SEQUIM — The City Council approved the city’s 2012-2013 goals and priorities Monday after a short, intense debate about whether some changes still need to be made.
The council’s goals included evaluating improvements to the Guy Cole Community Center, improved street maintenance and a financial and implementation plan for a new city hall and police station.
The council set the goals at a March 9 retreat at The Cedars at Dungeness golf course conference center.
Priorities included:
■ Studying the feasibility of modernizing Guy Cole center at Carrie Blake Park.
■ Improved street maintenance.
■ Securing financing and planning to build a new City Hall municipal center on West Cedar Street land the city owns.
■ Adopting a comprehensive plan.
■ Developing an economic development plan.
Councilman Don Hall asked that some specific language be added concerning improvements at Pioneer Park.
“It should be bullet point six under ‘critical success factors,’” the councilman said.
But Councilwoman Candace Pratt said all detailed bullet points should be removed from the “developing an economic development strategy” goal.
“I thought it was supposed to be general to envelop all aspects,” Pratt said.
Councilman Ted Miller wanted to add a goal addressing the issue of the senior population in Sequim.
Those 55 and older are now 60 percent of Sequim’s general population, he said, and the city needs to do more to serve the majority population.
But although each of the council members’ objections appeared to be recognized as valid concerns, no changes were made to the priority list.
“I’m disappointed we’re debating over priorities we worked so hard on,” Mayor Ken Hays said.
He noted that the time to speak up had been during the retreat, and the time for additional debate was over.
“These were the ones we could agree on,” Councilman Erik Erichsen said.
The council voted 6-0 to accept the goals — Councilman Bill Huizinga was absent — but the members stressed that the issues they brought to the table were not likely to be forgotten.
“I will bring it up in 2013,” Miller said.
“Senior citizens have been given short shrift in this community forever. It’s time to end that,” he said.
In other business, the City Council selected three members to organize a joint city council meeting with the Port Angeles City Council to discuss the biomass energy production project in Port Angeles and the accompanying issue surrounding emissions from the power plant.
“I see this like the bridge to nowhere. We’re making someone else’s problem our problem,” Erichsen said.
Erichsen, Pratt and Councilwoman Laura Dubois were appointed to the subcommittee to organize and schedule the meeting.
No date or location for the meeting was proposed.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsula
dailynews.com.
