Wakeboard park closer to construction with vote last week
MONROE - The City Council voted 4-3 last week to have a developer take the next steps in pursuing construction of a cable wakeboard park at Lake Tye.
The city gave H30 Development the thumbs up by adopting a resolution stating the city’s intent to follow through with a lease agreement in the future.
The council went into executive session before taking the vote in open session.
The resolution is intended to give H30 the confidence that if the company invests in preliminary environmental studies, the city will not impede the process of leasing it the land for the park, economic development manager Jeff Sax said.
The city will be involved as both a landlord and as a regulatory body, Sax said. Last week’s resolution only speaks to the city’s role as a potential landlord, whereas the city can still intervene during the permitting process, Sax said.
H30 wouldn’t be able to submit permit applications without last week’s resolution, city attorney Zach Lell said.
A wakeboard park at the manmade lake has emerged as a way to create revenue for the city through a public-private partnership, in which H30 would pay the city monthly rent and share 2 percent of its gross revenues.
Towers erected offshore would support a cable system that pulls wakeboarders without a boat. The system would run around the perimeter of the south part of the lake, leaving the public swimming beach and fishing and kayaking areas accessible to the public.
The rent would be $12,000 the first year, $18,000 the second year, and $24,000 each year after that. The initial lease would be for 10 years, with three five-year extension options.
The resolution includes terms and conditions city staff and H30 have identified as agreeable provisions in the future lease. However, the city still reserves its right to change any of those provisions, Lell said.
When the park’s operations interfere with city events, the city would retain the right to shut down the park for approximately 12 days out of the year, to hold events such as the TriMonroe triathlon and wakeboarding competitions, staff said. The city could shut down the wakeboard park for a half day to four days at a time.
Last week’s dissenting votes came from council members Patsy Cudaback, Ed Davis and Jason Gamble.
The City Council has primarily heard opposition to the wakeboard park during citizens comment, Cudaback said.
“We haven’t heard from people saying, ‘Yes, do it,’” she said.
More thought should be given to alternative sites, Cudaback said.
Eight people spoke in opposition to the wakeboard park at last week’s council meeting.
Many expressed a desire to keep Lake Tye the way it is, as a relaxing place to take a walk and enjoy nature.
But most speakers haven’t seen a wakeboard park, which is quieter and less visually intrusive than people realize, Snohomish resident Riley Poor told the Tribune.
Poor has spoken at two prior meetings, but he did not comment last week.
Monroe resident Diane Elliott said she was concerned the park is a “frivolous” venture for the city to get involved with.
“It sounds fun, but wakeboarding is not a service that’s a necessity for a majority of residents,” Elliott said. She also is concerned that the city will be liable for accidents that happen to wakeboarders at the park.
H30 would carry insurance and is working with the city to carefully define how liability would be handled, H30 co-owner Brad Smith said.
The wakeboard park is a creative way to generate revenue for the city, Smith added. He and co-owner Greg Dick see the park as a way to help the city during tough economic times.
“In states, counties and city governments, currently services are being taken away. That process will continue unless they find new ways of generating revenue, and this one is environmentally friendly, it’s community friendly,” Smith said.
H30 plans to make shoreline and water quality improvements at Lake Tye Park as part of the project, Smith said.
Furthermore, the park would provide a controlled, safe environment for young people to learn to wakeboard, Dick said.
Traffic and parking concerns can be put into perspective by the fact that the park is projected to attract about as many people as last summer’s two-day wakeboarding competition, 7,500, but spread out during the whole first year, Smith said.
The next step in the wakeboard park development is a State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) checklist.
From there, H30 will know if it has to do a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS).
The company would like to open for business in July. Some residents think the city is moving too quickly.
“It’s an aggressive timetable we admit,” Smith said, “but it’s nothing sinister. We’ve invested a lot of time and money and we’d sure like to get a return on that as soon as possible.”
“We’re not rushing just to ram it through. That’s not quite accurate,” he said.

