FORT FLAGLER DEVELOPMENT RESTRICTIONS

Transcription

1 FORT FLAGLER DEVELOPMENT RESTRICTIONS Access via hwy into park is limiting. Folks won t develop so far away from town. This is NOT Ft. Worden. Consider the limited viability of other camping/cabin facilities on Marrrowstone. Lack of economic viability. The reason Fort Flagler and Marrowstone Island are great is because families feel safe in the park which has great bike and hiking trails. Lets work with what we have. The island is happy as it is so if we develop a fancy lodge that means are roads will take way more abuse. Traffic is a hugh thought. Any cabins or common facilities should be well-built and aesthetic enhancing the park experience. No ticky tacky construction. Need to retain habitat for wildlife. Need to reduce carbon sequestration. Consider the distance of Fort Flagler from urban centers more commuting. No cutting of trees. Need to protect the current natural resource. NO NATURE REMOVAL. What are present park populations and the projected numbers. Contingent on secondary island electric supply (not across Indian Island.) Water consumption not from island aquifer. Bus vs. individual transportation. Development not visible from any existing road. Ideally multi use so attractive to both winter and summer visitors. Historic building restoration very important. Restaurant could benefit islanders too. Facilities should enhance rather than diminish preparedness. Support vs. compete with Norland store. Attract, then educate youth. It is imperative that natural habitats and species take priority over development. It is critical that park development not create unsafe conditions for island residents due to increased traffic. Develop plans must take usage into consideration. I think keeping the buffer between the main roads and the park keeps it safe. No additional light pollution. Limit any use to existing built up area. Contiguous shoreline, forest and wetland (undisturbed) is a major benefit of Flagler. No ZIP lines or motorized vehicle activity. Concern about not over populating the park or Marrowstone, i.e. overnight census should not increase by more than 20%. Restoration of existing bldgs.. That brings revenue f/rentals. Downsize prices f/rentals. Think outside the box f/rentals. Any RBAs should have some isolation from each other for a true experience of WA State Parks. Outdoor cooking must be carefully facilitated. Units should be in keeping with wood and the flora in its surroundings. Will the park rangers be responsible for supporting RBAs. Don t negatively impact existing trail system. Keep in mind Flagler has only 1 road on/off island be mindful of density of peak times. 4

2 Carbon Neutral. No light pollution Low H 2 O use. In existing areas already developed. Sewer restrictions on more campers. Traffic considerations. Ruining the natural appeal. Developer liability. Don t experiment with a proven money-making park. Marrowstone has infrastructure issues: Limited egress Flagler road is already dangerous for people on foot (runners, walkers) and on bikes. We are minutes from the hospital We are likely to be cut off in the event of disasters (e.g. earthquake.) These safety concerns must be dealt with before increasing traffic/visitation on the island. No glam camping. User groups that are members of the Fort Flagler Group Camp Assoc. are very concerned about the loss of use of the ELC/Retreat Center/ Heritage buildings once the new partners come into the park. IE: Cost to use/rent Priority reservations. Also, Overcrowding of open space. Maintaining the solitude Resource/util usage Noise, traffic, privacy. Thanks! Restoration of existing buildings is great RBA idea. Consider the wildlife when use natural land this is their home. Restore Fort buildings Ft. Worden is under our park supt. He can DO THIS! RBA LOCATION Can Flagler Road and Nordland store handle more traffic and consumer demands? Has there been a supply and demand analysis (e.g., supply of willing partners) (investors) to respond to demand for lodging) at Flagler in particular. If people come here for water, woods, history are they not seeking proximity in company to water views? Much of designated areas are secluded. Will they make $$? Spending more money to develop new roads and new facilities does NOT make sense. No new development. Any new income should come from restoration/rental of existing historic buildings. Us the existing historical buildings for RBA activities. Restoration of existing historical buildings should be the priority. RBA s should be located using existing roads and infrastructure. Avoid Development on perimeter of park where neighboring property owners will be affected. RBA should use existing structures. No net increase of buildings. Impact of RBAs and increased traffic (human and vehicles) should be reduced. Fort Flagler has abundant wildlife habitat that would benefit 5

