By Bill Sheets
For The Herald
EDMONDS — The Brightwater bill may have been defeated, but Edmonds opponents of the proposed regional sewer plant say they will continue their fight.
"We want them to know we’re not rolling over and giving up on this," said John Quast, a member of the Washington Tea Party, the Edmonds anti-Brightwater group.
The group’s strategy in coming months will focus on educating local residents on issues related to the proposed plant, Quast said.
The Tea Party will hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. next Monday at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St.
Also, the group will launch a statewide outreach aimed at resurrecting the bill that stalled in the Legislature.
The bill would have required an agency with cross-jurisdictional authority, such as King County Metro in the Brightwater case, to obtain the official permission of the governing body of a city or county to undertake a major project there.
Quast expressed pessimism the legislation could become law in time —spring 2003 is the earliest it could be approved — to affect the Brightwater selection process.
The draft environmental impact statement is due next fall.
Edmonds also has not given up fighting the location of the plant, Mayor Gary Haakenson said.
The other proposed site is along Highway 9 north of Woodinville.
Haakenson declined to reveal details, saying he didn’t want to tip the city’s hand.
"I really haven’t gone into any great detail for anybody on that," Haakenson said. "We have lots of things we’re working on, and I know it’s frustrating to the citizens that they don’t know what they are."
Haakenson is a member of the Executive Advisory Committee, a panel of officials that provides input to King County on the location issue. That committee has essentially replaced the Siting Advisory Committee of officials that helped set site selection guidelines.
King County also has assembled two other committees — "community task forces" of citizens, one for the Highway 9 site, another for Edmonds. The purpose of the task forces is to let county staff know what the concerns are among residents and to help set up meetings to discuss them, said Christie True, manager of major capital improvement programs for King County Metro.
Members of the Edmonds Community Task Force are: Bill Anderson, Dick Beselin, Woodway Town Council Member Peter Block, Don Hall, Frances Murphy, David Peterson of the Edmonds Alliance for Economic Development, Port of Edmonds Commissioner Ken Reid and Susie Schaefer.
Several other citizens — including opponents Quast, Haakenson and others — were invited to participate but declined.
"They (King County) say they’re not trying to be a group of missionaries (to promote the project), but the theme throughout the meeting was exactly that," Quast said.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 9, with the location to be determined. Meetings are open to the public but only task force members participate.
Quast said he doesn’t have much faith in the task force, but True does.
"It’s really important in any kind of project like this that all viewpoints be heard," True said. "We’d like to see it foster a healthy debate on what the issues are."
For example, she said, a concern has been voiced about odor.
"Let’s have a public forum on odor and hear the different sides," True said.
Those on the committee aren’t necessarily in favor of the plant, she added, but are interested in more information.
As for those who declined to participate, True said, "The invitation is still open."
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