Various Items - 9/16/10

Illahee Road Accident Info & Photos.  Received some more information and some photos of the accident that occurred last Friday evening on Illahee Road.  Thanks to neighbors who helped and then passed the following information on to the community as this accident was not reported in the papers.

Here are some pictures my son took of the wreck. The driver
fled the scene - he was lucky to be alive! Sure hope everyone drives
safely!

.......terrible crash.....lots of police and fire trucks ........  ;-(

We ran down  to check and call 911....but the people from the trailer court were even faster and had called ....

The driver did however crawl out of the wreck and up the steep slope and ran away...... unbelievable that he was able to do that......

We talked with other people who knew him and he came apparently from the house only a bit up the road (with big gate) and drove full power in the ditch.....

The truck is gone....but the driver is O.K.       thank goodness

That is the third accident this year down below us.....!!!!!!!

Deer Photos.  Received the following note and the deer pictures this afternoon as we started this update.

These 4 deer were grazing in my front yard (University Point Circle) this afternoon. The 4 point buck looked like he had some mixture of fallow deer.

Illahee Creek Culvert Partial Clean Out.  Early last Thursday morning (9/9/10) the county cleaned 4 or 5 truck loads the sediment out at the outlet side of the culvert that goes under Illahee Road.  By removing the sediment and creating a depression (hole) at the end of the culvert, they are hoping the sediment level inside the culvert will decrease enough to prevent the failure of the culvert.   

Illahee Creek Culvert in Jeopardy?  The clear opening at the inlet (upstream end) of the culvert before the clean out was 31 inches, which is significantly less than what the culvert was designed for.  The clear opening height will continue to be monitored by the community as well as the county.  If there were to be a storm like there was on December 3rd of 2007, there is a strong likelihood the culvert would not be able to handle the stormwater and the culvert and road would probably wash out.

The Rain Garden Solution.   The initial cost to fix the stormwater problems affecting the culvert, Illahee Creek, and Puget Sound is estimated at $20 million, but if each resident in the watershed installed a bio-retention facility it could go a long way to help.  That is why some 1600 copies of the attached brochure have been printed and distributed at public events like the Fair and have been partially circulated in the community.  As the brochure states "While major work will be required to correct all the sedimentation problems, the immediate solution of having home owners install rain gardens is one thing that can be done now...."  The brochure is also downloadable on the illaheecommunity.com website.

Illahee Community Petition.  We have been asked if we could resend the petition as a number of you reported either not receiving the petition packet.  Attached is an updated black and white version of the petition and the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet, which are also available at the website illaheecommunity.com.  While the current response is 94% in support of the petition, they are reportedly well below the 500 responses desired and are asking that residents would respond one way or the other.

Request for Email Petition.  We found out that a few had send email responses, and we have been asked if that was acceptable.  We contacted the ICC and they were advised by their local legal counsel that email responses such as attached below or on the website are acceptable and should be sent to:  web@illaheecommunity.com

Jim Aho

_____Yes!  I agree with the petition and add my signature in support of the Port taking these actions.

_____No!  I am sorry but I cannot support the petition.  (Please let us know your reasons.)

Comments:    ______________________________________________________________________________

                       ______________________________________________________________________________

                       ______________________________________________________________________________

                       ______________________________________________________________________________

NAME        _____________________________________SIGNATURE__________________________________

ADDRESS __________________________________________EMAIL__________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP ___________________________________________________PHONE__________________

Various Items - 9/8/10

Friday Evening Accident.  Not many details, but several reports and pictures of a pickup truck that went off Illahee Road about 11:30 pm Friday (9/3/10) at the trailer court on Illahee hill.  We were first notified about the accident on Saturday morning by those who passed by the accident scene late Friday, and then again on Monday, when they closed Illahee Road while they pulled the car out of the trees.  We dont know if anyone got hurt.  If anyone has any details of the accident please let us know and we will pass it on.

Illahee Preserve Dumping.  A number of bags of insulation were dumped at the Illahee Preserve Almira parking lot over the weekend - see the attached photo.  A Kitsap County parks department employee was picking up trash collected by a volunteer group who recently cleaned up along Thompson Lane, and picked up the trash at the parking lot.  We are thankful to have a very responsive Parks Department to partner with as volunteers work to maintain the Illahee Preserve.

Illahee State Park Temporary Closure.  Illahee State Park made the headlines of the Kitsap Sun on Wednesday regarding the temporary closure of the Park while a new sewer system is installed.  Following is the link to the article: According to the article it closes next week and will be closed until April, though people will still be able to walk in the park. http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/07/illahee-state-park-to-close-next-week-for/

Memorial Fund for Kara Established.  Also in Wednesday's Kitsap Sun was an article regarding a memorial fund that is being set up for Kara Radabah.   The headline and link to the article follows:  Fund Established Honoring Bremerton Woman Found Dead Near Park  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/07/fund-established-honoring-bremerton-woman-found/

Petition Distribution.  Between 1,100 and 1,200 petition packets have now been delivered to residents living within the Port of Illahee boundaries.  It appears the number of households in the Port must be around 1,300 to 1,400, so not every resident received a packet.  We attached the contents of the packet, the petition, a FAQ, and a stormwater brochure, to an earlier email Update.  If you need us to send you another, or have a neighbor who needs a packet, please let us know and we will pass the information to the ICC.  

