Community Plan - 2/24/08

The following email was sent out to members of the Illahee Community Plan Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) and is provided for your information:

This is a reminder of tomorrow's "2008 Illahee Community Plan Update Open House & Community Planning Process Kick-Off" meeting on Monday, February 25th, at the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church on Perry Ave from 6-8 pm.

Kitsap County is taking over the public process of updating the Illahee Community Plan. The county will be working with the Illahee Community and will likely establish a new Citizens Advisory Group. We would like to encourage as many of you as possible to stay involved and see it to its completion, which we hope will be early in 2008.

It has been a long wait since the initial draft was finished on 7/5/06. We've completed two more drafts and feel the Plan has gotten much better. We modeled our Plan after the Manchester Plan, which was updated in 2007, and so we hope to learn some lessons from them. We are fortunate to have as our planner the person who did the Manchester Plan Update, Katrina Knutson.

Whether you decide to continue or not, it has been great working with you. We regret we can't acknowledge everyone as we don't have records of all who worked on all the different sections or chapters or those who made all the different suggestions or edits. We also had others help who did not want to be a member of the CAG and we aren't able to thank most of them because they aren't on the CAG list.

Let us leave you with some statistics. When we wondered if the community was interested in developing a community plan we distributed approximately 1000 questionnaires and we were amazed that nearly 250 people sent in a response, with 234 saying they wanted to develop a Plan. Moreover, many volunteered to be on the CAG, which eventually numbered over 100.

We need to admit that we were not able to keep our communications with such a big group. We tried to put out update letters to those who didn't have email, and eventually ran out of time and energy. We then decided to communicate only to those with email. We also did not call to keep track of all the emails when people changed providers. We felt we did good until mid 2006 and when things dragged on we didn't keep up. We now send out community updates (blind copies) to over 250 email addresses and now have 23 that come back undeliverable.

Thank you for all your efforts and for a great beginning draft of the Illahee Community Plan! We hope you can help with this final effort and we will see you Monday!

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

News Items - 2/20/08

New Parking Lot Plans for Illahee Preserve - The Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department has developed preliminary drawings for a new parking lot and entry into the Illahee Preserve near the intersection of Almira and Fuson. The Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee reviewed and approved the plans Tuesday evening and the plans were then presented to the East Bremerton Rotary on Wednesday. (The Rotary group has expressed an interest in helping the Preserve with its entrances and contributed significantly to the Thompson Lane entrance along with their ongoing trail work.) As we understand it, Phase 1, the new parking lot is planned for 2008, followed by a Phase 2 restroom facility, hopefully in 2009.

Updated Illahee Community Plan on Community and County Websites - The February 2008 version of the Plan is on both websites now and only needs to have figure 3.1 replaced with a corrected map, which will soon be posted on the Illahee community website, in order for it to agree with the text. Note that this Plan update was developed by the CAG and has not been approved by the county. This version will be the starting point for coming up with a plan acceptable to both the residents and Kitsap County.  Community Plan on IllaheeCommunity.com

Community Meeting on Monday (2/25/08) Evening - This is the meeting announced by Kitsap County by postcards to all Illahee residents. The meeting will be Monday evening from 6-8 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church on Perry Ave. We hope all of you can make it to this important meeting to hear about the county process and meet our Planner, Katrina Knutson and the DCD Director, Larry Keaton.

Illahee Community Club (ICC) Meeting Saturday - This meeting is the quarterly meeting of the Community Club that was reorganized in 2007 to support Illahee issues. It is open to all residents, but does have a small membership fee of $10 per family in order to be a voting member. The meeting is on Saturday (1/23/08) at the Library on Sylvan Way beginning at 1 pm. We will send out the agenda for this meeting when it becomes available.

Illahee Outfall Appeal filed with BOCC - The Illahee Community Club did appeal the Hearing Examiners decision on the Illahee Outfall Project. The Club felt the decision was an erroneous interpretation of the law and facts in a number of different areas. The Club is asking the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to remand the project back to the Department of Community Development for a proper environmental review.

If you have other news items that should be reported please let us know.

We hope to see you at the upcoming meetings.

Jim Aho

Illahee Outfall Proposed Appeal to County - 2/17/08

As reported in the Kitsap Sun on Sunday (2/17/08), the Illahee Community Club (ICC) is going to appeal the recent Hearing Examiner's outfall decision. The appeal verbiage is scheduled to be finalized Tuesday (2/19/08) and hand delivered to Kitsap County before 4:30 p.m.

Some advised the ICC that the Commissioner's nearly 100% of the time back up the Hearing Examiner, which didn't make their decision easy, since the cost just to file the appeal is $500, and then there are the lawyer's fees on top of that. They concluded the issue was too important to not try and convince the Commissioners that locating another outfall at the dock was a very bad decision.

The ICC put out an email to its Board of Directors with a proposed statement that may be a clue as to the basis of their appeal. It read:

"The deleterious effects of discharging storm water directly on a public beach and swimming area were not addressed by the applicant, the county, the Health Department, nor the Hearing Examiner. This omission is too egregious for the citizens of Illahee to ignore or let pass."

We will pass on more information as it becomes available to us.

Jim Aho

Illahee Outfall Appeal DENIED - 2/8/08

We were hoping this would have been reported in the papers by now. We need to report it quickly because of the short appeal window should the community want to take this to the next level.

Outfall Project Approved. The ILLAHEE OUTFALL REPLACEMENT has been approved by the Hearing Examiner.

Community Appeal Denied. APPEAL DENIED was the decision he rendered to the Port's and Citizen's efforts to question the County's decision to approve the outfall and the legacy lot projects.

Community Ignored. The Hearing Examiner agreed with the county and the developer on all counts, and discarded the issues brought up by the Port of Illahee and the Illahee Community.

Community Disappointment. This decision was a great disappointment to everyone we talked with. The common question, paraphrased, was: How can the county, who is supposed to be responsible for promoting health and welfare issues, continue to dump essentially untreated stormwater at the base of the Illahee community dock, where the public recreates and where people swim? (Note that the developer's engineer said it will be treated, but what they are doing is only removing suspended solids, and the technical term for that level of treatment is referred to as pre-treatment.)

