Towne Road goes out to bid

Ozias sole commissioner to oppose motion

Today delivered important news on two fronts.  First, a majority of commissioners passed a motion that sent the surfacing and completion of Towne Road out to bid.  Second, we now clearly know that Commissioner Ozias is beholden to special and private interests.

In a show of arrogance, Commissioner Ozias ignored the County Engineer, County Biologist, Director of Community Development, Department of Ecology, Army Corps of Engineers, and the county's engineering consultant.  Instead, he relied upon the presentation by Clallam County’s Trail Advisory Committee that claimed the currently designed road/trail hybrid is "unsafe" and that the project should be paused until it is determined who the users of the Towne Road Levee are.  This is also the desire of Commissioner Ozias' top campaign donor, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

The county recently received a letter from the Jamestown Tribe questioning whether the designed stormwater mitigation technology is sufficient.  Ozias echoed the Tribes' concerns and was told the planned mitigation exceeds the Washington State Department of Transportation's recommendation by at least 25%.  The Commissioner requested to see the calculations associated with using sand and gravel for drainage and a representative from the engineering consultant firm was patched in via Zoom to answer Ozias’ many questions. 

Commissioner Ozias’ second-guessing every aspect of this project was a shameless display of ego that should offend every professional who has worked tirelessly to restore this vital link between communities.  His summary of the Trail Advisory Council's recommended actions had to be corrected multiple times by Commissioner French and when it became clear that French and Johnson were in favor of sending the project out to bid, Ozias launched into one final dizzying, bewildered, misinformed plea that lasted 17 minutes but said very little.  

Nearly two and a half hours into the meeting a motion was made to call for bids. Johnson and French voted in favor of the motion; Ozias was opposed.

It was just over three months ago that all three commissioners passed a resolution committing to the completion of Towne Road by this fall.  That resolution was a promise from the Board of Commissioners to the people, and it served to restore the public's faith that the county's oversight of large infrastructure and environmental investments was trustworthy. 

Today, Commissioner Ozias abandoned that promise to his constituents and eroded public trust.  The damage he has caused to local government will be measured in the coming weeks, months, and years.  The resulting doubt, mistrust, scrutiny, and skepticism will add to the gridlock that has contributed to our county’s economic stagnation.  Today's events announced that the people of District One have no representation in Clallam County, but special interests and top campaign donors do.

Towne Road isn't a done deal, but it's a lot closer to being completed than it has been since the Jamestown Tribe breached the original dike two years ago and caused the road’s closure.

For those of you planning a special event for up to 300 guests, two landowners on Towne Road (who have requested that their names not be used) are currently advertising a wedding venue.  Rates start at $5,231 for 50 guests.  The landowners are co-founders of "Dungeness Levee Trail Advocates," or DLTA, a charitable nonprofit that seeks to close Towne Road to the public and install automatic, electric, taxpayer-funded gates.  Visit the website by clicking here.  

It is a violation for charitable nonprofits to benefit private interests.  Even in Clallam County.