Before gathering tomorrow to celebrate the renovation of the Jefferson Courthouse Clock Tower, state, county and tribal officials will take time to try to resolve how to respectfully treat human remains found at Beckett Point while moving forward with a sewer system to stop pollution in Discovery Bay.
The meeting is at 3 p.m. Thursday in the commissioners' chambers, an hour before the clock tower celebration.
The afternoon of recognizing history and working toward the future was suggested Monday by Je-Anne Rogers, a legislative assistant to Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, who had listened to officials from Public Utility District 1, the county, tribal members and Beckett Point homeowners speak about the situation.
Rogers noted that legislators would be in Port Townsend to applaud the clock tower restoration project, and she suggested another meeting of officials could be timed so that everyone could go back to their respective offices and see what they could bring to the table to resolve the problem.
The problem is this: Bone fragments, likely those of Native Americans living in the area, were found May 28 on county right of way in the path of the completion of a PUD septic project at Beckett Point. The property owners wanted the PUD to build a community septic system, because the individual septic systems have problems and some probably leach into Discovery Bay.
Members of three tribes on the Olympic Peninsula are asking that the bones be treated with respect.
PUD Manager Jim Parker launched the meeting Monday by suggesting the PUD immediately pull the plug on the project and cut its losses to roughly $1.2 million.
"I don't see how it can go forward," Parker said of a project that was, until the bones were found, "a good project that was going well."
If more remains are found, Parker told the other officials, the cost could go up even more and the PUD doesn't have money to spare.
As it is now, the $1.2 million will need to be repaid by the PUD. Because homeowners have yet to see any benefit from the project, they can't be forced to repay the cost incurred so far, Parker indicated.
"We need money now. We don't need any more feel-good meetings," said PUD Commissioner Wayne King after the Monday session. King also said he appreciated the Monday meeting, which was an effort to pool resources and ideas countywide.
PUD officials had discussed having an emergency meeting Wednesday to stop the project entirely, but Parker said yesterday he would wait until after Thursday's meeting to see how to proceed.
Pape and Son, the contractors working on the Beckett Point septic system project, has advised the PUD it can wait for only two more weeks before it needs to move on to other work, Parker told the group.
"They've been super good. They haven't penalized a cent yet," King said of Pape and Son.
County Commissioner David Sullivan, a former PUD commissioner, suggested the county step in to serve as a central point of communication and enable the various groups to work with each other.
"I didn't expect anyone to come with their checkbook," Sullivan said of the meeting June 11. He suggested officials all go back to their respective corners and see what they could bring to the table.
Possible alternatives range from continuing to work on the upper level of the project and give up on the lower level, to somehow re-engineering the project to avoid disturbing the site where the bones were found. More ideas and money are sought.
Unwanted traffic
Archeologist Gary Wessen, who was hired by the PUD, is looking at the site and is expected to finish a preliminary report this week on whether more remains could be found if digging continues. He declined comment Tuesday on what he has discovered so far.
But Wessen did acknowledge, as did homeowners Monday, that news of the discovery of the bones has brought unwanted tourist traffic to Beckett Point, a private community that has no tourist attractions.
Generally speaking, tribal members do not like to talk about such finds, Wessen said he has learned over the years.
A spokeswoman for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Kathy Duncan, did not return calls yesterday for comment on what action the tribes might take because of the discovery.
"Archeological costs are going to be tremendously high," Parker wrote in a presentation.
The state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation has advised the PUD that disturbing any Native American graves without a permit would be a felony.
Money needed
"We need a grant and we need it now," PUD Commissioner King reiterated several times.
King said PUD officials are concerned they are facing "another Port Angeles" situation. In 2003 a Native American burial site was unearthed on a shoreline in Port Angeles, which stopped a major state Department of Transportation project there.
King said the Beckett Point find might be as big as Port Angeles. "I don't think anybody knows yet," King said. "I wish we were the Department of Transportation and could just spend the money" to find out what is there, he said.
County Administrator John Fischbach noted that Discovery Bay is already being considered for a shellfish protection district to ensure that pollution is kept out of the area.
"The worst thing would be for the PUD to walk away from the [septic] project," Fischbach said of wanting to see pollution problems resolved.
"I always have hope. It's a real major challenge. I'm optimistic that we can resolve this issue. I know it will take everyone working together," Fischbach said.
Commissioner Sullivan suggested that perhaps state officials could consider a solution to the Beckett Point problem that then could serve as a pilot project so that, should Native American remains be found in other areas of Puget Sound, there would be a protocol for dealing with it.
Legislators recently approved funding for pollution cleanup in Puget Sound. Legislative aides wanted to find out whether any funds from new sources could be used for the Beckett Point project.
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