PORT ANGELES — City Councilman Max Mania has been a critic of the city’s plan to use a large tank on Rayonier’s former mill site to resolve its sewer overflow problem since he took office in January.
On Aug. 4 — as Port Angeles city staff worked on finalizing a purchase agreement with the company — the council member sent an e-mail to the head of the state Department of Ecology urging the state agency to reconsider the plan, which it had approved, and show support for another approach focused more on “prevention” rather than storage and treatment.
Mania’s action was a surprise for the city manager, mayor and staff.
The city wants to use the 5-million-gallon tank, next to its wastewater treatment plant, to temporarily store untreated sewage and storm water that would otherwise overflow into Port Angeles Harbor during heavy rainfall.
The City Council is expected to consider buying the tank and necessary rights of way from Rayonier Inc. on Tuesday.
Mania wants the city to resolve the problem by disconnecting all of the storm water from the city’s sewer system, which staff says could easily double the project’s $37 million to $42 million price tag, and requiring the use of pervious construction material, among other ideas.
He reiterated that viewpoint in the e-mail to Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant, before adding, “Being that this issue is truly coming to a head, I believe that if there was even a hint from the DOE [Ecology] that you’d be willing to work with us on this new, improved approach, that there is a good chance that the City Council would support it.”
Garin Schrieve, a regional water quality program manager with Ecology, responded the next day saying the state agency would be willing to discuss any proposed changes to the plan.
But Mania also got an e-mail that day from City Manager Kent Myers.
City manager, mayor surprised
Myers wrote that he surprised to see the e-mail from Ecology and expressed concern over Mania not notifying him or the rest of the council.
“As city manager, I have to be informed about these types of communications so that I can effectively perform my job,” he wrote.
“In addition, we have all committed to operating in a transparent manner whereby there are no surprises particularly for the City Council.”
Mayor Dan Di Guilio said Wednesday that he was also surprised by Mania’s e-mail to Sturdevant.
“Usually when a council member does something like that, we ask that they notify the city manager or department heads so everybody is kept in the loop of what’s going on,” he said.
“And in this case, that didn’t happen.”
Di Guilio also said he’s concerned that it sends Ecology mixed messages on how the city intends to resolve its sewage overflow problem.
“I know that city staff is concerned that he did it without notifying them,” he added.
Mania said Wednesday that he wasn’t trying to undermine the city’s plan to use the large tank to prevent sewage overflows, though he expressed doubt that it is the best solution.
He said the purpose of the e-mail was to determine if another solution remains possible.
Gathering information
“I was just gathering information,” Mania said. “I would have come back to the council with any proposal I had.”
Despite the concerns raised by Myers and Di Guilio, he also said he didn’t think it was inappropriate for him to send the e-mail without notifying anyone.
“I was just asking questions,” Mania said. “It’s part of my job as a council member.”
In the e-mail, Mania also apologized for past council’s attitudes toward Ecology, which he referred to as negative.
The city has worked on the tank solution since 2007, and to date, it has spent $2.56 million on designing the utility improvements needed to use the structure, said Kathryn Neal, city engineering manager.
That work is expected to be done by the end of the year, she said, adding that design expenses are expected to reach $3.7 million.
Still, Mania said he doesn’t think it’s too late to consider other solutions, which he believes could cost less even though staff members have said otherwise.
“I’m an idealist in that respect, I guess,” he said. “I’d just like the council to have another discussion or consideration, and they might well not go for it.
“I’d like to make the effort if I can.”
City staff say the city faces fines from Ecology of $10,000 a day if the sewage overflow problem isn’t resolved by 2016.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