Appeal to BOCC? The next decision is whether to appeal it to the next level, the Board of County Commissioners. The cost used to be $200 to file, but as of a week ago, it was raised to $500. Any appeal needs to be filed by February 19. 2008. We will be anxious to hear what the Port of
Illahee and the Illahee Community Club decides. Let them know your thoughts.

42 Inch Outfall. We received the attached photos that 1) show the existing 24 inch outfall, and then 2) a doctored up photo that shows what the second newly approved 42 inch outfall might look like.

1)

2)

Community Comments? Once this goes out by email it is later put on our website illaheecommunity.com where it can be accessed by clicking on "weblog" in the upper left hand corner. At the bottom of the update you can click on "comment" and add your own thoughts and see what others are saying. Our website group is hoping this will be a way for everyone to interact and see how the community feels about issues like this.

Jim Aho

Important Dates - 2/9/08

SOME VERY IMPORTANT DATES. Note: All meetings are posted on the Illahee Community website's calendar, which includes a map to the locations.

February 10, 2008 (Sunday) The posting of the revised draft of the Illahee Community Plan on website illaheecommunity.com.

Notes: The CAG incorporated many of the changes requested by the county. Figure 3.1 will need to be updated by the county and will likely be available on the county's website sometime after Monday (2/11/08)

February 14, 2008 (Thursday) Port of Illahee meeting at Old Military Road Fire Station 5 pm.

Note: This is their regularly scheduled second Thursday of the month meeting.

February 19, 2008 (Tuesday) Deadline for filing an appeal of Illahee Outfall Replacement decision.

Note: This could be done by the Port or the Illahee Community Club, but not likely both because of the cost. The county now charges $500 to file an appeal, and whatever group decides whether to do it will need to figure in lawyer costs.

February 23, 2008 (Saturday) Illahee Community Club meeting at Sylvan Way Library 1-3 pm.

Note: This is the first quarterly meeting of the re-organized community club. They are reporting over 50 paid memberships and appreciate the extra financial support they are receiving to fund involvement and help with community issues.

February 25, 2008 (Monday) Illahee Community meeting regarding the Illahee Community Plan at KUUF Church 6-8pm.

Note: This is the meeting that was announced in the post card mailing from the county. It went to all the residences in Illahee and is the kick off meeting to finish the Illahee Community Plan.

March 11, 2008 (Tuesday) Illahee SWMP mid-project presentation at the Norm Dicks center 6-8 pm.

Note: This is a very important meeting with some very distinguished scientists. Dr. Derek Booth is a renowned geologist, who was a professor at UW and is now President of Sillwater Sciences out of Berkeley, CA. Dr. Joel Massmann is a renowned hydrologist, who also was a professor at UW and now heads his own consulting firm Keta Waters. Joining them is Erin Nelson, a licensed geologist and stormwater engineer with Parametrix. They will be presenting a mid-project review of their work in developing a Surface Water Management Plan for Illahee, that is part of the Port of Illahee grant with the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Other Meeting? Let us know if there are other meetings that should be noted.

Jim Aho

Illahee Creek Culvert - 2/6/08

A few weeks ago we asked Kitsap County to re-access the Illahee Creek culvert situation since we felt it was no longer fully functional when it filled up with sediment during the Dec 3, 2007 storm.

We received the following response back from Jon Brand, the Assistant Public Works Director:

Mr. Aho: I've taken an opportunity to review Parametrix's report, visit the site and discuss this matter with other Public Works engineers and managers. The steep gradient, geology and development patterns in the watershed all contribute to the abundant deposition of material at the culvert outlet. There is a history decades long of Public Works removing sediment from this stream. Prior to the early nineties, Public Works forces cleared the channel of debris on a monthly basis from the culvert all the way down to the beach. As environmental regulations were tightened and issues developed with the property owner, this practice ceased.

The Public Works Department views the aftermath of the December 3rd storm as a maintenance issue. The 14-foot wide concrete box culvert is in good condition and, provided that it is regularly maintained, has adequate capacity. The depth of sediment in the culvert has been monitored regularly since installation in 1999 and crews have not been directed to remove sediment. In hindsight, the County probably should have been performing regular maintenance to keep the sediment level lower. Public Works crews have been removing material from the outlet this winter and we will continue to do so until a reasonable bed elevation can be established and maintained. If resource agencies, the property owner and the public are in favor of removing sediment from the culvert outlet to the beach, the County would be interested in participating.

Your e-mails indicate that there may be funding available for replacement of the arch culvert. Given the fact that there was no monetary damage resulting from the December 3rd storm other than required maintenance, it's unlikely that the County would qualify.

I hope that I've addressed your concerns.

Jonathon Brand, P.E.
Assistant Public Works Director - County Engineer
Kitsap County Department of Public Works
360-337-5777

We responded as follows on 2/6/08:

Jon - Thank you for looking into our concerns and for your reasoned response. We who live here are hoping we don't have any more serious storms this season, as we are concerned about the culvert plugging with possible disastrous affects to Illahee Road. I'm not sure the local residents would agree to channelize the creek to Port Orchard Bay, as among many other considerations, one would then need to decide which of the recent channels to use, not to mention which one the property owner would want.

Thank you for the history of the downstream maintenance of the stream. I had not heard that the county cleared debris from the old culverts to the beach. I presume it was just debris and not sediment. Our concern is with the steadily increasing sediment deposits migrating downstream such that they are physically raising the elevation of the flood plain. The sediment load is of such a magnitude that maintenance actions as some point will become futile. Our thoughts are that a raised flood plain makes this a much more complex and difficult situation to try and resolve. We will be scheduling a brainstorming session, possibly in March when Derek Booth and Erin Nelson are available, as part of the Port of Illahee's DOE grant to come up with watershed solutions to the problems, that will likely include flood plain issues.

As for disaster funding, we were thinking the filling of the culvert indicated a failure. We now understand that to be labeled a failure in FEMA's eyes it needs to be a total failure, not an eminent one.


