LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Port’s silence on access is deafening
Published 8:00 am Sunday, December 7, 2008
To the editor:
One of the most important public access sites in Island County is still in jeopardy because of bureaucratic neglect, errors and indifference.
The old Greenbank roadstead is a link between Camano and Whidbey Islands. Just 3.6 miles from Camano, it is centrally located between Oak Harbor and Langley, Freeland and Coupeville.
A restored Greenbank Landing access, integrated with the Greenbank Farm, would be an attractive destination by land and sea. Imagine a central Island County Fair that could be attended by boat.
State Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen has said that the site was “supposed to be part of the whole Greenbank Farm deal” and that it “must not be allowed to go private.”
The silence of the Coupeville Port Commission on this issue is deafening, in spite of the fact that the current Port Comprehensive Plan supports a Holmes Harbor boat launch site at Greenbank and calls for “reestablishment of a marine transportation link for passengers and products.” Acquisition of this public access would validate the port’s administration of the presently landlocked Greenbank Farm.
The historic greater community of Greenbank has had the right to get to and from the water down Greenbank Road since settlement in 1906, long before the private development of Greenbank Beach was platted in 1944. The road has been in constant public use for over 100 years. This is Greenbank’s only town access. This past summer a selfish, well-heeled adjacent property owner constructed a stone wall blocking public access.
County files show that citizen complaints about private encroachment go back 38 years. One of their files is even labeled “Greenbank Road Encroachment.” Numerous past requests by county and port officials and private citizens for resolution have been swept under the carpet. This writer’s first inquiry was filed 35 years ago. For the past six months the issue has been languishing under review by the prosecutor’s office.
Public access to the waters surrounding an island is an essential part of island life. Access must not be limited to those wealthy or lucky enough to buy or inherit waterfront property. It is time for our county officials to stop this rip-off and secure this critical site for the public forever.
Glen Russell
Greenbank
