Road project sparks debate

Residents share concerns about losing road access

Matt Baide | Apr 14, 20220

Matt Baide count

Residents look at maps of project alternatives at The Agate Grange No. 275 on April 7 in Shelton.

The Uncle John Creek lower culvert fish barrier correction project on Agate Loop Road was the subject of an open house April 7 at The Agate Grange No. 275.

About 30 people attended, including Mason County Public Works employees, to explain the two options for the culvert. The first option is to replace the culvert with a bridge. Option two is to remove the bridge to allow salmon to swim through the culvert freely. According to a flier for the open house, alternative two is the preferred option for Mason County Public Works.

David Smith, engineering and construction manager for Mason County Public Works, said the main reason for this meeting was to allow the public to weigh in on how their taxpayer dollars are being spent.

"We're not trying to convince anybody one way or the other, it's just public input," Smith told the Journal.

Smith said most people want to keep the road open, which would make alternative one their preferred option, which Smith said was expected.

According to an alternatives evaluation summary, the social factors considered for alternative one would not change anything and keep the road in place. Alternative two would force traffic to use Agate Loop Road and go around, with an estimated added travel time of "77 seconds."

Alternative one costs $2.9 million and would possibly receive an 80% match in state money in 2025. Alternative two would cost $200,000 with construction paid with county road money or with state matching money in 2023. Both alternatives improve the area environmentally for fish passage, but alternative two provides the potential for future benefits related to the Campbell Creek structure.

"Alternative two would achieve the project goal at a significantly lower cost compared to alternative one," the Alternatives Evaluation Summary states. "Alternative two will save an estimated $2.7 million over alternative one in near-term project costs and has additional benefits over a longer term."

Smith said the county met with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife before the open house and WDFW prefers alternative two.

Robert Meacham, who lives on East Sunset Road near the culvert and bridge, said he sees "a problem being created by county bureaucrats."

"They want to terminate our Agate Loop Road, which is our primary way, and they say, well you can merely drive around," Meacham told the Journal. "It didn't go over well with myself and obviously, it has not gone over well with a number of other people here. What they want to actually do is terminate the road just beyond the bridge that's there, simply cut the road off so there's a natural crook running through there. I can't see any advantage to this at all. They're saying they have to take the culvert out that's there right at the moment and replace it with a bigger culvert and a bridge? This is not necessary because the culvert that's there, the salmon are using it quite nicely." Meacham said the county is saying the money that could be saved on this project could go to other projects, including the Belfair sewer. He said it will take him five more minutes to drive around to a place he's lived for 52 years.

"My opinion is that the culverts there are adequate," Meacham said. "If they can prove to me that they're being forced to put a larger culvert in there, I might buy it. I've done some research on this and it's a vague area. Since the salmon are going through there right at this time, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Meacham said a lot of the people at the open house agree with him to keep the road intact.

One of those people who does not agree with Meacham is Willie Kick.

"I'm for the fish," Kick told the Journal. "I want the fish to live."

Kick said he lives 200 yards from Uncle John Creek and there are a few fish on the creek behind his house, but he was told years ago, there was a very good run of salmon. Kick said it's a problem that needs to be solved.

"It floods a lot, it's a big mess and I'd like to see it removed," Kick said.

Smith said the next steps are to take the comments from the community received at the open house and identify all the issues that were raised and put it into a spreadsheet and present it to the commissioners to decide. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin attended the open house and spoke with many people about the project.

The public comment period on the project ended Tuesday, and all comments will be considered in the department's final recommendation to the county commissioners.