After the December storm we sent out a community update with photos showing the 19 inch vertical opening at the culvert. We are also monitoring the culvert on a regular basis and hope we don't have any more major storms this season. We will keep the community appraised of the results of our monitoring efforts along with any changes observed at the culvert.

Jim Aho

Wildlife Sightings - 2/5/08

Four Illahee wildlife sightings to report.

Ravens. In the past few years ravens have visited and resided in and near the Illahee Preserve. They and their unique call were absent for awhile in some areas of Illahee, but they are still around as confirmed by residents living near the Preserve.

The Morning Seal & Cormorant Ritual. Every morning a float north of the Illahee community dock transitions from being a resting place for about 20 seals to approximately 70 cormorants. Early in the season if the seals lingered on the float too long the cormorants would do fly overs and swim around the float as if trying to tell the seals it was time for them to leave. Lately the cormorants have become much more bold and are landing on the float while the seals are still there. As more and more of the cormorants get on the dock the seals finally give up possession. The ritual is repeated morning after morning.

White-Winged Scoters. Some of the most colorful sea ducks are the Scoters, especially the Surf Scoter, which is often seen in our area during the winter season. A small flock of White-Winged Scoters have been observed recently in Illahee. They are identified by a small patch of white on their wings. The male has the large orange bill and a small white patch under the eye. The female has a black bill and an almost obscure light patch on its head. They are deep divers and eat crustaceans, mussels, and clams. They have exceptionally strong gizzards that are able to break down hard shell invertebrates into digestible matter.

River Otter or Possibly a Fisher? One of our residents is trying to identify an animal spotted mid afternoon in January, near the blackberry patch across from 5287 - 5303 Illahee Rd. It appeared that the critter was about 24 to 30 inches long with a 8 to 10 inch long bushy tail. Both body and tail had long black fur. His search of look alikes (possible suspects) has him wondering if it could be a Fisher, "Mantes pennanti" of the family Mustelida. While both the River Otter and the Fisher are of the same family and are of similar shape and size the otter has long whiskers and none were observed. Good views of the Fisher can be seen on the following web site:
http://home.mcn.net/~wtu/fisher.html
Let us know if anyone else has seen this animal and can help us with an identification?

Updated website. Just a reminder that we are daily adding new items to our website which is illaheecommunity.com and these updates appear on our blog site which is illaheecommunity.blogspot.com so any response you have can be readily seen by others. If you have any questions on how to use it, please let us know.

Jim Aho

County Commissioners' 1/28/08 hearing - 2/2/08

This update is to cover the three Illahee items that were discussed at the January 28, 2008 Board of County Commissioner's meeting.

General. There were a number of Illahee residents at last Monday's Commissioner's meeting. However, the major issue and primary interest of many in attendance were the two resolutions changing the fees charged by the Department of Community Development (DCD). Those presentations and the ensuing public comment sessions were interesting, but long.

Illahee Community Plan. The Commissioners next heard a presentation on the Comp Plan Amendment resolution that included a line item to "review and update the Illahee Community Plan." We noted during the public hearing time that the reason the plan was before them was because of our initial questionnaire in which we asked residents if they wanted to be part of Bremerton, or Silverdale, or if they would like to develop a community plan. We noted the questionnaire results; which were 4 for Bremerton, 9 for Silverdale, and 234 for a community plan.

Tax Title Land Petitions. Later on in the meeting was the carryover of the Smith/Peacock tax title land petition. The Commissioners voted in favor of the petition without taking any public testimony. We heard afterwards that there were citizens who rearranged their schedules so they could attend and comment at what they thought would be a public hearing, based on our update which indicated the hearing was "continued" because Dwayne Peacock was on vacation during the 1/14/08 hearing. We are sorry for the confusion, though we thought, and still think, the hearing on the Peacock issue was "continued," and that there should have been an opportunity for public comment, prior to them making a decision. It will be interesting to see if the Commissioners are aware that a number of people are upset in Illahee (assuming they read the updates), and if so, will they do anything about it.

Resolution Regarding Certain Petitions and Community Plans. The last item on the agenda was a resolution to not accept road vacation and tax title land petitions in Illahee, Kingston, and Hansville until their respective community plans are approved. The resolution passed and it will now be up to these communities to figure out how to handle these issues and where to insert this information into their plans.

Our Reporting Dilemma. We were slow in putting this update out because we didn't know how, or if, to report on what we perceived of as the lack of a public hearing for the Peacock petition. Some have said it could be counterproductive to mention this issue. Others have asked us to report things as they happen, both the good and the not-so-good. Because others in attendance also thought the public process had not been followed, we decided to report it in this update.

Our Blog. Let us know your thoughts via this blog site (which is an opportunity for anyone to respond). Simply click on "comment" at the bottom. You can respond using your email name, or a nickname, or as "anonymous." Let us know if you have any questions on how to use the blog.

Jim Aho

East Bremerton Rotary Work Party - 1/27/08

We're not sure everyone understands just how much work has been accomplished in the Illahee Preserve by the East Bremerton Rotary. Not only did they take on the majority of work at the Thompson Lane entrance, they also paid for the sign and two picnic tables (note that only one is there because the other one was stolen). They continue to have wood chips delivered (many of the piles are out of sight as they are dropped along Thompson Lane) and then spread them on the trails during work parties such as is described below. If you know a Rotarian, thank them for all they do for our community. Below is Vic's writeup of Saturday's work party.

East Bremerton Rotary at Work

The East Bremerton Rotary completed another work party of spreading wood chips on trails at Illahee Forest Preserve on Saturday morning, January 26th. The weather was below freezing when we started, but thankfully no snow or rain. Our focus was the wood chip pile at the Water Tank situated atop Riddell Road. Wood chips were wheel borrowed to cover the main trail all the way to Compass Circle. The work party totaled 15 people and one dog. See photos. A second work party at this location is anticipated in 3-4 weeks (mid-late February) with hopes of depleting the remaining wood chip pile. Wonderful pastry snacks and hot coffee were provided by Olympic Coffee (next to Fred Meyer) courtesy of East Bremerton Rotarian Andy Graham who also helped with the work.