By STEPHANIE KOSONEN
Published Jan. 11, 2012

Wakeboard park closer to construction with vote last week
MONROE - The City Council voted 4-3 last week to have a developer take the next steps in pursuing construction of a cable wakeboard park at Lake Tye.
The city gave H30 Development the thumbs up by adopting a resolution stating the city’s intent to follow through with a lease agreement in the future.
The council went into executive session before taking the vote in open session.
The resolution is intended to give H30 the confidence that if the company invests in preliminary environmental studies, the city will not impede the process of leasing it the land for the park, economic development manager Jeff Sax said.
The city will be involved as both a landlord and as a regulatory body, Sax said. Last week’s resolution only speaks to the city’s role as a potential landlord, whereas the city can still intervene during the permitting process, Sax said.
H30 wouldn’t be able to submit permit applications without last week’s resolution, city attorney Zach Lell said.
A wakeboard park at the manmade lake has emerged as a way to create revenue for the city through a public-private partnership, in which H30 would pay the city monthly rent and share 2 percent of its gross revenues.
Towers erected offshore would support a cable system that pulls wakeboarders without a boat. The system would run around the perimeter of the south part of the lake, leaving the public swimming beach and fishing and kayaking areas accessible to the public.
The rent would be $12,000 the first year, $18,000 the second year, and $24,000 each year after that. The initial lease would be for 10 years, with three five-year extension options.
The resolution includes terms and conditions city staff and H30 have identified as agreeable provisions in the future lease. However, the city still reserves its right to change any of those provisions, Lell said.
When the park’s operations interfere with city events, the city would retain the right to shut down the park for approximately 12 days out of the year, to hold events such as the TriMonroe triathlon and wakeboarding competitions, staff said. The city could shut down the wakeboard park for a half day to four days at a time.
Last week’s dissenting votes came from council members Patsy Cudaback, Ed Davis and Jason Gamble.
The City Council has primarily heard opposition to the wakeboard park during citizens comment, Cudaback said.
“We haven’t heard from people saying, ‘Yes, do it,’” she said.
More thought should be given to alternative sites, Cudaback said.
Eight people spoke in opposition to the wakeboard park at last week’s council meeting.
Many expressed a desire to keep Lake Tye the way it is, as a relaxing place to take a walk and enjoy nature.
But most speakers haven’t seen a wakeboard park, which is quieter and less visually intrusive than people realize, Snohomish resident Riley Poor told the Tribune.
Poor has spoken at two prior meetings, but he did not comment last week.
Monroe resident Diane Elliott said she was concerned the park is a “frivolous” venture for the city to get involved with.
“It sounds fun, but wakeboarding is not a service that’s a necessity for a majority of residents,” Elliott said. She also is concerned that the city will be liable for accidents that happen to wakeboarders at the park.
H30 would carry insurance and is working with the city to carefully define how liability would be handled, H30 co-owner Brad Smith said.
The wakeboard park is a creative way to generate revenue for the city, Smith added. He and co-owner Greg Dick see the park as a way to help the city during tough economic times.
“In states, counties and city governments, currently services are being taken away. That process will continue unless they find new ways of generating revenue, and this one is environmentally friendly, it’s community friendly,” Smith said.
H30 plans to make shoreline and water quality improvements at Lake Tye Park as part of the project, Smith said.
Furthermore, the park would provide a controlled, safe environment for young people to learn to wakeboard, Dick said.
Traffic and parking concerns can be put into perspective by the fact that the park is projected to attract about as many people as last summer’s two-day wakeboarding competition, 7,500, but spread out during the whole first year, Smith said.
The next step in the wakeboard park development is a State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) checklist.
From there, H30 will know if it has to do a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS).
The company would like to open for business in July. Some residents think the city is moving too quickly.
“It’s an aggressive timetable we admit,” Smith said, “but it’s nothing sinister. We’ve invested a lot of time and money and we’d sure like to get a return on that as soon as possible.”
“We’re not rushing just to ram it through. That’s not quite accurate,” he said.

By STEPHANIE KOSONEN
Published Jan. 11, 2012