'Open Towne Road' supporters fill schoolhouse to capacity

www.CCwatchdog.com

It was standing room only for those wanting the County to reopen Towne Road.

Supporters of reopening Towne Road per the originally designed plan packed the Old Dungeness Schoolhouse to capacity Monday evening where they listened to a summary of events that contributed to the closure and were asked to take steps to support its reopening. All three County Commissioners were invited to the event but none were in attendance.

The event began with organizers recapping the timeline of the decade-long Dungeness Floodplain Restoration Project. Jeff Tozzer explained how the County’s messaging has continued to shift and he touched on key events surrounding the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s unanticipated breach of the 1963 Army Corps of Engineers’ dike that ultimately led to the unplanned closure of Towne Road.

“If it weren’t for the old dike being removed ahead of schedule, Towne Road wouldn’t have been closed. The original plan wasn’t to close Towne Road for even one day,” said Tozzer.

The meeting attracted a diverse cross section of Clallam County residents. “We just moved here, and I wanted to know what this was all about,” said one Sequim resident after the event. “I had no idea so many neighborhoods and businesses rely on this road,” said another.

Original design was for two-lane, through traffic on Towne Road.

After the presentation, residents were invited to ask questions. “Why hasn’t Towne Road been designated as an evacuation route for tsunamis?” asked someone who lives in the inundation hazard zone. “I’ll try my best to answer that,” began Tozzer. He said evacuation concerns can be traced back to at least 2015 when the County solicited public feedback about a possible Towne Road closure. However, as of October, the County had not taken steps to classify Towne Road as a tsunami evacuation route.

One longtime resident weighed in on the likelihood of Towne Road being used for evacuation during a tsunami or flooding event. “This whole place is going to be underwater except for that levee. It is higher and stronger than anything else around here.”

Tozzer said December is going to be a crucial month as Commissioners decide how to complete Towne Road and he asked supporters to do three things. “First, I hope everyone can attend the Commissioners’ meetings when Towne Road is on the agenda. Next Tuesday, December 5th at 10:00am, the Commissioners will be approving the 2024 proposed Annual Construction Program.” Tozzer explained that Towne Road is on the budget, but details on how, when, and if the road will be completed are unclear.

“We’ve asked the County and we are waiting to hear back,” reported Tozzer. “If the plan is to reopen Towne Road to through, two-lane traffic as originally planned, we’ve succeeded. If the County plans to surface the road as a private driveway, one-way lane, or narrow road that can’t accommodate large farm equipment, we need to show up and let the County know that we want what was always planned, designed, and promised.”

“Second, please write to the Commissioners and let them know why you want Towne Road open,” Tozzer recommended to the attendees. He explained that although the comment period has ended, Commissioners are still weighing public input while they make their decision. “So much new information has come to light in the past few weeks, we’ve needed time to understand things and form our views. Your opinion may have evolved, or even changed, and it’s perfectly acceptable to remind our elected leaders how they can best meet the needs of all of Clallam County.”

“Lastly, contact local media. Let them know that this topic is important to you and that you want to see it covered,” Tozzer requested. “There’s a lot of people in Clallam County that don’t even know Towne Road is closed, or they think that it will reopen soon. We need to make the community aware that Towne Road’s fate is still in the hands of the Commissioners.” A pamphlet was distributed with contact information for local media [The Editor of Sequim’s local paper can be reached at mdashiell@sequimgazette.com].

Attendees left with three “action items” to support reopening the road.

After the event Tozzer said, “I was awestruck at the support that turned out tonight. It took less than 100 signatures to convince Commissioner Ozias to close Towne Road, and what I saw tonight was way more support than that to reopen the road.”

When asked why so many people turned out for the event, Tozzer said, “There’s a number of reasons. Ultimately, people have paid for, and continue to pay for a Clallam County road that they can’t use. That really strikes a nerve.”

Event organizers announced that December will be a crucial month for Commissioners determining Towne Road’s fate.

Below is a format that can help in writing the County Commissioners. All three Commissioners can be reached by emailing the Clerk of the Board loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov or individually by emailing them directly:

mark.ozias@clallamcountywa.gov (Sequim area)

mike.french@clallamcountywa.gov

randy.johnson@clallamcountywa.gov

Dear Clallam County Commissioners,

I am voicing my support that you reopen Towne Road to two-way, through traffic as originally planned, designed, and promised.

Reopening this century-old vital link between communities supports fire, police, and medical services responding to community needs and returns the rights of Clallam County taxpayers to use the Clallam County road that they paid for and continue to fund. The newly elevated, fortified Towne Road levee is the most sensible egress route for residents if a flooding or tsunami event were to occur. Reopening the road according to the original commitment is what’s best for our local farms, small businesses, and Clallam County residents.

Please complete Towne Road surfacing as originally planned so it can once again serve the needs of Clallam County.

Sincerely,