In addition, GPS mapping work was performed by East Bremerton Rotarian Shane Foraker. We hope to complete the basic GPS mapping of the entire trail system within the next couple weeks and deliver to Rice Fergus Miller Architects who are assisting us with composition of a trail map and brochure for Illahee Forest Preserve.

It was a great day at Illahee Forest Preserve.

Vic Ulsh

Pictured above - from left to right: Jim Stephens, Betti Sheldon, Andy Graham, Lew Bruser, Dick Sims, Shane Muhleman, Ron Pettygrove, Shadow Wright, Bill Benson, Jo Ann Wright, Jon Buesch, Bill Wright, Jack Stodden, Vic Ulsh, Ron Muhleman

County Commissioners Jan 28th Meeting - 1/25/08

Commissioner's Monday Meeting. Two Illahee related items will be discussed at Monday's Jan 28th Board of County Commissioner's (BOCC) meeting beginning at 7 pm. (Also, some of you will be receiving this email twice as this is being sent out to the CAG email list after being sent to the general email list.)

Item #1 -- Illahee Community Plan. The Illahee Community Plan will be discussed as part of a resolution to amend the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan. The resolution allows the Illahee Community Plan to be reviewed and updated by Kitsap County planners in 2008. It is important to have community members attend, thus showing our interest and appreciation to the county for considering our plan.

Illahee Plan Opponents. This is a hard paragraph to write. We were told a community plan such as ours will likely have opponents. We have tried to accommodate everyone over the last two plus years and have been able to work out nearly all concerns. And so we were surprised at the last BOCC meeting (1/14/08) to hear someone tell the the Commissioners the Illahee Community Plan was developed by "special interest" groups and suggested that it should be worked on by a county group rather than the Illahee community. We had a Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) of nearly 100 from throughout Illahee and used questionnaires and written responses to insure broad input and to try and avoid these type of accusations. We are writing this so you won't be surprised, like we were, if there is some opposition at the meeting.

Plan Schedule. Because our plan was modeled after the Manchester plan, the review process should be quicker. The goal was not to "reinvent the wheel" but to use what has been successful in other communities. Hopefully the county public review process will simply involve reviewing, editing, and revising as necessary. We would like to have the final draft complete by the beginning of summer.

Wednesday's BOCC Work/Study Session. The Illahee Community Plan was discussed at the Commissioner's Work/Study session on Wednesday morning (1/23/08) which was attended by Irwin and Judith Krigsman. Their notes of the meeting are provided below:

• James Weaver and Scott Diener briefed the Illahee Community Plan and stated it would be the DCD's top priority for 2008.
  
• A listing of staff comments and corrections to the Illahee Community Plan was distributed.
  
• Red Flags: lot aggregation, view protection, tree protection, Bremerton annexation of Illahee in the future.
  
• DCD doesn't want to get involved with view protection because DCD doesn't have the staff to enforce nor do they want to be involved with that. Weaver said that this should be handled between neighbor to neighbor.
  
• The Illahee plan appears to have been modeled from a LAMIRD (limited area of more intense rural development) which is a rural designation. Illahee is in a UGA and thus that model doesn't apply since Illahee isn't designated as rural.
  
• Density is an issue: 4 units per acre vs. 5 units per acre.
  
• Work is needed on transportation and capital facilities sections and shoreline management.
  
• Growth management act requires sewers throughout UGAs.
  
• Minimum lot size: not consistent between sections of the plan.
  
• Concerns about legacy lots, unvacated roadways and tax title strips and unopened rights of way. One suggestion was to give the tax title strips to adjacent owners to increase setbacks and not vacate roadways.
  
• The bulk of the plan is very good and should be able to be finalized in 2008.
  
• Commissioner Bauer wanted to know which parts of the plan have legal requirements and are not negotiable and which are only opinions raised by the planning staff but conflicted with the community's desires. Which portions of the plan are "like to's" vs. "have to's".
  
• Shelly Kneip, deputy prosecutor's office, was present and said that she had reviewed the plan and her comments were incorporated into the staff's comment document. Commissioner Bauer wanted to see her legal notes.
  
• Illahee uniquely has more park land and open space and critical areas than any of the other community plans. Also there are issues related to aquifer recharge areas.
  
• Meetings about the plan should include the City of Bremerton representatives because of the annexation interests. Illahee is in the Bremerton UGA.
  
• Confusion expressed about the Illahee Community boundary lines since part of the map includes a portion of the City of Bremerton.
  
• No comments were received from the Parks Dept as yet. Letters were sent to the parks Dept on 9/21/07 and 12/23/07. Other county depts. did review and comment.
  
• Kick of for the plan is February – March 2008. Bi-weekly meeting were suggested and will be coordinated by planner Katrina Knutson. Knutson was the planner involved with the Manchester plan. Completion date targeted for May or early June.
  
• Commissioners and staff are pleased with the draft plan as submitted, realizing that the concerns raised by the staff are resolvable. They also said that the efforts of the community in writing the plan did save the county money in staff time and materials.
  
• The commissioners expressed appreciation for the efforts of the community and appear to be supportive.

Item #2 -- Smith/Peacock petition for sale of tax title lands portion along Fern Ave right-of-way. The discussion for this item was held over from the last board meeting to allow Dwayne Peacock an opportunity to testify.

Meeting Schedule. The Comprehensive Plan resolution, which includes the Illahee Community Plan, will be discussed early on in the meeting along with opportunities for people to briefly comment (limited to 3 minutes). The Smith/Peacock petition is scheduled to be discussed later in the meeting.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

PS The illaheecommunity.com website is being continually updated and residents are encouraged to use the blog site so all can see any input on these updates.

Road Vacation Resolution - 1/26/08

Another item of interest at the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Monday evening (1/28/08) is the attached road vacation resolution.

The resolution states the county will not accept petitions for road vacations or sale of tax title lands until the Illahee, Kingston, and Hansville community plans are completed and adopted. This is the last item on the evening's agenda, just before the final opportunity for the public to address the board, so it could be after 9 pm. (The agenda for the meeting can be accessed on line at kitsapgov.com. From there go to the panel on the right and select Commissioner Agendas, and then select Jan 28, and you will have the entire meeting agenda.)

