CSUBC Membership Application 2011

This letter is to Sharon Vanderslice who is Kaz’s next door neighbor. In 1986, Sharon was living in San Diego, Ken Sargent was the 3rd DD1 commissioner and the Ray Gabelein refered to in the letter is the current Ray Gabelein’s father. Kaz’s house is now owned by Rhonda Skubi & Ed Sheets.

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Kaz Skubi – 2530 Sunlight Beach Road                                                      

 March 29, 1986

 Dear Sharon,

I am sending you a copy of the letter which is being mailed to some 50 property owners on the north and south sides of Sunlight Beach Road who are now paying 90% of the dike taxes and may soon be paying a similar proportion of the drainage taxes. 

 At the August meeting of the County Commissioners when the new State law gave them the right to appoint the successor to Tom Kohlwes, they ignored Loren Wills who was superbly qualified and knowledgeable regarding our local problems and chose Art Gabelein, Ray’s brother, who was “championed” by Ray for obvious reasons.  His only qualification as stated by Ray was that Art is retired and has time.  So as usual, we have one man, Ray Gabelein, calling all the shots and making all the decisions.  Very sad because we should have two representatives as we have much more at stake and pay the greatest proportion of taxes so far.  It was obvious that the above deal was rigged from the start—otherwise we could have had a reasonable, honest and responsive Dike Commission.

 Our plan now is to make Ray produce engineering studies and present plans of what he intends to do, as well as costs and benefits to the properties affected before including the Sunlight Beach area in the drainage district.  Legally they are empowered to do so, but if we do not like his plans and ideas as presented at the scheduled hearing supposedly in April, we can demand an independent engineering study.  We already have no confidence in his ability to perform based on past experiences, we have the option to take it to court.  Obviously we want to avoid the latter course, although our attorney, Tim Martin, feels this is probably what will have to occur. 

 Our next alternative is to carry on a vigorous personal face to face informational campaign to include as many people as possible on the hillside property, some of whom have disliked what has been happening for years.  Ray has used these people to sway elections at the last minute when he saw the voting results going against him.  These people can vote, but pay no dike or drain taxes and most could care less.  However, some of them have drainage problems of their own in their own specific areas, so are indirectly interested in drainage.

 Interestingly enough, though the Kohlwes’s and Gabeleins have been battling with each other on a variety of issues, they are both supporting this move.  Ironically their development of the area has helped intensify the drainage problem and now they want our “high valuation” properties to pay for their mistakes and problems.

What Ray has in mind, no one knows for sure and nobody will ever know until it happens, but we think it is the following:

1. A pump cost more than $50,000.
2. Tide gates—new or repair of the present one—cost unknown.
3. Lateral ditches
4. Extend or improve present ditches plus more.

Then the future maintenance bill will go on forever and could exceed dike maintenance.  There could be no constraints as long as his family was doing the work and we were improving his land with basically our money.  Nice deal if you can get it and it has been going on for years, albeit haphazardly and tolerating no outside suggestions.

 We are in need of money and again would ask you for $200 to help pay our ongoing legal, engineering and secretarial costs.  Much more to be said.  Marge is in the hospital with her third hip operation.  Not easy.  Kaz

Dear CSUBC Members,

Spring is here and CSUBC leaders have taken this time to review and streamline some of our operating procedures. One area of change concerns our method of fund-raising.  We are a very small group of volunteers who must regularly meet, make plans, and report to our members on a number of topics.  They include issues of both immediate concern with respect to our pending litigation and items of interest regarding the community in general.   Added to this is our on going need to fund our legal efforts.  In order to organize our time more effectively with regard to fund-raising, we have chosen the model of many other nonprofit organizations that request monthly pledges. Beginning with this letter, we are now asking our members to commit to a monthly pledge of $50-$100-$250 etc. per month to CSUBC and our legal fund.

 We are encouraged by the events of this past year.  The withdrawal of permits by DOE and Army Corps as well as Judge Churchill’s initial decision in our case gives us hope and demands that we continue to pursue our legal goals. Two important goals are to stop the dewatering of wetlands in our area and demand that a more equitable method of funding for drainage of surface water in the Useless Bay watershed.  We believe that implementing pledges will make it easier for more CSUBC members to make a financial commitment. Although in the past we have existed on generous donations from several individuals, it will “take a village” and the support of every member of our group to allow CSUBC’s leaders and legal team to plan and commit to a strategy with projected donations to our legal fund.

 We welcome your comments with regard to our efforts thus far.  They help us to stay on task with the issues our members find most important to address.  We need your donations to continue to support those efforts and to find resolutions to the issues at hand.  Please send us your pledge today to commit to a monthly donation to CSUBC for at least one year.  Some of your ‘Useless’ neighbors have already done so. We, of course, will continue to accept larger donations as they are our mainstay and help us offset unforeseen ‘bumps in the road’.  With your show of confidence, we know we can make a difference and continue to protect your legal rights with respect to DD#1 and prevent needless waste of our precious natural resources.

