EDITORIAL | Langley, the city where issues never sleep

A lot of news has come out of Langley of late. Some of it is good, some of it not so much. First and foremost, knowledge that soil in a storm water retention pond at Suzanne Court is contaminated with barium and diesel fuel sounds more alarming than it likely is. As multiple experts have pointed out, it’s not a public safety issue. We hope, however, the city’s decision to forgo earlier dredging plans due to the unexpected complication and expense of removing the soil, and simply drain the pond, remove underwater vegetation and clear drains, is only a first step.

August 7, 2015 7:45 pm

A lot of news has come out of Langley of late. Some of it is good, some of it not so much.

First and foremost, knowledge that soil in a storm water retention pond at Suzanne Court is contaminated with barium and diesel fuel sounds more alarming than it likely is. As multiple experts have pointed out, it’s not a public safety issue. We hope, however, the city’s decision to forgo earlier dredging plans due to the unexpected complication and expense of removing the soil, and simply drain the pond, remove underwater vegetation and clear drains, is only a first step.

Langley is the land of ghost shrimp bans, whale museums and safe refuge for out-of-control domestic rabbit populations. The town’s very veins run with tie-dye, liberal values and environmental pride. A pond polluted with barium and diesel fuel, no matter how small the amounts, simply has no place in the Village by the Sea. City leaders recently acted swiftly and decisively to remove more than 100 tires from city property, once they were made exceedingly clear of their continued existence, and they should do the same with the toxic muck.

Also worrisome is the latest hiccup with the Dog House. We’re still a bit cloudy on just what exactly the problem is with the complicated land swap and why the city’s attorney is concerned, but it’s crystal clear that these issues should have been hammered out long ago, particularly before the city council unanimously approved the deal this past March.

Everyone wants to see the Langley icon reopened, and thankfully city staff say the deal is still on. Nothing has changed. But, if Langley’s legal expert had qualms with the plan they should have been resolved before the matter went before the council. It was that uncertainty that birthed this week’s misunderstanding with the building owners, Charlie and Janice Kleiner.

Also, it’s situations like this and the food truck fiasco that exacerbate Langley’s reputation as business unfriendly. While some of that may be undeserved, with two back-to-back incidents, perhaps it’s time City Hall take self inventory of its internal processes and make improvements where needed.

On a more positive note, we are encouraged by the city council’s decision on Monday to alter the framework for an ethics committee. The qualifying rules were too tough, making it exceedingly difficult to form the new group. The council recognized that and took action to the correct the matter.

The committee’s genesis followed the fall of former mayor Larry Kwarsick, and the group’s constitution was born from the hard work of a citizen committee. Its realization was overdue, and we applaud the council’s willingness to see it done.