PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County commissioners will meet with the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribal council today to discuss the tribe’s environmental concerns regarding a proposed resort in Brinnon.
The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. in commissioners’ chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
“We don’t want to get in the way of the project,” said Jeromy Sullivan, the tribe’s chairman.
“We want to make sure certain aspects are preserved and that our voices will be heard.”
Statesman Group of Calgary, Alberta, Canada proposed the idea of constructing a 252-acre master planned resort in the Pleasant Harbor/Black Point area of Brinnon in 2006 and has sought a zoning change to allow its construction since that time.
The proposed Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort would include 191 guest suites, an exercise center, a variety store, a convention center, a wedding chapel, a water slide, an amphitheater and zip lines, and other amenities.
During the process, the company has scaled down the original 18-hole golf course to nine holes.
According to the request for today’s meeting, the tribe is the successor in interest to tribes that signed the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point, and the resort site is within the tribal’s traditional and historic use area.
Sullivan said he is concerned about shellfish harvesting, deer runs and herbs that are grown for medicinal use.
“This has been a place for my people since time immemorial,” he said. “It has always been very important to us.”
Sullivan said he spent much of his childhood in the area, collecting shellfish among other activities.
He said the tribe has been “talking about this for 10 years” but had not connected with Jefferson County officials until making a direct request to meet government to government in March.
Kathleen Kler, Jefferson County District 3 commissioner, said the request occurred after the December release of the county’s supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS).
“We hoping for continued conversations and communication between Statesman and the tribes so that everyone’s concerns are known and adequately addressed,” she said.
According to the request, the tribe sent a Dec. 16 letter to the Jefferson County Department of Community Development raising issues that were not addressed in the SEIS and asked for a 60-day period to work with the county to complete the tribal consultation process.
The department granted that extension and received a March 11 letter outlining concerns about the use of kettle ponds which have spiritual significance, traditional gathering places and potential damage to traditional cultural properties.
The tribe then requested five actions including stormwater and wastewater plans and a biological inventory of all the plants, amphibians, birds and other species present in the kettle ponds.
On March 23, Sullivan extended the invitation to a government-to-government meeting, which the commissioners accepted.
Sullivan said that part of the motivation in coming forward at this time was to encourage more tribal members to become involved with the issue.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
