Commissioner deflects clarifying questions

Email from Ozias sidesteps inquiry

September 13th, 2023

Dear Commissioner Ozias and Clerk Gores,

Thank you for making the time to hear the public’s thoughts about the final surfacing of Towne Road.  I want to make the most of the our time together on September 26th, so I’m trying to collect information before the meeting.  

Specifically I’m looking for:

• When was it decided Towne Road would not be open to traffic by September 30th?

• When did the Towne Road project transition from “temporary closure” to “possible permanent closure to vehicle traffic”.

• If the original funds to complete Towne Road surfacing by September 30th were reallocated, where did the funds go and who made this decision? 

• Are the petitions proposing permanent closure of Towne Road available for public viewing?

I have been reviewing several publicly available documents on the County’s website and searching for the term “Towne” but have turned up very little that pertains to my questions.  Any tips or additional tools you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jeff Tozzer

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Mr. Tozzer,

There was a significant additional expense associated with removal of contaminated soil around and underneath the old Towne Rd, and it took many months before we successfully secured additional funding to cover this cost.  The Commissioners were not comfortable moving forward until we knew how this cost would be covered.

Once that funding was secured, we determined that the best path forward for this season would be to send out to bid a variety of projects that would be necessary regardless of final surface option, the most substantial bit of work being re-leveling a section that has settled a bit.

Because the project did not unfold along the original timeline people have had the chance to use the space differently than we had originally envisioned, and many encouraged us to think differently about the future. 

Now that we are at the point where we have more certainty about available dollars we are keen to listen to the broad range of input from people who use the facility.  Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Mark Ozias

Clallam County Commissioner

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Dear Commissioner Ozias,

I appreciate your general insight into the Commissioners’ process but my questions weren’t answered in the level of detail I’m seeking.  Specifically, I’m looking for dates, meeting minutes, attendees, etc.  My intention is to be as informed as possible at the upcoming meeting but I understand if you aren’t the right person to provide this information.  I’ve been assured that the Department of Community Development is willing to assist in my request, just let me know if you’d like me to contact them directly.

Sincerely, 

Jeff Tozzer 

[no response from Ozias.]