Petition Results.  We know that statistically responses to these type of distributions are lucky to have a 10-15% return.  When earlier distributions were made in Illahee they received around a 40% return.  Up through Saturday the early response has been 93 for and 6 against, which would be a 9% return so far, but with distributions ending this week, they are hoping the numbers responding will be closer to normal.  The big difference is the petition is asking residents if they would agree to a possible increase in Port taxes in this case.  Please let the Illahee Community Club and Port of Illahee know how you feel.

Our Thoughts.  We are amazed at the current high percentage supporting the petition and that so many are supportive of the possibility of having their taxes raised for a few years in order to protect the Illahee Creek corridor.  We are hoping that with the addition of the golf course, which brings current Illahee Preserve acquisition to 80% of its Master Plan, that a Land Trust may be willing to come in and help, along with possible grants and gifts, thereby negating the need to raise anyones taxes. 

Your Thoughts?  Let us know your thoughts so we can pass them on.

Jim Aho

Various Items - 9/1/10

Kitsap County Fair.  Several of us were at the Kitsap County Fair last week to answer questions regarding the Illahee Preserve, the Illahee Preserve/Illahee Creek Restoration Project, the Illahee Creek Surface Water Management Plan & stormwater issues, and the very recent gifting of the Rolling Hills Golf Course to Kitsap County.  We were there to help explain the many issues pertinent to Illahee and we kept busy all five days of the Fair answering questions.  Below is a photo of the booth that was in the Pavilion.  The Illahee Preserve photo board was in the Park's Dept booth next door.

New Update Recipients.  We found there was much interest in what was happening with the Preserve, Rolling Hills Golf Course, and Illahee in general, with a number being interested enough to want to receive the Illahee Community Updates that are sent out periodically to over 400 recipients.  Most of the new recipients are those who live just outside of the Illahee Community boundaries, but nevertheless want to know what is happening as they are close by neighbors, with many using the Illahee Preserve.

Illahee Preserve Maps.  Over the years there has been considerable interest in the Illahee Preserve and the trail maps at the Fair, and this year we went through more maps than ever.  We depleted the Park's Department pile and had to bring several hundred more that the Rotary and Illahee Forest Preserve group had printed up.  We should note that this is good as it shows the interest in the Preserve and also since we need to update the map very soon because several new trails have been added.

Letter re Rolling Hills.  Last Monday at the Commissioner's meeting the following letter was read by Bob Jarvis.  The same letter was to be sent to the Kitsap Sun, but an earlier draft version was sent instead. We have printed the correct version that thanks Don Rasmussen and Kerma Peterson for their very generous gift of the golf course.

        August 23, 2010

Letter to the Editor:

        Thank you Don Rasmussen and Kerma Peterson, for your extraordinary and especially generous gift of the Rolling Hills Golf Course!  

Illahee has become a recreational destination in Kitsap County and the greater West Sound area in a large part because of your work in establishing a premier and affordable community golf course.  While Illahee’s unique topography has limited development, it has fostered some incredible recreational opportunities such as the golf course, Illahee State Park, the Illahee Preserve, and the Port’s Community Dock, making this area and Kitsap County a great place to live. 

The Illahee Community appreciates your incredible gift and forward thinking that preserves Rolling Hills as a golfing jewel for future generations, and at the same time ensures the continuation of the “meals on wheels” program for seniors throughout the area.  Your gift will also help us eventually control the storm water surges that pollute Illahee Creek and Puget Sound.

Thank you Don and Kerma, Commissioners, and Commissioner Josh Brown for making it all happen!

Barney Bernhard, for the Illahee Community Club

Illahee Community Meeting.  We have been reminded that we did not yet report on the Illahee Community Meeting that was held last Monday evening.  The meeting was primarily spent with Kitsap County presenting information on the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) update that is currently underway.  There were many questions and concerns as what will be decided will affect all the Kitsap County shorelines.  The rest of the meeting was primarily reports with no new decisions being made or voted upon.  

Brochures & Petition Delivery.  We have been advised that a stormwater brochure and a packet with a petition and a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet is being distributed throughout the Illahee Community.  Evidently there were approximately 850 petitions out of 1000 that hadn't been distributed as they were hoping for a Grant or Land Trust to buy the Timbers Edge property.  When that didn't happen they decided to continue the petition distribution and decided to include the new stormwater brochure that had just been developed.  They have covered the area north of Third Street and are moving south.  We also heard residents are helping out by covering the Nobles Lane area and Rue Villa.  We have heard they are going to stop when they run out of the 1000 petitions they had printed.  If you don't get one delivered in the next two days, please let us know and we will send you by email the brochure, petition and FAQ.

Wildlife Pictures.  We have several wildlife pictures to pass on.  Deer continue to be frequent visitors to most all of Illahee.  This yearling buck didn't seem to concerned until we got really close.  The cormorants are starting to come back to nearby floats.  A few years ago there was a cormorant at the Illahee dock that acted like it was someone's pet.  The ravens are still in the Preserve, and gray squirrels seem to be moving further into the territory of the native Douglas squirrels.

Port of Illahee Meeting Date Change.  For the month of September only the Port has changed its normal 2nd Wednesday of the month meeting date and will be meeting on Tuesday, September 7th, at 5 pm at their new facility at 5560 Ocean View Blvd.  

Keep Sending in Information.  We will continue to pass information on that you send into us. 

Jim Aho