For any of you who have not seen your county government in action, this might be a good meeting to attend, as several Illahee issues will be discussed.

The meetings are held in the new Administration Building where there is ample and comfortable seating, not to mention plenty of parking. The meetings are now held in the evening beginning at 7 pm so more citizens can attend.

Jim Aho

Storm Report #1 - 1/24/08

Storm Reports We are requesting any December storm related photos you might have so we can put them on our website illaheecommunity.com. We also would like to invite you to our blog site which is on the website or at illaheecommunity.blogspot.com so you respond to these updates and see other responses.

Storm Rainfall We were lucky in Illahee to escape any injuries related to the storm, though we did have plenty of storm water damage. We have a rain reporting station in Illahee which reported 2 inches on Sunday (12/2/07) and 6.4 inches on Monday (12/3/07), and thus we did not receive as much rain as other locations in the county.

Photo Documentary On our website is a photo documentary by John Lind of the washout of Illahee Road (note the photo that shows a person at the bottom of the washout with two people looking down from the road). His writeup of the washout is provided below,

Some said 14 inches fell in 48 hours, others reported 11 inches, and in Illahee it was actually about half of that, but we won't argue, cause it was enough to inflict considerable damage to the area on that Monday, the 3rd day of December in 2007. Illahee Road had some major problems with near washout at the south end above Rue Villa, a culvert and estuary at Illahee Creek that filled with sediment, and a total road washout at the Gilberton Creek gully, thankfully without the loss of life.

There were several who crossed the roadway just before it blew out. They reported few people on the road at that time (about 1:30 pm) and a water filled upstream gully that was overflowing across Illahee Road about 2 inches deep and at least twenty feet wide.

We decided to walk the area and the path the water took after it washed out the Illahee roadway just northwest of Grahns road where the next curve starts. We climbed and slid down the bank which must have been 50 to 60 feet deep when we reached the bottom. You could hear the water still running in the broken culvert and over the gravel.

Heading down the newly sculpted gully, we climbed around some big cedars that had been nudged over by what we estimated was a "water wall" of 50 feet or so high as it broke through the road bed. As we rounded the first bend you could see about a block ahead the area had widened out to about 40 feet and was still 18 to 20 feet in height where the banks and tree trunks were scarred by the rushing torrent. I think the most extra-ordinary sight was at the next turn where the area became wider than 100 feet and still had scoured the area to 14 feet high. Hugh chunks of 8 inch thick blacktop were strewn downstream, a guard rail was wrapped around a tree trunk, and trees were piled up on the curves so high that a person with a 7 1/2 foot reach couldn't touch the top logs.

We could just imagine the sounds that must have been heard by the people living in their homes high up on the banks overlooking the gully. Talk about a freight train coming thru the woods! Wow! Some of the walls were scoured so drastically it showed different strata of compressed clay and dirt that probably were formed back in an earlier glacial period. It wasn't a difficult walk as everything in the gully was washed out into Port Orchard Bay. As we rounded the last bend and could make out the water up ahead we realized that we were walking on mud flats where the tides were already working to reclaim the land.

Now the big questions are: What will replace the washed out roadway, and when will we be able to drive from Illahee to Brownsville again?

John Lind

County Road Vacation Policies - 1/20/08

The Promise We promised to provide further information regarding regarding road vacations and sale of tax title strips.

Complex Issues We found these to be rather complex issues and can only provide some basic information in the space we have available. More information can be found at the county and state websites.

40 Foot Road Right-of Ways and 10 Foot Tax Title Strips Many residents in the historic section of Illahee have a 10 foot wide tax title strip of land abutting their road right-of-way. When historic Illahee was platted the roads were 40 feet in width. Subsequently 60 foot right-of-ways became the standard, so whenever the opportunity presented itself, an extra 10 feet of land was added to each side of the road right-of-way to obtain the standard 60 feet of width.

Two Land Classifications - Road Easements and Tax Title Land This means many may have 60 feet of county property in front of their lots that consists of a 40 foot wide county owned road easement and the possibility of a 10 foot wide county owned tax title strips of land on each side of the road easement. (Note: We are trying to obtain this information for our illaheecommunity.com website.)

The Vacation Process We have areas in Illahee where no roads have been built on these lands, and the adjacent landowners are asking that they be declared excess property and be "vacated," so they can purchase them. By state law and county code, anyone who desires to, can submit a petition or make a request to the county to acquire these lands. The request then goes to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at a public hearing to determine if the land is of no present or future use to the citizens of Kitsap County, or departments or agencies of Kitsap County. Those were the hearings that occurred on 12/17/07 and 1/14/08, and will occur on 1/28/08.

County Policies In determining whether the land is "of present or future use" to the citizens or the county, the criteria has been specified in County Policy Numbers PW 2470 (Road Vacations) and PW 2475 (Tax Title Land) as follows:

2.1.1 Legitimate public uses may include but are not limited to:
• public roads
• public utility easements
• trails
• parks
• buffers between land uses
• wildlife habitat (including riparian corridors)
• wetlands
• steep slopes
• floodplains
• drainage ways
• view corridors used by the general public
• shoreline access
• and management of any of these uses.

Additional Requested Use Item The Illahee Forest Preserve recently requested "bio-infiltration swales" (a low impact development application for controlling storm water) be added to the list of legitimate public uses for road right-of-ways and tax title strips, based on a recommended storm water solution for a problem area along Illahee Creek (from a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant).

1916 Plat Dedication Wording We have been asked to include the wording on the original 1916 Plat of Illahee, which is now the area referred to as "historic" Illahee. The pertinent words from the Suquamish Land Company are that they "....hereby dedicate to the use of the public forever all streets, avenues, boulevards and places, ..." They did not elaborate what the "use of the public" should be.

Jim Aho

As always, we welcome your comments.

County's Road Vacation Decision - 1-15-08

Road Vacation "Hot Potato" Thrown Back to Illahee Community Plan

On Monday evening, the County Commissioners tossed the proverbial "hot potato" of road vacations, into the lap of those working on the Illahee Community Plan.

