Way cleared for Fairgrounds Road

The stalemate is officially over and the agreement between the city of Langley and the Island County Fair Board is sign, sealed and delivered: The city of Langley will get its disputed road through the Island County Fairgrounds.

After a lengthy road easement dispute involving Fairgrounds Road that threatened to end up in court, Island County Commissioner Mike Shelton was successful in facilitating an agreement amenable to both parties.

“I think the agreement pretty much spells everything out,” Shelton said.

Although the original draft of the agreement was slightly tweaked, the same reemerging issues were sufficiently addressed, the commissioner said.

As per the agreement, Shelton met with Langley Mayor Neil Colburn and county and city engineers.

“Relatively minor engineering issues need to be worked out,” Shelton said.

The agreement addressed storm water drainage issues as well as provided an assurance that the portion of road will be closed during the fair in August. City and county engineers also agreed that any changes would accommodate the length of vehicles, such as carnival trucks and horse trailers, entering the fairgrounds.

The city will foot the bill for fencing on both sides of the new Fairgrounds Road as well as work with the county on zoning issues.

A “No Gripe Coming” ordinance will effectively “require all property transactions in the vicinity of the fairgrounds property to include formal notice that a county fair and other livestock events are conducted nearby.”

As part of the road construction, a retaining wall composed of rocks will be installed.

“An alternative will have to be found by the county and at its sole expense for properly storing manure on fairgrounds property,” the agreement stated.

With the agreement signed, Shelton described the overall feeling as “relief.”

“I believe it’s a complete agreement,” he said. “I don’t anticipate there will be an stumbling blocks in the future.”

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