INSIDE

Let our water flow, cry property owners

By Meg Olson

A group of local property owners is urging the local water district to do something that will allow them to see a light at the end of the tunnel for their building plans. On the advice of their legal counsel commissioners stood fast. They won’t be doing anything without an approved revised comprehensive plan in place.

At the February 8 meeting of the water district commissioners Point Roberts resident Karin Pruss asked that commissioners issue water connections to the 36 properties on a list of “single-family residential permits waiting for water verification in Point Roberts,” that she received from Whatcom County Planning and Develop-ment Services.
“It is high time the board revert back to their original proposal when they first put the moratorium in effect – which was if an individual already had a development application submitted to Whatcom County they would accept an application for water hookup,” Pruss said. “We know that it is within your power to change your decisions and at any time issue water meters if you so decide. We believe these steps need to be taken regardless of the advice of your lawyers.”

Lorne Nielson, owner of the local building center and former water commissioner, also asked if conditions could be found under which a limited release of connections would be possible. “It would take the pressure off,” Nielson said. “It would keep the contractors busy and people with permits, ready to build, could get moving.”

Nielson said that sales at his store are down 40 percent from this time last year. Several local contractors are either relocating to or commuting to Blaine. “It’s a huge deal from an economic view,” he said. “When this started everyone kept busy but by now things have just come to a screeching halt.” The water moratorium was put in place in July 2005 and has been extended to July 2007.

“Clearly the moratorium is regrettable,” said water district attorney John Milne in a conference call to respond to Pruss and other concerned audience members. However, he said issuing water connections to a select group had legal and logistical risks. “How do you put that in a box and keep it in a box? Can’t someone go down tomorrow and join this group?” he asked.

County building official Sam Ryan said the county would keep taking applications from Point Roberts but they were clear with applicants that no permit would be issued until a certificate of water availability was issued by the water district and approved by the county health department. “We have had a number of requests for extensions from people who thought the situation would be resolved and it hasn’t been,” she said.

District manager Dan Bourks later researched the list Pruss submitted and found that of the 36 applications Ryan confirmed were on hold waiting for water verification at the county only 14 did not already have water meters. At the district office Michelle Starrs confirmed that more than half on the list already had account numbers and would be issued certificates of availability if they asked for them.

Milne said the district needed a comprehensive plan approved by the state that officially established exactly how many connections could be allocated.

“The district was required to have an updated comprehensive plan by January 31 and the district did not fulfill that condition,” Milne said. “It would be imprudent to lead people to believe they can have connections that are not fully vested.” A letter from the state department of health dated February 8 gave the district until March 31 to get their overdue plan in and the district has since received that plan from engineers and is ready to send it in for revisions and final submittal.

Commissioner Madeleine Anderson asked if there was an expedited process for state review, and was told there was not. “No Nexus lane…,” she lamented.

Milne qualified the number of connections the state was giving approval for at this time, 2,212, as dependent on the approval of the comprehensive plan. “These are conditional service connections. They are subject to approval by the health department.”

Another one of Pruss’ suggestions that Milne disagreed with was that the district should start taking applications for service with no priority in an effort to know what the demand was. “The people that rush to get on the list feel that by being high on the list somehow gives them priority,” he said.

Pruss disagrees and, along with other property owners, is asking people who want to build to contact her. She plans to build a list of people who want water. “I know it’s a difficult and subjective process to determine who gets water but unless we know the demand how do we know there’s a need for something like a lottery?” she said.

Nielsen also supports getting a better idea of what the need for water connections is, and wants to hasten a solution for people like Pruss and her family, who have been working for two years to build a new home. “There are lots of meters out there people aren’t using. There’s lots of water there,” he said. “I’m sure lots of the grief the district is hearing is from so few people waiting to build. Maybe less than 20.”