Clinton Council ponders better days with roundabout, vision

Getting help from the state to better control traffic and from the county to craft a vision were the top priorities discussed by the Clinton Community Council during a monthly meeting Monday.

By Ben Watanabe • April 28, 2015 5:23 pm
Traffic bolts from the Clinton Ferry Terminal north on Highway 525 through the Deer Lake Road intersection in Clinton. The intersection is being eyed by Clinton area leaders for a roundabout to help manage traffic and create a safer pedestrian crossing.
Traffic bolts from the Clinton Ferry Terminal north on Highway 525 through the Deer Lake Road intersection in Clinton. The intersection is being eyed by Clinton area leaders for a roundabout to help manage traffic and create a safer pedestrian crossing.

Getting help from the state to better control traffic and from the county to craft a vision were the top priorities discussed by the Clinton Community Council during a monthly meeting Monday.

Eight volunteer members of the council’s board, led by Jack Lynch as president, met at the Clinton Community Hall to discuss their ongoing projects. Most of the larger items covered are years away from becoming reality, among them a roundabout at the intersection of Deer Lake Road and Highway 525, and getting vast input from the Clinton community to help create a vision for what the area should look like in the Island County Comprehensive Plan update.

“As it is, the existing plan doesn’t have a whole lot about Clinton in it,” Lynch said in an interview prior to the meeting.

The comprehensive plan is the guiding document for planning and growth. It regulates zoning and development. Periodic and state required updates are opportunities for citizens and governments to make course corrections based on population growth and projections, as well as changing environmental codes. Now, it’s Clinton’s time to better determine where it will head in the next 20 years.

“Clinton’s been told for 10 years, ‘Just wait for the comp plan update.’ Well, the time is here,” said Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, a council member and Clinton resident.

The council has long derided the highway as essentially splitting Clinton’s commercial area in two. Crossing the lanes on foot, bike or car is rarely a simple jaunt and the community council wants to improve safety and access with a roundabout.

The problem, as is usually the case, is funding. Curt Gordon, a Port of South Whidbey commissioner and community council member, said the Washington State Department of Transportation can build a roundabout for around $300,000, but the funding just isn’t there for Clinton.

To help ease the burden, council member Doug Hofius designed a roundabout to show how it can be built.

“We think it would accomplish several things, not just certainly slowing traffic,” said Lynch, a retired community planner. “It would provide a safer haven for pedestrians crossing the road. It could also have some landscaping as part of our hope for improvement.”

Some businesses near the ferry have struggled. Several “for lease” and “for sale” signs dot either side of the highway. The council sees the comprehensive plan update as a means to eventually spark revitalization in the area in a “if you build it, they will come” mentality. Ben Watanabe / The Record | Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson laughs during a Clinton Community Council meeting April 27 at Clinton Community Hall. Behind her, resident Ryan Porter dropped by as the only non-member to the open, public meetings.

One of the council’s pet projects, the Clinton Food Shed, appears to be adrift. Created in a partnership with the Clinton Progressive Association, the shed was envisioned as a cafe, produce market and gathering place to be an anchor in the area and a draw for locals and visitors. The struggle was finding a location, despite numerous vacancies, with a suitable commercial kitchen and parking, and funding. Donations were taken, but a possible procedural problem with the board led member Hal Schlomann to resign and ask that the money be returned to donors and the account closed. About $1,700 was in the account.

“At the moment, I guess we’re in hiatus,” Lynch said.

“I think the feeling was things could move faster than they really can,” he added.

A market study of Clinton, commissioned by the Port of South Whidbey, may help greatly in determining what its assets and allure are for business owners and residents. Gordon said the port district, charged with economic development, should have a request for quotes issued in the next two weeks and that the information would ideally be available before the year’s end.

Some of the big events ahead for Clinton include May Day on May 30 and the second annual Clinton Town Picnic in September. Events may be the future fundraisers for the council’s endeavors. Its bankroll has sat at about $700, said Lynch, with $300 for website development and $400 for the non-profit status application. That money came from $50 membership dues by the council members, and Lynch asked the council to again pony up $50 to help cover some promotional costs.

“Short of Clinton’s own Choochokam, we need some seed money,” Gordon said, referring to the annual arts and music festival in Langley.

The community council meets the last Monday of every month and the meetings at Clinton Community Hall are open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 because that Monday is a holiday.