Farmland zone sparks concern over water
Crowds gather in Lyle to discuss hot button issue
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
Water issues ranked highest among concerns last week as Klickitat County residents gathered to debate the controversial Farmland Preservation Zone.
The zone, which would allow farmers to spot develop pieces of non-productive land, has been met with criticism in recent months around High Prairie, where a family has signed up to be first if it goes through.
On Thursday evening, about 50 people met at Lyle High School to discuss issues including health and environmental concerns, infrastructure, impact on neighborhoods, public investment, and program oversight.
After asking questions, residents circulated the room, placing green stickers on posters next to issues they found most important.
The biggest worry was how the zone could affect the region’s water supply, if passed.
“Are the water aquifers of Klickitat County adequate to support [the] proposed development?” read a large poster tagged to the wall.
Next to it was a cluster of more than 20 green dots.
Jacob Anderson, the White Salmon rancher who drafted the zone, said concerns are understandable, but stressed the measure would not add to water problems. On the contrary, he said, the zone is designed to ward off rapid development.
“The zone will lessen the amount of growth that can occur, as well as slowing that growth so that water can be assessed over time,” the rancher said.
Key questions beyond water included: “What uses qualify land as agricultural?” “Is there a maximum number of units that can be divided off?” and “Why should the public pay the associated costs when farmers receive the monetary benefit?”
Anderson, who is part of a statewide taskforce on farmland preservation, said the whole point of the zone is to slow down development, not speed it up. Farmers are having a hard time right now, he said, and even though many don’t want to sell their land, they see no other options.
The White Salmon man pointed to Okanagan County where a handful of farmers recently sold large portions of land to developers. They were then broken up into 20-acre lots.
“Overnight, they took 6,000 acres of good, productive farmland and within two years turned it into development,” said Anderson.
He said his goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen in Klickitat County.
Tom and Gail Amery, of High Prairie, are the first landowners to get behind Anderson’s measure. If the bill goes through, the couple said, they want their 2,200-acre farm zoned under it.
“If you haven’t been through farming, it’s hard to understand the struggles that you go through to survive,” said son James Amery, who works on his parent’s farm. “There’s a reason there’s not a lot of people up there.
“[This zone] keeps the dollars in agriculture. It’s not a fix-all but it’s definitely a help.”
Yet neighbor Lorna Dove is weary of the proposal. The High Prairie woman, who lives close to the Amerys, said they have publicly stated their goal is to develop.
She said the farmland zone will only encourage this, pointing out lots will be allowed to be divided smaller.
She also said there is currently a lot of red tape to navigate in order to develop and the zone will simplify that process.
“I think it’s creating a monster if it goes through,” said Dove. “It would radically change the character of the county.
“It would really liberalize greatly what our existing zoning is…[and] make dividing much easier.”
“I really think it should be renamed farmland development, not farmland preservation.”
Dove said if farmland preservation is the goal, they could do something like a deed restriction.
As written now, the measure would create a new zone classification — much like residential or commercial — to be called the Farmland Preservation Zone. Once in effect, landowners could apply through the county to have their property rezoned and incorporated into that area.
At this point, the measure would be strictly optional. However, residents have expressed concern in the past that what is voluntary now may later become mandatory, calling it a “slippery slope.”
Coordinators Thursday, which included High Prairie residents Gwen Berry and Peg Caliendo McMullin, called for a volunteer workgroup to sift through the concerns and determine where to send them.
The point of the meeting, they said, was to let people express those and get clearer information.
“The proposal has provoked a lot of deep-seated feelings about development and land use in our community,” said Berry in an email. “In the absence of an organized forum for discussing the issues, it’s been impossible to get a clear look at people’s concerns.
“The community has been seriously divided by this issue.”
In August, county commissioners sent the zone to a board with the American Farmland Preservation taskforce for further review.
That group will hold six meetings in October and November to hear public comment and analyze different elements of the zone, before writing a report to make recommendations.
The first meeting is in the Centerville Grange Hall on October 21.
KVH settles labor dispute
The Klickitat Valley Health hospital (KVH) and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW settled a labor dispute this week involving the January 2008 termination of employee Laura Scott-Daniel.
Administrators announced the move, which avoided arbitration, Tuesday afternoon.
According to Jeff Teal, KVH development director, Scott-Daniel lost her job for violation of the hospital’s nepotism policy when her husband Jim was elected to the Hospital’s Board of Commissioners.
The settlement rescinds the termination, and Jim Daniel continues to serve the hospital as a member of the Board.
“This has been a long, drawn out ordeal for all concerned,” said John Rohrer, Interim CEO at KVH. “We’ve learned some valuable lessons. As a result of the settlement, our conflict of interest and employment of relatives polices, so vital to better serving the public interest, have been revised and strengthened, and the Board has reaffirmed its commitment to administering these policies fairly and equitably.”
Scott-Daniel was returned to her former position as a radiologic technologist last Monday.
Chris Barton, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer, said he was satisfied with the outcome.
“Our members are very pleased that we could resolve this important issue. We want to commend the Board and administration of KVH for their decision to return Laura-Scott Daniel to her position at the hospital,” said Barton.
Campaign signs must meet State codes
As local and national elections heat up across the state and country, more and more political signs start appearing along Washington roadsides. WSDOT reminds campaigners that it’s illegal to post campaign signs on the state highway right-of-way. Signs within the right-of-way are prohibited.
WSDOT maintenance crews remove all illegal roadside signs within the right of way when performing routine maintenance work.
Under the Washington Administrative Code http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/ (WAC) 468-66, temporary political signs are allowed on private property as ‘on-premise’ signs; and no fee or permit is required. To legally post campaign signs visible from state highways, the property owner must give consent, and the signs must comply with all provisions of WAC 468-66 as well as any local agency sign ordinances.
The signs must meet the following requirements:
• Temporary political campaign signs are limited to a maximum size of 32 square feet in area.
• Temporary political campaign signs must be removed within 10 days following the election.
It’s not always easy for campaign workers to know if a given location is within the boundaries of a state highway right-of-way, but there are clues in many locations:
• Utility poles are typically located inside the right-of-way. If a sign location is being considered between a utility pole and the roadway shoulder, it’s likely the sign will be removed by WSDOT.
• Many locations also have a fence line separating the right-of-way from private property. If a sign location is being considered on the roadway side of a right-of-way fence, it’s probable that the sign is in violation and will be removed.
The best way to determine where a state highway right-of-way boundary lies is to check with local WSDOT regional offices.
For more information about outdoor advertising signs, contact Curtis Knopp, Outdoor Advertising Specialist, at (360) 905-2115 or visit the WSDOT website.
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