Creekside fixes back on the drawing board

Just when it looked like the Parks Advisory Board (PAB) was making forward progress on the issues surrounding Creekside Campground (CCG), they are back at the drawing board as the result of a vote taken at their October 7 meeting.

After more than a year of board meetings, park visits, public testimony, staff reports, petitions, and meetings with neighbors to the west and south of the campground, the PAB voted at their August 5 meeting to recommend to the Sisters City Council a one-year interim change in the ingress/egress patterns for CCG. All campers would enter from Highway 20 to Buckaroo Trail and then take Desperado into the campground. All exits from the CCG would be via Locust with right-turns-only out to Highway 20.

In their previous discussions, the PAB decided the fair interim solution would be to have all surrounding neighbors - Buck Run, Coyote Springs, FivePine campus, the 4th Sister condos, and a still-to-be developed 24 homes - share the burden of the traffic entering and exiting the CCG. Up to this point in time, Locust has carried the lion's share of all traffic, creating a number of headaches for the neighbors.

Results of a traffic study in June supported the change, indicating that the Highway 20/Buckaroo Trail intersection could easily handle the increased traffic, with a few minor improvements being made.

The PAB voted 3-2 in favor of the plan and forwarded their recommendation on to City Council. At the next Council meeting, representatives of FivePine and the 24 homes to be built presented testimony challenging the recommendation of the PAB. They testified that the decision reached by the PAB had been such an unlikely possibility that they hadn't bothered to be involved in the year-long process, thinking it wasn't necessary to participate.

Council sent the issue back to the PAB to have them decide if they wanted to stand by their approval to direct traffic into the park on Desperado and out on Locust.

At the October 7 PAB meeting, Steve Bryan, who lives on Tyee, has been actively involved in the year-long negotiations, and is in favor of the one-way ingress/egress, provided several possibilities for the PAB to consider. He suggested they reconsider the type of campers appropriate at CCG, perhaps limiting it to tent camping only. An alternate proposal would only allow up to a certain length of RV, restricting the larger RVs from entering. He also suggested closing the campground entirely until entry and exit directly off Highway 20 (weigh station) can be created.

The same east-end representatives, plus Doug Roberts, representing the 4th Sister condos, again presented their objections to the proposed change. They don't think it makes sense to do a short-term change rather than just waiting for the possible removal of the truck scales and installation of a new permanent entrance and exit directly off Highway 20.

That is a possibility that is years away, if it occurs.

Pat Thompson, one of the citizens speaking for the east-enders, contended that the Desperado road surface was never designed for heavy vehicle traffic. He went on to say that the current recommendation limited options for park access and "was not going to solve anything," it was "just a change, not a solution."

PAB member Greg Johnson inquired of Thompson, "Have you had any dialog with the other group?" and went on to point out that "the Locust Street residents have bent over backwards" regarding working with the PAB on changes to the CCG. He requested that Thompson and the other east-enders engage in discussions with the west-end group.

Traffic engineer Scott Barrett of Kittelson and Associates reported that in another traffic study conducted over Labor Day weekend, there was twice as much traffic volume as in June and that 20-30 percent of exiting traffic that weekend used Desperado.

On Saturday, during a one-hour period, the numbers on Locust were 18 exiting and 22 entering, and on Desperado eight exiting and four entering.

Roberts had a question for the PAB. "Why put anymore money into something that appears to be antiquated? Why not consider moving the campground to a different location" where it wouldn't impact local neighborhoods?

Council liaison Nancy Connolly reported that they had had a 4-0 vote to accept the traffic study and PAB recommendations. They had concurred that a one-year trial period seemed reasonable for an interim solution and that the best long-term option would be conversion of the weigh station to an entrance/exit.

The PAB then reluctantly voted 3-2 with one abstention to reopen the discussion regarding the traffic issue at CCG. They will be meeting on Tuesday, October 20 at 4 p.m. at City Hall in a workshop format to sit down with all interested parties to brainstorm a solution acceptable to all sides regarding traffic

flow in and out of the campground.

City staff will put together additional information to help inform the discussion. As long as the traffic issue remains unresolved, staff is unable to complete the CCG Master Plan, which is holding up the City Parks Master Plan and Capital Improvements Plan.

City Council has already accepted the initial PAB recommendation and can choose to stay with that decision or entertain whatever new option may come out of the October 20 workshop. In their October 8 meeting, council agreed to give the PAB free rein to discuss all possibilities to reach a workable consensus that satisfies FivePine, 4th Sister condo, Buck Run/Tyee and Coyote Springs neighborhoods, and the new subdivision.