By CLAUDIA BRADLEY

Staff reporter

The San Juan County Public Works Department will hold an informational open house about the proposed Fisherman Bay Road improvement project that spans from Military Rd. to Hummel Lake Rd. in the Lopez Fire Hall on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Public Works staff will be on hand to answer questions about the final design and construction schedule.

Three public meetings have been held in the past two years addressing such concerns as the width of the new road to safely carry truck traffic, bike lanes and right-of-way acquisition. The most controversial concern regards acquisition of the right-of-away between the sharp curves located about half-way along the proposed route where there is a stand of mature trees located near the roadway.

To receive public funding, the road must have a paved surface 28 feet wide to allow for 10 foot-wide lanes and have four-foot shoulders from mile-post 1.1 to 2.1 (the start of the sharp curves to Hummel Lake Rd.) An additional eight feet on either side of the paved surface is recommended for drainage, future construction, future utilities and to provide a clear-zone. The County is proposing a 60 foot right-of-way.

The owner of the land with the mature trees, John Domanic, has raised his concerns about the impact to his trees and has been reluctant to sell his land for the right-of-way.

According to the minutes of the Feb. 2006 public meeting, the county indicated Domanic’s trees could be saved if a drainage pipe were installed in front of his property rather than a ditch. In Nov. 2006, the county indicated that a guardrail would be needed in front of Domanic’s trees to provide a clear-zone requirement – but stated that the public was opposed to a guardrail. By March 2007, the design of the road was moved two feet south in an attempt to design around the trees. Domanic indicates that the county is still trying to acquire the land where his trees are located with a view to cutting them down.

In the event that negotiations to purchase the right-of-way are unsuccessful, the county council can authorize the acquisition of the right-of-way through condemnation procedures.

For more information contact Project Manager Dan Vekved at 370-0504 or County Engineer John Van Lund at 370-0510 or email pubwks@sjcpublicworks.org