As we said in an earlier update, road vacations are extremely sensitive issues, and the ones in Illahee are proving to be no exception to the rule.

There are three landowners filing two petitions (which complicates the issues) at different times (which further complicates proceedings), which started out being heard on 12/17/07, and then again on 1/14/08, and now again on 1/28/08.

We are trying to get copies of the county's rules and procedures for road vacations, along with any relevant state RCW's, so we can pass them on as it appears this issue is not going to go away.

Neither the Illahee Community Citizens Advisory Group (CAG), nor the Illahee Community Club, took a stance on these two (or three?) road vacations. Every effort has been made to make sure we try to do the will of the majority of citizens, and until the road vacation issues came up, it seemed nearly everyone in the community was supportive. We have heard that road vacations can polarize a community, and we hope it doesn't happen in Illahee.

The decision of the board, as we heard it, was to deny the Woodworth's petitions, and the road vacation portion of the Smith/Peacock petition, (with the understanding that the Illahee Community Plan would be take up these issues), and to continue the Smith/Peacock tax title strip discussion to the next board meeting on 1/28/08, when Mr. Peacock would be in town.

This is not something we asked for, nor necessarily want, but is another issue we will have to deal with.

We welcome your comments.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

2nd Walk-Thru Scheduled for Sat 1/12

This is an update on the "road vacation" hearing scheduled for Monday, January 14, 2008.

First of all, some have asked what a "road vacation" is. Briefly, as we understand it, the county has a number of platted roads and right-of-ways, normally 60 feet in width, that are not currently being used for roads or other purposes. We have some in Illahee. Adjoining property owners can propose to buy these properties once the road is declared excess (the road use being vacated). The primary benefit to the county is the added tax revenue. The proposed vacation and purchase must go through a public notification process so the community can respond, and thus the past and upcoming hearings before the County Commissioners. In these two cases the community seems to be saying that while these areas may never be used for roads, they may be used for other purposes, such as future pedestrian paths, and therefore should not be vacated.

We heard from a number of residents who cannot attend the walk through of these county properties on Wednesday because they are working or busy, and suggested a second walk through. We have therefore scheduled another one for Saturday (1/12/08) at 11 am.

We also heard that the two Illahee road vacations were discussed at the County Administrator's Briefing session on Monday afternoon, and we are waiting to hear if those discussions will affect Monday's agenda.

Jim Aho

Road Vacation Walk-Thru - 1/7/08

There is a second Illahee road vacation hearing coming up on January 14, 2008; the first was held on December 17, 2007.

Walk Thru In order for residents to better understand the two road vacation proposals we are walking through both areas on Wednesday.

Past Hearing The first road vacation hearing was the Woodworth proposal on the 17th of December 2007. The hearing was well attended by Illahee residents and Illahee groups who were not in favor of the road vacation. The County Commissioners will likely decide the issue at their January 14, 2008 meeting. The county hearing notice sign is still up along Hardt Ave off of Roosevelt if you want to check out the area.

Upcoming Hearing The second road vacation hearing is the Smith/Peacock proposal which is scheduled to come before the Commissioners on January 14, 2008. There is a county hearing notice sign up on Fern Ave off of Roosevelt.

Details We will meet at 11 am on Wednesday (1/9/08) at Hardt Ave off of Roosevelt to walk through the area. We recommend hiking shoes because we will traverse the ravine and then walk north up a short, but relatively steep slope, to the county property being proposed for vacation by the Woodworths. From there we will walk east down Dock Street for a block to Fern Ave and go south through the county property being proposed for vacation by Smith & Peacock, which will require going down and up the ravine and then back to Roosevelt. The walk is a short round trip, but because of the ravine (the corridor that local residents say the wildlife use) has some fairly steep slopes, you should be able to walk up and down the slopes if you want to walk with us. For those who would rather not walk the slopes, we will explain the issues along Hardt Ave (Roosevelt side) as we begin our walk, and then again on Fern Ave (Roosevelt side) as we conclude our walk. That way you will be able to see and understand the issues without having to walk up unpathed areas. It should only take about 20-30 minutes, unless there are lots of questions.

Questions? Jim walked the area on Monday (1/7/08) so if you have any questions regarding any of the walk through details, call Jim Aho at 479-1049.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

PS We have been asked to attach a letter that was written to the Commissioners after the first hearing, which helps describe the sensitivity of these road vacation issues.

Dear Commissioners,

I cannot tell you how outraged I am by your apparent flip-flop on the issue of the Woodworth road vacation. To allow yourselves to be swayed by the inappropriate, emotional appeal of Commissioner Angel and completely disregard all of the facts and statements presented by the residents of our Illahee neighborhood, the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee, the Port of Illahee Commissioner, and your own County Parks Department is both startling and disappointing.

I am also quite concerned about what may have been major breaches of both parliamentary procedure and county meeting protocol. I do not profess to know either system well, but it seems to me that, after public comment is closed, there should be no further comment from the public. In this case, that would be from Mr. Woodworth. It seemed rude and inappropriate for Commissioner Angel to deliberately address a question to Mr. Woodworth, after the close of public comment, and not allow others to refute his statements or add additional opinions to the record. The motion to deny the vacation petition had already been made and seconded. At that point, discussion of the motion between the Commissioners was called for. That discussion between the three of you should then have been followed by a vote. Instead, Commissioner Angel stepped out of bounds, showed favoritism for the Woodworths, and essentially tainted what, to that point, had been a well-managed public hearing. Her behavior was bad enough. But to have the two of you blindly fall into the trap she set and so quickly reverse your initial opinions leaves me wondering who we can depend on to help preserve what is left of Illahee, in particular, and Kitsap County, in general.

There is also an obvious problem with Molly Foster's involvement in this situation. She has brazenly sided with the Woodworths throughout this process. Is she not supposed to be an unbiased, neutral county employee charged with compiling information and fairly representing all sides in this issue? Apparently she is not aware of that. Her behavior after the meeting is a prime example. We were all in the lobby of the building after leaving the board room. Did Molly make an effort to talk to any of us about what the next step in the process would be or give her opinion of how the meeting went or offer any suggestions on what we might do to clarify our positions in time for the January meeting? Absolutely not. She spent an extraordinary amount of time talking and laughing with the Woodworths. Might I suggest that someone talk to her and tell her to at least have the courtesy to hide her biases when she is in public view.

