“In somewhat of a surprise 4-3 vote, the Bonney Lake City Council Tuesday night voted down a utility latecomers agreement that would have put sewers in the Eastown section of Bonney Lake.”

That was the lead paragraph in a recent story in the Courier Herald.

Somewhat of a surprise? I was shocked and saddened to read the breaking news on the Courier website last week. This council tossed out years of planning by staff and negotiations with Eastown property owners, not to mention the cost incurred thus far to bring sewers so close to fruition. Sewers are vital for development of Eastown to take place.

The road is widened; street lighting and landscaping are in place. There is a new gateway welcoming travelers at the Eastown entrance to our city. When will there be businesses in that area to create new jobs, additional stores and services and tax revenue for our citizens and the city? Eastown seems to be all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Build the sewers and they will come. All the planning is already done. That is why there is an Eastown subarea plan in the Comp Plan. Councilmembers, please do your homework!

I am sure you can come up with a compromise and make this work.

My recommendation is you do not allow septic systems to be used in the interim, the main reason being that the headwaters of Fennel Creek are in Eastown, making it an eco-sensitive area. The Fennel Creek is a vital salmon bearing tributary of the Puyallup River below Victor Falls. Once you consider the buffers from the creek and area needed for drain fields for septic, it leaves little wiggle room for development. Drain field failures can harm the creek. And once the septic is in, what is the incentive to switch to sewers in the future?  All of these issues have been debated over the years and is how we have gotten this close to making Eastown successful. It has been a long time coming.

Eastown deserves another look.

Laurie Carter

Former Bonney Lake Councilwoman