Washington State and GH Citizens agree...

WA State Says GH is not planning for the future of our town.

           The Gig Harbor Mayor had a letter in the newspaper recently.  She made references to 1990's and sewers that some of our citizens enjoy. 
          We have a mayor and council who are stuck in the past and supporting developers all the way. 
          The State of Washington and Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) agree with Gig Harbor citizens and have determined Gig Harbor is not preparing for the future. 

IN 2015 Washington State told the city of Gig Harbor to limit growth and future zoning should promote a small historic town.  Washington State told Gig Harbor to plan for handing traffic before allowing more growth.  Gig Harbor has not demonstrated to Washington State that is prepared to handle future growth or prepared for a functioning city in the future.

             It is the job of Washington State, though the Puget Sound Regional Council to plan how our city grows into the future.  Planning for the future is accomplished by goals written into the Gig Harbor comprehensive plan.

 A comprehensive plan is a broad statement of goals and policies that direct the coordinated physical development of a city into the future. A comprehensive plan anticipates change and provides specific guidance for future legislative and administrative actions.

The state has said that Gig Harbor has failed to prove it is planning for the future.  It has failed to prove it is planning for limited growth.  Gig Harbor has failed to prove it is planning to handle the traffic and infrastructure before allowing for more growth.

On March 3, 2016 Washington State, through the Puget Sound Regional Council said NO to fully approving our Gig Harbor Comprehensive Plan.  The PSRC has said Gig Harbor does not have regulations in place to demonstrate it is planning for the future of our city.  Derek Young appeared on this video with the PSRC and agreed it was poor planning that got GH into this mess.

 Not having a fully approved comprehensive plan is a big deal.  When a city has a reputation for not cooperating with the state, that reputation can negatively affect a city’s ability to receive grant funding.  The Cushman Trail, Skansie Park, Ancich Park, to name a few projects, were created with grant money.

 Change will always happen, but you have to thoughtfully plan for the change. Washington State said Gig Harbor has not planned for this change and should have limited growth until the infrastructure was in place.  Washington State determined Gig Harbor has not demonstrated through rules and regulations that it is planning for a functioning city in the future.

There is a very big disconnect between our mayor and city council and the concerns of Washington State for the future of our city. 

  

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

Gig Harbor Herons Belong to All Us!!

If you are here to read about secret meetings please scroll to the next post.  Otherwise please enjoy this post about Gig Harbor Herons.

 

Were you aware Gig Harbor has a heronrie? A colony of herons is called a heronrie.

Down by the Gig Harbor History Museum!

Mike Willet is a wonderful photographer and this is his photo of one of our Gig Harbor Herons.  Thanks to Mike for sharing.  Check out his other photos online.

This lovely green area on Soundview and Harborview and across from 7 Seas is home to Gig Harbor Giant Blue herons. Our herons are a native species protected by state & federal regulations. If our herons are disturbed it is jail time and a big fine. A perfect spot for a Gig Harbor Heron Sanctuary or land conservancy. Gig Harbor herons have lived here for generations. This is their home, their nests and soon to be babies. Do not disturb.  Surely no one wants to see this area turn into Peacock Hill.

 When the wind shakes the nest our herons need to rebuild. Thanks to whomever sent this one in. Gig Harbor is surely blessed to be home for colonies of herons.

The wing spans on our Gig Harbor Herons are about 8 feet across. 

And these flat pancake type nests are about 6-8 feet wide.

Here's the story on our herons.  

Herons have made Gig Harbor their home for generations.  And they are especially happy  in their colony, preparing for the mating ritual and egg laying.  Did you know some of the eggs are blue?

Here's the concern:

  The folks who own the property our Gig Harbor Herons call home do not live in Gig Harbor.  The property owners are very kind and generous folks and interested in selling their property.  Thank goodness our herons and their nests are protected by State and Federal regulations. 

  These green trees would be a lovely spot for a Heron educational sanctuary or park or land conservancy. Perhaps it is time to explore a permanent option for our Gig Harbor Herons.  Perhaps there is a way to work with the owners so that it is a win for the owners and a win for our Gig Harbor Herons.

  Perhaps it is time to begin a conversation for a permanent home for our Gig Harbor Herons.

The Mayor and City Council are waiting for your thoughts.  Easy to email them.

Mayor and Council email addresses: 

guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net 

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor

 Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

Where has the Sunshine gone??

 Where has the Sunshine gone in Gig Harbor?

   If you read the Tacoma News Tribune Sunday March 13, you read this is Sunshine Week all over these United States of America.

            Sunshine Week defines the importance of open Government and freedom of information laws.

