Charges about Angie Homola’s alleged difficulties reveal some serious problems with the past management of the Island County Planning Department.

If the planning director at the time, commissioner candidate Phil Bakke, had not been trying to fast-track over-the counter permits perhaps he would not have granted one for Bruce Montgomery to construct multiple drainfields and part of his new McCottage on tidelands adjacent to the Greenbank Road public access.

Montgomery subsequently constructed a massive masonry wall blocking the public access down Greenbank Road, citing as a reason the need to keep people from driving on his new off-lot drainfields.

These drainfields are illegal and never should have been permitted. The county has now authorized expenditure of up to $10,000 for an outside study to determine legal ownership at the end of Greenbank Road. This research should have been done by our planning department before Montgomery was given his permit and before construction of the wall was allowed.

Appointed Commissioner Bakke has said that he thinks this issue will end up in court. This could prove very expensive. If the land ownership at the end of Greenbank Road and the tidelands/lot designation adjacent to the road had been researched properly before granting the permit, this issue could have been avoided and Greenbank’s historic and only possible public access would not be in jeopardy.

Glen Russell

Greenbank