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Water board votes down Point-wide sewer system

by Meg Olson

Through a combination of badgering and cajoling water commissioner Art Wilkowski squeezed a unanimous resolution out of the district board that precludes a single sewer system for all of Point Roberts any time soon.

Commissioners started their August 13 meeting by quietly adopting the final draft of the district’s new sewer comprehensive plan, including the conclusion by district engineers that sewering the whole Point, the third of three options described, was not feasible now. The plan also described option two, a system serving the commercial core that engineers found more feasible, and option one described the current situation, with on-site septics and privately owned larger systems serving wastewater needs. “At least we can get the ball rolling now and do our obligatory things,” said commission chairman Madeleine Anderson, adding the approval was a prerequisite of county and state approval for the plan.

Wilkowski wanted a stronger statement. “I think one of those options we can have a resolution on tonight,” he said. “How many people read the plan?” He proposed a resolution declaring the district “will not be pursuing option three at this time,” which was reluctantly seconded by Anderson. “Why do you feel it’s important to make a statement at this time?” she asked. “Do you guys just want to sit on your hands?” Wilkowski replied. “People are very concerned that for some reason we’ll be putting sewers down their roads.” Commissioner Lorne Nielson had no comment but also supported the resolution. While commissioners were not ready to take an active role, they did say they had a duty to respond to any petition from property owners in an area to form a local improvement district (LID) through which a sewer system for that area could be developed. “The marina did it, the golf course is doing it, if they want to, the people in Bell’s Grove or Maple Beach can do it,” pointed out audience member Don Meikle. If the owners of more than half the property in a given area petition the district to form a sewer LID and an opposing petition is not filed by owners of 60 percent of property valuation, the district is required to proceed with plans for a sewer system for that area. The cost of the system is borne by property owners through assessments, which cannot legally exceed the benefit to the property.

Wilkowski also questioned the legitimacy of the Point Roberts Economic Development Committee (EDC) and proposed that the water district withdraw from the organization. “As near as I can determine it’s an organization without bylaws. It doesn’t have a legal mandate. Its power comes solely from its members participation,” he said.

Working with the chamber of commerce, the Port of Bellingham put together the EDC to serve as a steering committee in the development of the November 1999 Point Roberts Economic Development Plan. The group stayed together to pursue some of the plan’s goals, with support from the port. Its task groups include those pursuing trail and pier development, and an infrastructure task group (ITG), which has focused on sewer planning. The EDC meetings are not open to the public.

“I believe sewers should be discussed in this room, at this meeting time,” Wilkowski said. “If someone has thoughts and ideas it should be done in the open. Decisions need to made here by this board in full view of the public.” The core of Wilkowski’s unease came from members of the ITG taking it upon themselves to apply for sewer planning grants, such as the one used to fund the recent comprehensive plan, without water district knowledge or approval. “There may be a misconception by some people outside of Point Roberts that they represent water district policy and objectives,” he said. “That’s kind of what happened,” Anderson agreed, referring to the ITG pursuing grant funding for a sewer facilities plan without first informing commissioners. At the June 17 county council meeting there were questions from audience and council members about an application from that group for inclusion on the county’s list of priorities for state and federal funding. While the project’s application to the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Team lists the applicant as the chamber of commerce, the contact, David Niles, is not a member of that organization. The application also lists the population of Point Roberts as 4,500, more than 3,000 over the last census count. “Evidence indicates that someone has misrepresented the facts,” said council member Sam Crawford at the 5meeting.

Lorne Nielson agreed that the ITG’s legitimacy, role and relationship with the water district needed clarification, but would not support withdrawing from the EDC. “This group is made up of representation from all the major groups in Point Roberts dealing with issues that affect us. It’s good to be there,” he said, agreeing to write a letter to the EDC and the chamber asking for information. Anderson supported Nielson and Wilkowski’s motion to withdraw from the EDC failed.

Wilkowski had more success getting fellow commissioners’ support for a proposal to ask the county to monitor groundwater and ocean water near the Point for potential pollution from leaking septic fields.

“There are people who have made the statement that we need sewers to stop water contamination,” he said. “I haven’t seen any real evidence of that. The county takes a lot of money out of this community for groundwater protection. If there is a problem people want to know about it and get it fixed. If there isn’t a problem, then there isn’t a problem.”

The vote by the three commissioners was unanimous to request the county health department or another appropriate agency to develop a monitoring program for local ground and ocean water, but Nielson was emphatic that monitoring groundwater was not the water district’s mandate. “We’re not going to start monitoring people’s septics,” he said.

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