            In 2015 The Gig Harbor Mayor and City Council set up a secret committee for the purpose of holding secret meetings.  There were to be no recordings and the public was barred from attending these secret meetings.
            The stated intent of these secret meetings was to discuss rezoning Gig Harbor’s waterfront.  Members of the public were to be interviewed.

EXCEPT

             No one knew about these secret meetings so interviewees were few. OOPS.
            The city did a selective outreach and invited business groups, builders and developers to be interviewed.  Purposely, the city did not invite folks who had ever spoken in favor of preserving our historic, residential waterfront to be part of this discussion.
            Several folks were interviewed at once. The Council did not want evidence of these meetings so handwritten notes were taken by the Planning Department. These are the same employees the council directed with finding support for their rezoning our waterfront.
            Soon the planning department will make public what they wrote down.

            When a meeting has a stated outcome.....
when participants have a financial stake in the outcome.....
when words are not recorded.....
and.....
meetings are not open to the public,.....
  there is NO open government.

( Was the downtown location of our herons discussed at these secret meetings?)  

In the fall of 2015, during a City Council meeting the Mayor assured C4GH these meetings were intentionally set up to be secret, to require no minutes and to bar the public.  Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor asked the City Council to require these meetings be open....Council member Malich was the only council member who spoke in favor of open meetings.  The rest of the council refused to ask for open meetings.

Talk about your Open Government....

     The Mayor and City Council are waiting to hear your opinions about secret meetings....EXCEPT, their email addresses are not so OPEN and easy to find on the city web site.
      Thank  goodness you will find those email addresses right here:

Mayor and Council email addresses:

guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

Several of you asked for additional detail information regarding those secret meetings to discuss rezoning downtown.

Here is the detail chronological order:

     Around July 2015  The Gig Harbor Planning and Building Committee members are Council members Kadzik, Ekberg and Lovrovich. The Gig Harbor planning department explained to these council members the intent of this secret Harbor Element committee is to discuss rezoning downtown.   (The Planning and Building committee is less than a quorum.  It is recorded and open to the public.)  This meeting and conversation is recorded.
    Around August 2015.   Planning Commissioners continue their discussion regarding a special, non public and non recorded secret committee with the intent of this secret committee  to discuss rezoning downtown, higher density, building sizes, etc.
  Planning Commission meetings are recorded and this conversation was recorded.

September 2015  Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  inquires about these secret meetings during the public comment time of a city council meeting.  Our concern is about the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine and Open Government.
  We asked each of the council members if they would support having this subcommittee be recorded and opened to the public.  Council members Kadzik, Payne, Lovrovich, Perrow, Ekberg, and Arbenz refused to support opening these meetings to the public. Council member Malich was very concerned that the public is blocked from these meetings.
      The Mayor and city attorney told C4GH this committee was created not to have a quorum and thereby  barring the public from attending and not allowing any recording of the meetings. (in 2014 The Wa State Supreme Court said that committees where there was no quorum did not have to be open to the public and did not have to be recorded. This is still being contested in the courts. GH Council committees do not have a quorum,  and are open to the public and recorded.  The Mayor and council could have opened this secret meetings to the public last Sept. They deliberately chose not to do so.)
   This council meeting was recorded. This conversation recorded at the council meeting.

    December 2015.  C4GH accidentally stumbled on the fact these secret meetings were happening. Any citizen could ask to be interviewed....BUT citizens had to be aware there was a meeting.   Then citizens had to click thru the city site to discover a buried invitation.  After C4GH wrote a public opinion in the newspaper about the secret meetings and the buried invitation, the city finally put the invitation on the opening page.  Of course the public still were not informed there were meetings happening.
  In 2013 a downtown interested persons email list was established by the city. Lots of folks signed up for this notification.  The Planning Dep said  they were not going to use this email list to notify and invite folks to participate in the secret meetings. There was never any out reach to anyone who had spoken to preserve downtown and to fix the traffic first.
  For a fact, the Planning Dep went to the Downtown Waterfront Alliance and invited those businesses to be interviewed.  The outreach was to folks who were on the record as supporting changing downtown.
  Several of C4GH members insisted on being interviewed and experienced how these meetings were conducted. Builders, developers, real estate, business owners were invited to be interviewed. It is not humanly possible to listen, talk and accurately hand write the conversations of 3 more people at the same time.
    It is important to remember the heron colony is located downtown in an area  that could have been discussed during the secret meetings.  No one will ever know.
    These meetings were secret. There is no verification on questions, answers or discussions.  

    Absolutely nothing is verifiable that comes from these secret meetings. 

  Secrecy was the intent of the mayor and city council. 

Some believe the council is determined on rezoning downtown and charged the Planning Department with finding folks to support their rezone scheme.  The proof will be in the pudding.

"The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have create."   Washington State Constitution

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: 
 Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! 
Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com 
https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor 
Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!