EDITOR’S NOTE — This story has been corrected to reflect that Graysmarsh Farm is on the Sequim Lavender Festival’s Farms on Tour organized by the Sequim Lavender Growers Association. The farm is not a member of the growers association but is a sponsor and so is listed on the tour.
SEQUIM –– The visitors who hit Graysmarsh Farm during Sequim Lavender Weekend will have to take it a bit easier on their way down Woodcock Road east of Sequim-Dungeness Way, now graveled as Clallam County chip-seals the road.
“We don’t obviously choose to do it to mess up festival traffic,” County Engineer Ross Tyler said, noting that the county’s chip-seal program typically starts the second week of July.
“That’s when our weather gets stable enough, and that’s when we have to get her done,” Tyler said. “As long as the sun’s shining, we’ve got to make hay.”
Arturo Flores, manager of Graysmarsh Farms, 6187 Woodcock Road, said thousands typically drive down the road for lavender and berries during the weekend’s lavender celebration, which includes the Sequim Lavender Farmers Association’s Farm Faire and the Sequim Lavender Growers Association’s Lavender Festival.
“That’s just the way it is. The road’s going to be loose gravel,” Flores said.
“As long as folks aren’t driving fast all the time, they’ll be fine.”
Graysmarsh Farm is on the Sequim Lavender Festival’s Farms on Tour organized by the Sequim Lavender Growers Association.
Graysmarsh is the only lavender farm during this year’s festival, which begins today and continues through Sunday, to be on a road known to be undergoing work.
Chip-seal crews oiled and graveled Woodcock and Holland Roads on Monday.
Loose gravel will remain on the surface until it is swept off, which Tyler said likely will take place in about two weeks.
The road is posted at either end with orange signs indicating a reduced construction zone speed limit of 25 mph, down from the regular 35 mph limit.
“If people drive 25 mph, they shouldn’t have to worry about rock chips,” Tyler said.
“If they drive faster than that — well, I can’t control that”
Flores said the road may be more of a problem for the waves of bicyclists who ride out to the farm during the festival than it will for cars and trucks.
County road crews also were out Thursday chip-sealing Schmuck, Washington Harbor and Brown roads, all of which are in Sequim.
The road department is working four 10-hour shifts under the summer schedule, which means crews will have the day off today, when the festival begins.
One bright side, Tyler said, is that heavy traffic on the chip-sealed road would give the gravel chips a “really good kneading” into the oiled road.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
