Critics of diking district get a seat at the table

Published 5:03 pm Friday, February 13, 2009

Embattled Island County Diking District 1 has a new commissioner — one of its critics.

John Shepard, a retired professor of medicine, was appointed to the three-man commission this week by Island County Commissioners.

He was the only applicant as of the Feb. 6 deadline, and will complete the unexpired term of Bob Kohlwes, 77, who resigned Jan. 2 after growing tired of the controversy surrounding a drainage pump and other commission actions.

The other two commissioners are Steve Arnold and Ray Gabelein.

“I will represent everybody in the diking district according to the law,” Shepard said. “Certain groups have not been adequately represented.”

“I want it to be a very open and transparent governmental process where people are informed about what’s going on,” he added.

“Variety is always good,” Arnold, chairman of the commission, said Thursday. “He wants to get involved and help the district out. I think it’s going to be a good relationship.”

Gabelein declined to comment on the selection, except to say: “I would have liked to see more people apply. But it was up to the county; they handled it.”

Shepard, 63, a retired physician and professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has been a full-time district resident for the past year and a half.

But he said he and his wife, Coyla, have been visiting her relatives annually for 36 years, and they have owned property at Sunlight Beach for nine years. They also own property in Olympic View.

“I’m very familiar with the area,” Shepard said.

He will fill Kohlwes’ Position 2 seat on the board until the term expires in 2010. To continue on the board, he would have to run in a general election for a full six-year term.

“Whoever wins will be the first truly elected commissioner selected by the people in district,” Shepard said.

The comment echoed the critics of the existing board. Some have charged that residents aren’t notified when terms are up, so there’s no opposition, and commissioners are then appointed or reappointed by the county commissioners.

Arnold and Gabelein insist they have followed the law when it comes to public notification, but admit more up-to-date methods are needed, and that they’re working in that direction.

Commissioners recently contracted with a Freeland firm to provide space for district records and a meeting room. Previous meetings had been held at Arnold’s office in Bayview.

Disagreements between some residents of the diking district and commissioners came to a head last fall over an assessment for a $430,000 drainage-pump project.

A group of residents, Citizens in Support of Useless Bay Community (CSUBC), says assessments for the project are inequitable, that the project wasn’t property advertised and may not be needed, and that the diking commissioners themselves were not properly seated.

They also say the environmental impact of the pumping project hasn’t been properly determined.

“They sort of snuck it through under the radar, something I think is wrong,” Shepard said. “I’m seeking to correct some of these problems.”

Arnold and Gabelein contend that the commission has done nothing improper.

The community group has been urging county commissioners to suspend the actions of the diking commission until the issue can be sorted.

At a packed public hearing last fall, county commissioners declined to get involved. But there are now two new county commissioners, Helen Price Johnson and Angie Homola, who CSUBC hopes will be more sympathetic.

Diking commissioners have maintained that the pump, installed last Christmas Eve, is needed to handle increased flooding caused by runoff created by an increase in development and population in the area.

Meanwhile, Shepard, a member of CSUBC, said he will work from the inside to try to get the diking district on track.

“There have been a lot of problems with this diking commission, what they do and whether or not they have the authority to do it,” Shepard said. “I’m going to try to get these issues resolved.”

“I hope things run a lot smoother than they have in the past,” said Arnold, whose term on the commission runs to 2014. “I hope there won’t be more frivolous issues.

I think it’s going to be fine.”

Meanwhile, commissioners conducted a walk-through of the district this week for those interested in bidding on a maintenance contract. Through the years, commissioners and members of their families have cleared pipes and performed other maintenance on a volunteer basis.

“Hopefully, someone will bid, so us old fogies won’t have to take care of it,” Arnold said.

The district, which spans

743 acres surrounding Deer Lagoon on Useless Bay, includes the neighborhoods of Sunlight Beach, Olympic View and Sun Vista and the Useless Bay Golf and Country Club.

The diking commission meets the first Thursday of each month. The next meeting will be 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Edwards & Associates, 5492 S. Harbor Ave., Freeland.