Anti-road protesters picket courthouse

A glimpse of Towne Road's future

Protesters who want to convert Towne Road into a trail and private driveway gathered outside the courthouse Monday morning.

Nearly 20 people picketed outside the courthouse Monday morning, expressing their dissatisfaction with the County's decision to accommodate a trail beside a county road.  "No Pave," "Safe Trails, Safe Salmon," and "French Broke His Word" read signs waved by founders of Dungeness Levee Trail Advocates (DLTA) and their supporters while music played from a portable speaker.

The Dungeness Levee Trail, once enjoyed by walkers along the river, was demolished in 2022 by the Jamestown Tribe.  Despite the county’s efforts — a design incorporating a trail to replace the one destroyed by the Tribe — some remain dissatisfied with the compromise. One sign, carried by DLTA co-founder Rae “Danielle” Heselbach, read: “Pro Trail, Pro Tribe, No Road.”

Signs in hand, the protesters filed into the boardroom for the Commissioners' 9:00 work session. Towne Road was not on the agenda, and protesters began leaving an hour later. None remained when the work session adjourned at 11:30.  

This sign, carried by DLTA co-founder Charles Main, faced the Commissioners during their work session.

The Commissioners appear poised to move forward tomorrow at the 10:00 weekly meeting as they consider awarding a bid to complete Towne Road.  An agenda item reads, "Bid award—Nordland Construction NW for the Lower Dungeness River Floodplain Restoration and Levee Road Realignment Project—Phase 3 - 2024 Construction."  Nordland Construction NW was the lowest of four bids submitted to the County.

Commissioner Mark Ozias has found another ally in his efforts to weaken public safety and prevent the completion of Towne Road.  In a letter to Janet Marx, President of Protect the Peninsula's Future, Commissioner Ozias wrote that he still does not support the County's design.

This weekend, people walking on the unfinished roadbed glimpsed how the road would be used if Commissioner Ozias succeeds in keeping it closed to the public.  An event venue, previously announced by the landowners to be "closed,” held a function.  The event drew so much traffic that the landowners (one of a select few for whom the county has granted permission to use the public road) unlocked and opened the gates for several days.

Vehicles were granted access to the private event venue because the landowners had unlocked gates to the public road.

One Clallam County Watchdog subscriber submitted this account after walking on the levee. The subscriber’s account read, in part:

 I arrived at the South entrance around 2:50pm.

There was NO traffic control. Not a single person indicating people should slow down or watch for pedestrians or more. Maybe they had a parking attendant given how many people were driving in? There was no warning the pedestrians that were walking or biking. Cars were zipping onto unpaved Towne Road rather quickly from both the north and south entrances. I lost count of how many cars after over 10 (and more were coming). I want to emphasize I was walking on the levee ROAD, not the trail because DLTA wants us all to walk on the road, right?

The pictures tell the rest of the story. I later followed one of the attendees across Towne Road (because hey - it was open and holy cow - I just got to drive over Towne Road for the first time in 2 years!). I clocked that one at over 32 mph per my speedometer. I stopped trying to keep up after I found myself driving 32 mph on a dirt road.

PS while I have sympathy for someone holding a memorial service, this is just emblematic of how bad it will be if the road remains closed to everyone except the Eberles."

A pickup truck heading to a private event venue on the closed portion of Towne Road.

Before the event, the Sheriff's office and Commissioners were contacted about safety concerns however, after communicating with the landowners who own the venue, County leaders determined that additional safety measures were unnecessary.

This weekend proved that traffic and pedestrians can coexist on an open Towne Road. Residents are eager for its reopening, and for the first time in two years, many traversed the .6-mile section of county road that they paid for. Drivers who hadn’t walked on it were surprised at how far the levee was from the river. Many expressed that the height of the levee and sloped sides felt safe.

Perhaps Clallam County leaders can open the gates and remove the concrete barriers. The landowners can return the locks and keys, and the public can drive on the road again until construction begins this summer. This will ensure that emergency vehicles, residents, visitors, and event venue attendees can travel freely, just as they do on every other county road with a public right-of-way.

Several residents took advantage of the open gates to drive between Sequim and Dungeness this weekend.

Brandi and Nicole on Sequim

Thank you to everyone who welcomed podcaster Brandi Kruse and [un]Divided podcast’s producer Nicole Thompson to Sequim. They had a great time at the parade, car show, logging show, and especially at the Sequim Elks, where over 150 Clallam County Watchdoggers showed Brandi and Nicole how hospitable Sequim is. The ladies discussed their Sequim adventure on today’s podcast starting at timestamp 1:13:00. (If anyone recorded Brandi’s speech, please contact me).