As you both are well aware, there are many of us in the Illahee Community who work hard everyday to participate in community functions, to be aware of what is happening in our area, to make our voices heard, to protect our neighborhood, and to appreciate the privilege we have of living in such a beautiful area. We have shown that we have the courage to educate ourselves about community issues, to take a stand, and to stick with it. We had hoped that the Commissioners, particularly the Commissioner that represents our area, would show the same courage. You failed us completely. Teresa Jones

1-5-08 Illahee Preserve Awards Banquet

This is a report on the Illahee Preserve's annual awards banquet (potluck) held Friday evening (1/4/08).

The group recognized:
• Dori Leckner of the Kitsap County Parks Department for her excellent support, quick responses, and dedication to the Illahee Preserve, a Kitsap County Heritage Park.
• Judith and Irwin Krigsman for essentially sharing Illahee Creek with the community and for all their activities in support of the Preserve, Illahee Creek, and the community.
• Port of Illahee Commissioners, Dennis Sheeran, George Schaefer, & Don Deitch for their continued support of the Preserve.
• Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee Chairman, Dale Boyle, Vic Ulsh & Eugene Brennen for their collective effort as chairpersons, along with their individual and extensive contributions to the Preserve such as trail work and coordination with the East Bremerton Rotary Club.
• Audrey Boyer for faithfully publishing articles about the Preserve in the Illahee Community Newsletters.
• Cynthia Brakstad, the IFP treasurer, for not only handling the finances, but also for preparing the income tax returns.
• Jim Trainer for his donation of 285 tree saplings for ripaian planting and for all the things he does for the community.
• Jim Aho for his work with the Preserve and the Preserve's support group, the Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP).
• All the volunteers who helped in 2007 with trails, invasive plant control, tree planting, water quality monitoring, etc.
• The Preserve's financial supporters for contributing to the very significant expenses in 2007.
• The newly reorganized Illahee Community Club (ICC) for their community involvement and for preparing to help with Preserve issues.
• The Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP) 501.c.3 corporation, described as a mighty and effective organization in 2007, for the following successes:
1. The Coastal Protection Grant that purchased the Jessica Williams property.
2. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant that did water quality checks for almost 2 years, removed invasive English Ivy along Illahee Creek, planted tree saplings along the creek corridor, and funded an assessment of the creek and the reservoir.
3. The hiring of an attorney to help protect the Preserve's wetland buffers.
4. The hiring of the best wetland expert available to survey the wetland areas.
5. For providing material and financial support for the Illahee Preserve, which helps keep our taxes lower.

The group previewed: a new video presentation narrated by Jim Trainer entitled "Forest Trails and Critter Tales" that will be distributed soon locally. Portions were filmed within the Illahee Preserve and Illahee.

The Illahee Preserve's goals for 2008 include:
• Completion of a parking lot and primary Preserve entrance at Almira and Fuson.
• Kiosks and Illahee Preserve trail maps..
• Updating the Stewardship Plan.
• Progress with the golf course.
• Success with grants for targeted properties.
• Success with grants for salmon restoration projects..
• Success with construction grants to start working on Illahee Creek sedimentation problems.
• Success with protecting the Illahee Preserve wetlands.

We thank the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee, and their support organization, the Illahee Forest Preserve, for their work in 2007, and wish them another successful year in 2008.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho .

Community Groups 1-4-08

We have been asked "Just how many community groups do you have in Illahee?" " What do they do?" and "How do you keep track of all of them?"

Our website person, Laurie Jones, has been asking these questions also, so we felt it was time to try and respond.

Group 1 - The oldest and only official elected group is the Port of Illahee. It is the Port's boundaries that essentially define the Illahee Community, which can be seen on our website illaheecommunity.com. The website also provides information on the Port and the current Port commissioners.

Group 2 - The Illahee Community Club is the next oldest group. It has been in existence for many years in one capacity or another. The IRS listed the club's tax exempt status as inactive in 1982. In 2000 new Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State, and then in November of 2007 the Club was reorganized with the appropriate papers filed with the IRS and the Secretary of State. As a 501.c.3 non-profit corporation, the club can collect membership dues and other monies in accordance with its organized purposes. The club is currently concerned about stormwater issues and overdevelopment plans that are not in agreement with the draft Illahee Community Plan. The club would like to have every resident be an active member with dues at only $10 per family. Please e-mail us at web@illaheecommunity.com if you would like an application.

Group 3 - The Illahee Community Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) represents about 100 community members who volunteered to help write the Illahee Community Plan. The group has prepared several drafts of the plan, but has been advised by Kitsap County that they need a county planner to work with them through a public process in order to meet all the county's requirements. The latest version is on the community website under "Community Plan." They have been advised that they will have planner support in early 2008.

Group 4 - The Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee was established in 2003 by the County Commissioners to prepare a Stewardship Plan for the Illahee Preserve. The Committee has been working ever since with the County Parks Department to provide support and on the ground work within the Illahee Preserve. The Committee is looking toward a new official entry and parking lot at Almira and Fuson and an update to the Stewardship Plan in 2008.

Group 5 - The Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP) group was established as a 501.c.3 non-profit organization to support the Illahee Preserve in ways that the Stewardship Committee could not. The IFP is eligible to apply for grants and accept gifts in support of the Preserve. The IFP was successful in applying for a Coastal Protection Grant that resulted in the purchase of prime Preserve property in 2006. The IFP just completed a two year grant with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that included Illahee Creek water quality testing, removal of invasive species, riparian tree planting, salmon restoration studies, and a basin assessment. The results will be posted on the community website in the near future. The IFP has also responded in behalf of the Preserve such as when the Preserve wetland buffers were threatened or when Illahee Creek was threatened by questionable stormwater practices. The IFP is also looking for new members. Please e-mail us at web@illaheecommunity.com for an application. Their fiscal year runs from July to June and their dues are $10 for individuals and $15 for a family.

