Posted: September 26, 2021
Link to My Edmonds News article
(The following letter was sent to Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson and is being published here at the author’s request)
Mayor Nelson:
Last March, you put out a press release titled “Mayor Nelson Calls for Perrinville Creek Restoration Project” that acknowledged the stormwater damage to Perrinville Creek and said “Once staff have formulated a better idea of the full effort and cost required to pursue a restoration project, they will present it to City Council for their review and direction, which will also include an opportunity for public input.”
It’s now been over six months since your press release and a Perrinville Creek Restoration document has not been made available for public input. City staff obtained council approval to spend $3.5 million of the city’s federal ARPA funds on “lower Perrinville Creek realignment for flood control and water quality,” but no detail was presented to the council on how it would be used – – and no mention was made of your commitment to prepare a restoration plan nor how the $3.5 million “fits” in the restoration project costs.
Also, your 2021 budget included funding for a Salmon-Safe Certification process (which the council approved) that would have provided an independent, expert review of stormwater management policy and practices in Edmonds.This independent assessment likely would have provided recommendations on stormwater practices that would be useful in the Perrinville Creek Restoration Project as well as the update to the stormwater code just submitted to council for approval.However, your parks director has yet to issue a contract to the Salmon Safe organization in spite of the fact that your Conservation Advisory Committee provided her with a final scope of work in September 2020 to help expedite contract issuance in January 2021.
Speaking for citizens concerned about stormwater management and the damage stormwater is doing to all of our streams (and residences that get flooded), I would appreciate an email response from you on the status of the “Perrinville Creek Restoration Project” and whether it will be presented to the council and the public for input before your staff start spending/committing any of the $3.5 million.
Joe Scordino
Edmonds