POST ANGELES — Clallam County officials are preparing a contract with Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center to help resolve a conflict around boat wake at Lake Sutherland.
The three commissioners Monday directed County Administrator Rich Sill to negotiate a contract with Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center (PDRC) and to work with the nonprofit to develop a timeline for Lake Sutherland mediation.
“The best solution that we could have is the one where the interested parties agree on a course of action,” Commissioner Bill Peach said in a work session.
Dozens of Lake Sutherland property owners raised concerns in county meetings last October about shoreline damage and safety risks caused by heavy ballasted boats used for wakeboarding and wakesurfing.
Many others said they supported the rights of all boaters to enjoy the 361-acre lake west of Port Angeles.
“We have a group of folks that is interested in taking ownership of building a solution, and we have a local organization that exists to help us do that,” Commissioner Mark Ozias said in the Monday meeting.
“I’m really happy to take advantage of that.”
Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center officials said they would organize a virtual meeting with breakout sessions to develop a list of potential solutions.
Both sides of the issue would choose a facilitator, spokesperson and recorder/scribe for the virtual town hall on Zoom or similar online platform.
“The facilitator’s job would be to make sure that the discussion stays on track, that it’s civil and probably most importantly that everyone gets a chance to talk,” PDRC Board President Joe Floyd told commissioners Monday.
Floyd, whose video transmission on the county’s virtual platform was largely garbled, said the entire group would narrow down the list of solutions.
“That’s kind of a broad-brush outline of our strategy,” he said.
If successful in mediating the boat wake dispute, commissioners said they would consider using PDRC for other potentially divisive topics in the future.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out,” Commissioner Randy Johnson said. “This is the guinea pig, so to speak.”
Ozias said the goal should be to resolve the boat wake issue before the boating season begins in the early summer.
Peach said the process should be transparent and involve all interested citizens.
To ensure transparency, commissioners said they would approve the contract with PDRC in a public meeting even if it costs less than the $50,000 that triggers formal board approval.
“I am certain that we will learn some things from this that could inform how we work together in the future,” Ozias said.
“I love the concept of engaging people in building solutions at the ground level by way of supporting a process that encourages communication, and we need a lot of that right now.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