Group 6 - The Illahee Surface Water Management Plan Working Group was established to manage and is responsible for implementing the Port of Illahee's grant with the Department of Ecology to develop an "Illahee Surface Water Management Plan." Information on the grant is available on the illaheecommunity.com website under the "Clean Water Grant" heading.

We are amazed that all these groups seem to be in nearly complete agreement with current Illahee issues. The two membership groups (the Illahee Community Club and the Illahee Forest Preserve) conveyed that they are appreciative of the financial support they have received (and hope to receive) as they take on significant legal costs associated with protecting Illahee interests.

We need to admit that it is not always easy for us to keep track of the different Illahee groups and what they are doing. This information has helped us and we hope it helps you also.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

PS We have just set up this community weblog, where the community updates will be posted, so all will be able to comment and see other's comments. Please feel free to add your comments. If you have any questions about the blog, please e-mail us at web@illaheecommunity.com.

Illahee Creek Culvert 1-3-08

This update concerns the Illahee Creek culvert under Illahee Road. Many of us have concluded the culvert has failed and that another major storm could result in a wash out of Illahee Road. We sent the following email to Kitsap County personnel on Tuesday (1/2/08):


We are extremely concerned that the Illahee Creek culvert under Illahee Road has essentially failed as the result of the December 3, 2007 storm. We think this failure is the direct result of the storm and that federal disaster money needs to be applied for to fix the problem.

Another major storm would likely result in the further blockage of the culvert which could result in another major washout along Illahee Road.

The following statement appeared in the recently published Parametrix "Draft Illahee Watershed Characterization and Site Assessment" dated December 2007 which was authored by Erin Nelson and Derek Booth, and provides supporting professional documentation of our concerns.

Along the lower Main Stem and below Illahee Road, the consequences of high sediment loads and nearby base level (i.e., Puget Sound) were manifest in abundant deposition, a braided channel form, and the near-obstruction of the Illahee Road culvert. Based on local reports during the storm, filling of the culvert proceeded from downstream to upstream (i.e., not from an obstruction at the upstream end of the culvert) and almost certainly reflects the rapid delivery of sediment onto the delta of Illahee Creek that built a steepening wedge of sediment into the Sound. Local dredging of the sediment immediately downstream of the culvert has provided temporary relief, but additional high flows would almost certainly deliver sediment more rapidly than a backhoe could remove it. Long-term, a reduction of sediment delivery into Illahee Creek would allow the reestablishment of a reduced gradient between the creek and the Sound, lowering sediment levels in the culvert and recreating free passage. Given the improbability of this scenario absent dramatic efforts to resolve acute and chronic sediment inputs into the channel network, however, emergency maintenance and eventual replacement of the culvert appears almost unavoidable.


The filling of the old stream channel with sediment has significantly altered the stream flow at the mouth such that salmon passage is now questionable .

We have a stream with such a large sediment transport problem, caused by the lack of storm water controls, that it is effectively raising the height of the flood plain up and down the main corridor of Illahee Creek, including the delta at the mouth of the creek.

Some has suggested that the only way to solve the problem is to raise the height of the culvert or put in a bridge structure, which would mean raising the height of Illahee Road in the vicinity of the culvert. We will leave those decisions to the engineers, though they may appreciate some help at this point.

There are no easy solutions and no one has come up with any quick fixes. The recent backhoe work at the culvert outlet increased the opening at the upstream inlet by 3 inches (from a 19 to a 22 inch clear opening). We commend those efforts, but remind the county that the culvert will not likely handle another major storm.

The community needs to be aware of this situation as it is always the local citizens who are most impacted and affected when systems fail. We welcome your thoughts and comments.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

Wildlife Sightings 1-2-08

We promised an Illahee bird sighting update so we thought we begin with an owl and eagle story and then some winter waterfowl sightings. We would like to cover more terrestrial birds later.

A small owl was found dead alongside Illahee Road by Irwin Krigsman. Jim Trainer identified it as a Western Screech Owl that was likely hit by a car. Others have noted lots of owl activity in the area and of seeing owls flying across Illahee road.

A report of a Bald Eagle chasing a duck up and down bay was interesting. The observer commented how fast the eagle was flying and that the duck made three trips (evidently north, then back south, and then north) before the eagle gave up. We have watched the eagles chase seagulls in the air, but never before ducks.

The most unusual sighting this year is the number of Common Mergansers swimming up and down the bay. The other day there was a flock of about 800 that landed north of the Illahee dock. They swim along the shore with their heads in the water looking for fish and when they find a school they dive and chase after them.

Some of the other waterfowl in the area are:

Common Golden Eye, which are distinguished by a greenish sheen on the males head, along with a white roundish patch on the face behind the bill.

The Barrow's Golden Eye looks similar though slightly smaller, and has a bluish purple sheen on the males head, and a crescent shaped white patch on the face behind the bill.

Buffle Heads tend to stay out in a little deeper water and are smaller than the Golden Eyes. There also appears to be several types of grebes around, with the Horned Grebe often seen diving with the other ducks. Some years we see lots of Western Grebes, but so far they haven't been sighted around Illahee.

There are a few Red-breasted Mergansers around that are intermixed with the diving ducks.

Some residents have noted fewer numbers of Wigeon ducks in the area this year.

Cormorants are a common sight out on floats. The ones in our area are the Double-crested Cormorant. Cormorants aren't able to waterproof their wings so they like to perch after swims to dry out their wings. There seem to be about a hundred cormorants in the area north of the community dock seen diving and drying out their wings. Between the mergansers and the cormorants, not to mention the seals and sea lions, there must be lots of feed fish out in the bay to support the fish eating bird populations.

We haven't tried to cover the shore birds but there are some Greater Yellowlegs in the area.

Let us know your wildlife sightings so we can post them.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

PS We will start addressing some of the Illahee's more sensitive issues now that the holidays are over. The next update will cover the Illahee Creek culvert that filled up and is barely functional after the December 3rd storm.