Board Representatives Meet with CityAugust 10, 2017

Synopsis

On Thursday, the 10th of August 2017, Ron Boyce and Susan Oatney-Stuck met with the city of Camas as representatives of the HOA Board and Common Area Land Use Committee for a pre-application meeting to discuss the Board’s plans to “properly maintain” Meadowlands Park. The city staff at the meeting were: Robert Maul, Sarah Fox and Anita Ashton. The concerned Citizens of Lacamas Shores were: Linda Harnish, Cindi Marrinan, Steve Nelson, Eric Hoff, Ryan Moore, and Richard Arnold.

Ron Boyce presented a bound document which included the Meadowlands Park study done by John McConnaughey, PWS and asked Robert Maul to comment on it. Mr. Maul said that since he’d just now received it, he could not comment on the material until he’d had time to read it but, he could discuss the permit requirements that the HOA would have to meet and the rough timetable for the various steps in the consideration of the request. It’s fairly clear that the HOA Board has no real idea of what they might be able to accomplish and what the city would require with this effort.

Mr. Boyce summed up problems with Meadowlands Park by saying it had been only “minimally maintained” over the years and that the purpose of the wetlands as a storm drain facility had become degraded. The Board is seeking permission to remove “garbage trees and plant grass” – essentially, they are intent on clearcutting the wetland area. He said this would restore the wetlands to the level of the original plan.

Mr. Maul made several comments about the effort:• The standards for wetlands management were more stringent now than they were in 1988 when the wetlands were first set up. Any changes to the current permit would be more costly than previously and more time consuming, as they would have to conform to the current regulations.• The trees in the county park, called The Heritage Trail, are totally off limits. No trees or brambles may be touched.• The trees between the HOA picnic area are also off limits. Dead tree branches and English ivy can be removed, but the city must not see any tree stumps or “thinned” branches, or “topped “ trees.

Linda Harnish was allowed to address the meeting on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of Lacamas Shores and made a short presentation. She gave a hard copy to the City along with two photos that supported the group’s concerns.

Linda’s Presentation on Behalf of the Concerned Citizens of Lacamas Shores:Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a few comments this morning, and let me begin by saying that we appreciate the time and energy that city staff members have put into this effort over the last couple of years — we know it has already been significant.

I represent a growing group of concerned citizens of Lacamas Shores. As homeowners in this community, we have a great many reservations about this project, and I’d like to mention just a few of those today.

As you are aware, the section of our common area that is being discussed functions as a bio-filtration system for the pollutants found in the stormwater making its way from higher elevations down toward Lacamas Lake. Since it was originally built in the late 1980s, and modified in 1990s this stormwater facility has been regularly monitored by city personnel who have had no serious concerns about its effectiveness that have not been addressed — even as the landscape changed from originally being sparsely populated with trees and grasses to now supporting the growth of hundreds of trees.

• We are concerned that removing all of the trees which have filled the area over the last 30 years will seriously impact the effectiveness of the bio-filtration system, and thus further degrade the already tenuous quality of

water in Lacamas Lake in violation of the anti-degradation provisions of the state’s Water Quality Standards.

• We are concerned about the effects this project would have on the wildlife in the area. With more and more construction being undertaken in and around the city of Camas and, in particular, immediately adjacent to Lacamas Shores, too many species of birds and wildlife are already being driven from their natural habitats. We’ve all seen them foraging for food in our landscaped yards as their natural food sources have been destroyed.

• We are concerned about the safety of the young children who play in the soccer field and on the playground apparatus adjacent to what would be an area of tall, swamp grasses growing in a wetland area. If nothing but grasses are allowed to grow where blackberries and trees now stand, the area will need to be fenced to keep young children from wandering into it and potentially drowning.

• We are concerned about the financial impact this project would have on the residents of Lacamas Shores. A project of this magnitude cannot possibly be funded from the reserve account of our Homeowners’ Association. And, it is extremely unlikely that the community would approve a special assessment for a project that will benefit only a small percentage of the residents. Our Board of Directors has finally realized this, which is why they are now looking to pay for this project with private funds solicited through a program of pledges — something like a Go Fund Me project. Apparently, someone in the group advocating for this project must have secured an estimate on clearcutting the area because suddenly the number of $30,000 (minimum) has been publicly attached to the project. Frankly, if all they needed was $30,000, they’d probably be able to raise that amount privately. But, it’s obvious that number does not include the costs for permitting, planning, engineering, possible sediment removal, re-grading, re-vegetation, monitoring and, of course, long term maintenance. Because the water quality of Lacamas Lake is impacted by the effectiveness of the bio-filtration system, we have no doubt that the city and state would be exacting in their requirements. We fear that at some point private funding would run out and the HOA would be forced to step in to satisfy the financial obligations and municipal commitments related to the project, which could easily bankrupt the Association.

• We are concerned about possible litigation against both the HOA and the city if approval for this project is granted.

• We are concerned that this project is not about neglected maintenance, but is a self-serving effort by a small group of homeowners who have been led to believe they are entitled to a view of the Lacamas Lake even though they do not live in one of the 37 homes that has guaranteed view corridors by virtue of living adjacent to the conservancy zone. As evidence of this, I am providing you with two photographs — one is a photo taken from one of their own websites proving that the area was already populated by trees to a large degree in 1991 ... long before most of these individual Lacamas Shores bought their properties. The second is a photo showing where the individual Lacamas Shores who have been so aggressively pushing this initiative live in relation to the area. I believe you’ll agree that they are among the very few who would benefit from a better view — that is, if one considers looking at grass better than looking at trees. As further evidence, I point to the fact that for several years now the group advocating for the project has been told they are free to remove the Himalayan blackberries which invade the area, however, those bushes have not been touched. Likely it is because they are not tall enough to block any views and they are regularly trimmed by our grounds keepers.• We are concerned that this project does not represent the wishes of the majority of the residents of Lacamas Shores. There are 253 home sites in Lacamas Shores, and only a handful of those would have a different view if the trees were removed. Unfortunately, this issue has already divided much of the social fabric of Lacamas Shores, and many residents have been reluctant to speak out or get involved in any way. As a result, this group of individual Lacamas Shores has been able to gain control of our Association’s Board of Directors which has enabled them to spend some of our Association funds for consulting services related to this project. We do not want to see more of our assessment dollars used for this purpose.

• We are concerned that approval to proceed with the project will do far more harm to our neighborhood than

good. The proponents of the project have been arguing that it will increase everyone’s property values, but our property values have been rising steadily for several years now and homes have been purchased by people with no expectation that their view will be anything other than what it is right now.

If this group continues to pursue this project after all they have heard today that will be required of them, we urge you to consider the good of the entire community of Lacamas Shores residents and deny them the right to secure permits to proceed.

In conclusion, I would like to ask someone from the city to answer just one question. The city-owned conservancy zone is just on the other side of the area being discussed —between the Heritage Trail and Lacamas Lake—and is blocking views of the water. Would the city ever be willing to allow the cutting of trees in the conservancy zone? <Response given was that the city will never allow trees in the conservancy zone to be cut/removed in the area along our wetlands.

Thank you for your time.

Linda Harnish3367 NW Lacamas DriveCamas WA 98607

Where the HOA board members live circa 2017

Where the HOA board members live circa 1991