Home elevations are just part of the answer

Published 1:56 am Friday, October 3, 2008

It’s been interesting watching the many homes move skyward in the Valley, all with the hope that they are high enough to avoid the inevitable flood that is sure to return. But are housing elevations the

answer? Should additional projects be planned to enhance the home elevations?

Can we count on King County, the state or even federal government to make

the right decisions with regards to our homes? Well, that last one is a bit of

a loaded question, but so far, track records indicate “no.”

At the center of the controversy in our Valley is one small community

of nearly two dozen homes, Shamrock Park. Over the last several years a

small group of homeowners in Shamrock Park have met to discuss

their neighborhood’s flooding problems. They even went so far as to form a

non-profit group to bolster their cause and focus their efforts.

This time of year is a troubling time for this group of politically

astute homeowners for they have to prepare for the dreaded creep of water that

will inevitably rise over the banks of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River.

With increases in snow pack and a slight rise in temperature, any extra time

they might have is spent moving furniture or filling sandbags.

But never fear, the government has an answer, and this time it’s in the

form of home elevations. But can it be THE answer? Heck no. In fact, it appears

that the program is as poorly thought out as the Seahawks’ game plan with

Tampa Bay. But, if the program is changed to be more resident-friendly and is part

of a comprehensive program that would dredge the river, reinforce the dikes,

and increase the size of the culverts under S.R. 202 at the bridge entering

North Bend, it might just accomplish something.

When will the county, Corp of Engineers, state and other government

agencies realize that a piece-meal approach to flooding and surface water

management isn’t going to work?

Besides the obvious lack of an overall plan, the home elevation project

has a few other shortcomings. One part is the likelihood that residents will have

to come up with between 25 and 50 thousand dollars out of their own

pockets. Remember that these are normal family homes in the 1,500- to

2,200-square- feet range, not huge homes. The owners of many of these homes also likely

fall under the median income for King County, which is approximately $40K

per year.

The plan doesn’t take into account the need for changes in septic

systems and there is no guarantee that the ground would perk properly. The

project would go through the normal channels of King County Building and

Land Development, but hey, there’s always next year, right … ?

Now, if everything were done per the county’s plan, the county would

expect to be released from any future liabilities. Hello, I could swear that

the same county _ King _ assured the contractor who built Shamrock Park in

1969 that there was adequate protection against a 100- year flood.

So here is a call to Ron Sims, Dave Irons Jr., Cheryl Pflug, Brian

Thomas and all of the rest of our elected officials. Public service is what you

were elected to perform; please keep in mind that Shamrock Park is part of

this Valley’s public.

Jim McKiernan