Member s of the Frederickson Clover Creek Community Council (FCCCC) met Saturday morning April 20. After conducting regular business, which included an appeal for someone to step forward to be the new President, they turned the meeting over to Jim McCune of the County Council and Hugh Taylor, Council Staff.
Jim McCune spoke briefly and turned the meeting over to Hugh Taylor, who explained the proceedings for the process of closing a section of 180th Street East as petitioned by the James Hardie Company. Taylor noted the county had received many written comments from local citizens and many of them made reference to the size of the signs the county will be placing to notify travelers of the impending closure. Over the course of the meeting, many in the room also asked the signs be large enough in size and print size to read in a moving vehicle.
“In Pierce County, I’ve never seen so d*mn many dead end streets in my life,” blustered Jim Wilson as he spoke of the impending closure.
Taylor summarized the issues raised in letters the county has received so far. They include
1) Process
2) Public notice
3) Emergency vehicle response
4) Traffic circulation
5) Utility location
6) Pedestrian movement
7) Historic properties
Paul Cusato asked if another road like 48th or 45th Avenue could be built on the west side of James Hardie to take traffic from that side, which also has some industrial land, to 176th instead of back through the residential area.
John Marshall predicted after this road vacation, there will be other companies that will try to do the same thing. He noted this is a precedent setting event and public comments about the procedure will set a standard for future requests to the council.
With over 25 years as a community association, the experienced Frederickson group was discussing the process in the interest of providing sensible ideas for the process, proceedings and mitigations that will make the change process more palatable and have as little negative impact as possible on anyone in the area.
Another member noted the road closure affects the route for the Frederickson “Fun Run.”
Jarrett Mattson asked for the county to create a list of costs vs. benefits for the changes. Noting there will be increased property taxes the state and county will collect on the plant expansion and wages of new employees.
Another member, speaking from past experiences said, “I hear a lot of ‘if-thens’ from the county. We don’t know if the ‘thens’ will happen.”
Taylor noted the documentation states that 50th Avenue will be built before the road closure occurs.
Jim McCune added that this proposal to close the road started before he was elected. The County Executive’s office was aware of the issue. They waited until the election was over to let the council know about it. He also added that the James Hardie Company has been a good neighbor.
Discussion continued about the continuity of roads in Frederickson.
“We have no roads that connect from north to south,” minced John Marshall. “Waller ends at 176th. Canyon ends at 200th. We should set up an enterprise fund to capture some of the new tax dollars to finish Canyon Road to 208th or 224th.”
Taylor noted Canyon Road is an “A” list project on the County’s six year road plan. The county already owns the right of way. He said the traffic impact fees collected from the James Hardie expansion will go to projects in the local zone which would include the Canyon Road Project.
The discussion will continues as two formal public comment meetings will be held in the near future. The County Traffic Engineer’s report is due May 9, that is 30 days after the resolution was passed April 9. At that point, the Council can begin the process of passing an ordinance that will close the road. More information on this process can be found on the web page the county created for the project.
http://www.piercecountywa.org/index.aspx?NID=3326
Pierce Prairie Post 