To the editor:
Bainbridge Island has several taxing districts, including the city taxing district and the parks taxing district.
The city wants to transfer the most contaminated 22 acres of the Wyckoff Superfund site to the parks district. This 22 acres comprises what is known as Pritchard Park, and includes the beach area prominently visible to ferry riders.
On the surface, this would seem to be a logical transfer, given that this is a park, and parks are administered by the parks district.
However, a closer look reveals why transfer would be premature and ill-advised.
The EPA has not decided on the final cleanup method for Operable Unit 2, the upland soil portion of Wyckoff where these 22 acres are located. It will likely be in-situ solidification/stabilization, where the soil is encapsulated in concrete. However, until this decision is finalized, cost estimates that the parks district would be responsible for in perpetuity cannot be reasonably made. A close review of the purchase-and-sale agreement and attendant agreed order from the U.S. EPA/Washington Department of Ecology reveals that the city — not the regulatory agencies — will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the implemented remedy. The perception that the agencies will bear the cost of all necessary work on the site going forward is false.
Additionally, the EPA website contains multiple warnings about current restrictions concerning Pritchard Park; these include no digging, suggestions to wear boots and wash off thoroughly after visits, which makes it clear that this site presents significant unresolved health risks.
Therefore, Parks District Executive Director Terry Lande needs to take the long view and not accept this transfer from the city. All taxing districts have limited funds, and the unknowns associated with assuming control of Pritchard Park are formidable. The parks district needs to wait for the remedy to be selected and implemented, then run the operation and maintenance numbers, and only then decide if acceptance of Pritchard Park is feasible.
MALCOLM GANDER
Rolling Bay