3 from less human activity. Winter months bring flocks of wintering shorebirds which use shoreline, parade fields and empty grassy areas. They are gone when people return. Taking more forest out of forest use is unacceptable, especially when there are buildings and built out areas of the park that can be renewed/rehabilitated. Do this RBA in the old fort, not in the forest. Using existing building of CAMPSITES makes the most sense Bathrooms in large bldg.. REDO THE BUILDINGS (like Fort Worden.) Keep our Fort alive. Do not add campsites. Leave the forest alone! Building in the forest is a breach of trust, nothing less. Especially considering that there are huge areas in the park that are already built out (the Ft. proper) which also need some renewal. It seems like a win-win to put cabins in the Fort area and to leave the forest alone. Minimal on sites. Anything built should be out of hearing and sight of any private residences and property. Consider a first class restaurant and conference facilities which don t otherwise exist in Jefferson County! The hospital already has a commercial kitchen. Return of Hostel in keeping with access to all. FOCUS RBAs in existing developed areas I would support expansion and re-building of historical area but not new development in recreation area. REAL ESTATE Charge more for current campsites. To bring in more money. If you need money charge the campers more then you won t need to expand the camp sites. How will S.P. address the impact RBA expansion will have on the surrounding communities Road traffic, law enforcement and particularly emergency services. What plans will S.P. have for the event of larger scale disasters. How will a large transient population be cared for so as not to stress the surrounding community. What about small island traffic and more visitors. Septic problems with more people. State Parks should consider larger picture how does it policy accommodate climate change? These parks will be subject to significant ecological change appropriateness may be temporal. OTHER ISSUES 1.Seems the goals/mission of Parks are governed by money. Better to close the gate and let nature run its course than develop this natural resource. 2.Ft. Flagler uniquely unsuited for development due to location on Marrowstone and limited access. + Increased park visitation could bring more customers to the Nordland Store. An accurate census of status and distribution of wildlife needs to be done to assess impact of any RBA. E.g. parade grounds are wintering habitat for migratory birds. Upper campgrounds (closed in winter) are owl habitat. How about more regular campsites? Summer camping seems hard to obtain. People with average to lower income could benefit. 6

4 Consider impact of proposed RBA on community capacity i.e. emergency services, traffic patterns, emergency preparedness. Minimize clearing of timber to accommodate facilities. Glam camping better option than basic cabins. Keep all services accessible to all people don t price low-income folks out of parks. RE: LACK OF REVENUES for State Parks in GENERAL the agency needs to explore finding a steady stream of funding from license taxes, etc., instead of relying on the economic market. Revenues will likely be very seasonal how will this help? With the beautiful views here, and one hot dog stand, is a larger dining facility, restaurant being considered? How would you mitigate the additional traffic on Flagler Rd? What assurances would be provided to ensure RBA cabins would not become long term housing? Prioritize restoration of existing buildings for rental. Establish and enforce max. length of stay regulations. Consider environ. Impact to community on traffic (one road.) Is the old pier at the lighthouse/bunker area being considered for replacement, a small snack, bait, fishing shop would be nice there. Upgrading the current buildings on Ft5. Flagler grounds would be a very positive move. FOFF have worked to restore hospital bldg.. The Theatre also was on our list. Fundraising is often deterred due to Discover Pass. How can Parks work together with Friends to bring more people to parks? The limited road access could prove dangerous with extra folks. How can you assure residents of Marrowstone Island that the impact of park development will not negatively affect property values as well as degrading living conditions? It is interesting that you do not have a category that is about environmental concerns somewhat telling in fact. I m putting this under other..but want to stress that environmental impacts should be your top concern/priority, and as presented, it seems like it is an after though/of no real importance. What about rare and endangered species? When does that get considered? Hard to visualize any benefit to the community (residents) please identify. All I can see is community impact. It is hard to get reservations for groups between 8-40 or more Are more group facilities being explored? No developing just re-furbish the buildings. We don t want anymore traffic on these narrow roads. The campground attracts a large number of people because of the pristine nature of the park. How can you be sure that development will not ruin the atmosphere? Inadequate roads and bridge for any additional traffic. Currently RV s coming off/on island practically run over pedestrians. The forest areas in the SE section of the park are important habitat areas that need to be protected. They definitely should exclude any more development. The forest is remarkably diverse in species. Fragmenting the forest would be detrimental to its health, as would intentionally increasing the traffic and visitation in those areas. TRAFFIC! SPEEDS! 7

5 *Raise the price of the discover pass $.50 $.65 is not unreasonable for unlimited access. *Utilize the existing breakout rooms as glamping cottages. *Undeveloped areas are not poorly used better for wildlife refuge. Traffic will be an issue on Flagler Rd. Will an impact study be provided? Speeding already a problem during summer season. Costs for bringing in food, and other services road impacts, etc. 3-5 mos of operation. The rest of the year unused. Dev t does not make sense. Restrict any glamping to a specific area but give regular campsites the same type of view. Traffic on Flagler is dangerous now volume is scary. Seems to be geared toward people who have more $ -even the Discover Pass has made the park/s inaccessible to some. Can Marrowstone absorb the increased summer traffic. Development may destroy what people come here for. It is no longer camping not my idea of a park. Bring more of a variety of events. Modernize bldgs.. to accommodate these events. Check with all the festival events that are happening in our area Rhody, Victorian, Boat Festival, Maritime and how can Fort Flagler help to facilitate. Has extra traffic on Marrowstone and Indian Island been considered? *How about a program or plan to fill the void of under used camping and rentals now existing? *Be aware of traffic/services that are needed to accommodate more development. Non RBA ideas: o Lease a bit of land in the park for a cell tower or other communication tower o Work with USGS and/or U of W to expand the existing research facility. Glamping is a great new trend but is attached to entertainment venues according to my sources. And the whole island has NO upscale restaurant. 8