the appeal. d) The request for emergency consideration was put to votes of the Board and Council and approved. i) Board: Aye 9 Nay 0 Abstain 0 ii) Council: Aye 33 Nay 0 Abstain 1 e) The Motion was put to a vote and passed. i) Aye 37 Nay 0 Inappropriate 0 Abstain 0 13. A new Motion was presented requesting the County to publish all legal notices affecting Vashon and Maury Islands in the only local newspaper, the Beachcomber. 14. Sharon Nelson proposed creation of a committee to investigate critical area designation for the Maury Island gravel pit. The Board concurred in creation of the Committee, effective immediately. Under rules of order, Sharon Nelson, as the proponent for the committee's creation, is the chair of the new committee. Contact her for information, 463-5296.