 Please send pledges/donations to:              CSUBC at P. O. Box 531   Clinton, WA 98236

 Thank you for your continued support,

CSUBC Leadership: Judith Winquist, Coyla Shepard, Leo Cruise

 Subject: Letter to the Editor
To: Brian Kelly <bkelly@southwhidbeyrecord.com>, Roy Jacobson <rjacobson@southwhidbeyrecord.com>
Cc: Island County Commissioners <BICC@co.island.wa.us>
Brian and Roy,

I am requesting that you publish the following as a Letter to the Editor in the next print edition of the South Whidbey Record.

I have attached a copy of DD1′s official response to “Q. 2nd #3″ on the second page of the attachment.  The third page documents DD1′s payment to Puget Sound Energy for the cost of running the small pump in June and July.  This is hard evidence of continuing dewatering of the wetland area during a period of drought with essentially no rainfall.

You be the judge

After submitting false and misleading information to obtain the initial permit for the Useless Bay Pump Project, Diking Commissioners Ray Gabelein and Steve Arnold have just done it again.

 The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) recently asked the Diking District whether or not they were still pumping water out of the wetlands during the summer months. The two Commissioners responded that the large pump has not run since May 21, 2009.  They neglected to inform USACE that the small pump has been running and successfully further dewatering the wetland area during summer drought conditions.  At the August 2009 Diking District meeting I pointed out that their response was false and misleading.  Nevertheless, they elected to outvote me 2 to 1 and have now deliberately sent in their deceitful response.

 Commissioners Gabelein and Arnold, it is about time that you start telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  But since you aren’t under oath, I guess you don’t have to.

 John Shepard    Commissioner, Diking District No. 1

DD1 Letter to Vicky Didenhover US Corp of Eng Misleading Info 09,02,09

DD1 Invoice for PSE Small Pump Run Costs 07, 08, 09

SWR Letter to Editor 04/23/09

 

I will struggle to make this short and to the point.

 

As a lifelong resident of Sunlight Beach, I would like to know why anyone would trust the word of Dike District 1 Commissioners Ray Gabelein Jr. and Steve Arnold.

 

At the March 2009 DD1 meeting, the discussion turned to an December 30^th, article in the SWR quoting Ray Jr and Steve concerning what an “amazing” pump we have operating in the back fields and how it arrived just in time for the “big melt”. “It is doing what it’s suppose to do”.

 

When asked about this at the DD1 meeting, Steve states “you don’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.”

 

Maybe, you can just trust “some“ of the people “some” of the time.

 

I believe that the reason for the April DD1 meeting cancellation was that they did not want to hold a meeting just after the DD1 tax assessments were received. The room would be packed with those directly affected by the tax.

 

Is our neighborhood divided? Yes it is. As in any controversy, everyone wishes it would have never happened. You have some who fear retribution through delayed remodeling permits or loss of county jobs. Then you have some who feel that DD1 commissioners,  Ray Jr and Steve, have manipulated the political system and their positions of power for their own personal gain.

 

The DD1 commissioners used secretive methods to plan this 6000 gpm pump project in order to drain their own land. It does not benefit anyone on Sunlight Beach. On December 20^th, 2004, a contract was signed between USG&C and DD1 regarding the details of the pump purchase and payment. We did not hear anything about a pump until September 2008. We do not want the pump. It has been pumping toxic chemicals and polluted water into Deer Lagoon. Next, they arrange a tax assessment system so that only a few pay for 95% of the pump’s cost.

 

Does this sound like we are being picky? I do not think so. Also, I do not think that Ray, Jr and Steve Arnold are trusted servants of our community who are here to “just serve the district and do the best we can to keep it functioning the way it was set up.”

 

I could go on but enough. I think I will water my flowers.

 

Leo Cruise

Sunlight Beach

 

The results of some testing done by the state Department of Ecology last October now reveal “very high levels of Carbaryl and 1-Naphthol” in the Useless Bay Golf and Country Club golf course waterways. Golf course water is pumped into Puget Sound through Deer Lagoon and Useless Bay.

Citizens In Support of Useless Bay Community
P.O. Box 531
Clinton, WA 98236

3/1/2009

Island County Treasurer’s Office
P.O. Box 669
Coupeville, WA 98239

To Whom It May Concern:

I write on behalf of Citizens in Support of Useless Bay Community. As of Friday, February 20, 2009, the treasurer’s office was unable to provide the amount of any Diking District No. 1 tax submitted by Ray Gabelein and Steve Arnold, to be imposed in 2009 by the county on individual Diking District No.1 property owners.

It has been confirmed by several reliable sources that the water being pumped from “commissioner” Gabelein’s wetland/farmland into Puget Sound was not tested by Island County for anything, (much less fecal matter), as Ray represented to the county commissioners and the public.

The 6,000 gallons per minute pump has been operating, despite demands that it stop.

A copy of the testing that was done by the county of the golf course water in 2006 shows that it was not tested for chemicals, such as fertilizer.

The water being pumped into the Sound is brown and stinks.