The South Shore Road Advisory Committee (SSRAC) met Wednesday at the Church at 4:30. Attending were Win Anderson, Anne Casperson, Darcy Daniells, Paula Dekker, Roz Glasser, Tony Maggi, David McKibben, Jim Nichol, Edith Walden and Dennis Wyatt. Absent were Marc Caputo, Susan Ferrell, Carl Meinzinger, Bruce Rooney, and Sally Smith. Attending as guests were Harold and Mary Scott of 5731 South Shore Road, Jen Minmaugh, Michelle McEachern, Ken Schorr, and Susie Fox.

Connie Snell and Jon Prescott have resigned from the committee due to their inability to attend regularly. Sally Smith will now be an official committee member.

Jim Nichol led the meeting. The minutes were adopted.

Jim Nichol read a letter from the “west-end” Scotts thanking the committee for their work and supporting the proposal for a long-term access road just north of the existing South Shore Road to access west-end properties. Ken Schorr requested that such an access road be extended to the west corner of his property.

Discussion began again on the long-term proposals for the east end of South Shore Road. Win Anderson submitted a letter outlining his family’s support for moving the road inland starting at Glencoe Lane and exiting at the Brown/Davis property line, approximately 1100’ north on South Shore Road after it turns north at the “chicken foot” intersection. He thinks the proposal to move the road north primarily in existing right-of-ways should be considered only as a short-term solution.

Jim Nichol called for a meeting with potentially impacted landowners to present all four east-end proposals for moving the road inland if armoring the bank is not a feasible option. [Upon reflection following the meeting, Jim concluded the process was being rushed and he called for the meeting to be canceled until further discussion.] He will ask Public Works to send a representative to the next meeting to answer previously asked questions about armoring the bank.

Jim Nichol moved the discussion to short-term solutions. In addition to drainage and safety concerns, there are three basic proposals: leave the traffic pattern the way it is; make South Shore Road from Guemes Island Road to the “chicken foot” intersection accessible only to local traffic; or return the road to two-way traffic by adding one lane north of the existing road at the danger spots or allowing two-way traffic except at the danger spots where cars would yield to one-way traffic. The committee has heard conflicting opinions from county representatives about the two-way solutions. The committee is hoping for clarification next week from a county representative.

Members were assigned tasks of presenting the pros and cons of each alternative at next week’s meeting in preparation for the public meeting July 18.

Members began to list suggested mitigation for the permanent replacement of South Shore Road. Items include sharing easements equally across property lines where possible, avoiding the destruction of large trees (8” diameter), minimizing construction dust, installing access roads to landlocked properties, ensuring the setbacks of structures meet minimum zoning requirements, maintaining wetlands rather than draining them, landscaping easements and access roads with native vegetation to screen road from adjacent homes and restoring privacy, providing surveys of property, and daylighting the culvert for Edens road when it is raised.

A list of further questions for the county representative to answer next week was itemized and includes (in addition to questions about armoring the bank and two-way traffic): what are the estimates for raising Edens Road; when is a drainage plan for the island going to be implemented; can ditches be lined with impervious material to divert all water directly to the nearest culvert; what is the county’s position on providing access roads for landlocked properties when the road is moved; and what are the requirements for access roads, based on the number of properties they support? Jim Nichol will send the list with his request that a representative attend next week.

Jim Nichol will send a letter to the county expressing the committee’s safety concerns about the missing “do not enter” sign, with a request that the entrance to South Shore Road starting at the ferry dock be physically blocked. He will also request better warning signs and barriers at the treacherous spots where pedestrians and cyclists might not realize the ground is unsupported from beneath.

Next week’s agenda includes further deliberations about east-end proposals, receiving answers from a county representative, presentation of pros and cons for short-term solutions, and further additions to the mitigation list.

The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by Edith Walden