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HomeMy WebLinkAboutE-mail from Brenda Heineman to Lisa Torres termination of caretakerPage 1 of 8 Lisa Torres From: Brenda Heineman Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 9:55 AM To: Lisa Torres Subject: FW: termination of caretaker Hi Lisa: Lets get a meeting on this. Not sure what this is about. B From; Patricia Cosgrove Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 11:32 AM To: Brenda Heineman Cc: Daryl Faber; Bob Wuotila Subject: termination of caretaker Dear Brenda We wish to terminate the lease agreement between the City and Mary Olson Farm caretaker Stan Flewelling. Our contract culls fora 60 day notice. 1. Is this something I need take through your office? 2. Might something like what follows be appropriate for a termination letter? Dear Stan The City of Auburn has decided that your services as caretaker of the Mary Olson Farm will no longer be required. With this letter we are giving you sixty days notice. _January 29th 2010 will be your last day as caretaker. Please make arrangements to remove yourself and possessions from the Farm and turn in your keys by January 29th 2010. �9s,�-��—�r��,���,A,po�.,-� —�'^� -tea Per our agreement, your mobile home cnn either be sold to the�.t caretaker or rem ve�d/by � Januar�9th, 2010. Should a caretaker not be identified by that time, the mobile home may stay\/1 on site until a purchase agreement is made with the new caretaker; if it is not purchased by the J t-`7, new caretaker, it must be removed within two weeks of that determination. / Additionally, with the receipt of this letter your services at the White River Valley Museum wil no longer be needed. Please make arrangements to turn in your key as soon as possible. Your o access code has been deleted from the museum's security system. 3. Should I call him? 4. Should you wish, you can read his emails to me below regarding a long list of concerns and grievances he has had, none of which to me or my staff seem viable. Thank you Brenda for your help. Patricia 11 /30/2009 Page 2 of 8 From: flewelling [mailto:flewelling@juno.com] Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:44 AM To: Patricia Cosgrove Subject: Re: Farm questions Thanks for the answers to my questions, Pahicia. This is the kind of information I've been hoping for. It seems that you have had many "things on your plate" lately, and I regret that my concerns are involving so much of your time. However, I hope the issues Iraise-are not just important and helpful to me, but also to the ongoing operations of WRVM and Olson Farm. Regarding #1 ("Drainage system"): What I was referring to, of course, was not so much surface drainage as the under rg ound drainage (piping under the new road and tluough the ground to the stream), which we've been communicating about for years. (See sample quotes from 2006-2009 messages below.) Surface and underground drainage are related, of course, but the more crucial problem here has been the ponding in the lower• orchard --as if the drainage part of the stream and old roadway revision work in September 2008 failed. It has appeared that the final stage of the drainage work rnaintained the existing "dam" effect more than it improved underground drainage. Gravel has been very helpful in handling mud problems at the gate and along the roadways, but it does little for ponding caused by underground drainage backups. As you your self said (1/7/09), "Under the drive !here ure drain pipes th��t nr•e supposed to keep that from hnppenirag." The January ponding on the Olson property was much greater than I've ever seen it before --even during the week of November 6, 2006, when there was so much rain, excess water released from the Hanson Dam caused the Green River to spill over its banks. There also was a huge amount of rain during the week of January 6, 2009, and there was a lot of water that poured over the Olson property, but the ponding was not caused by catastrophic flooding --it had already started before the heavy rains came. Comparison of that "unplanned pond" to flooding in Pacific last January is absurd. I was at the GRCC Flood Preparation meeting on September 9 when Col. Anthony Wright of the US Army Corps of Engineers apologized for what happened in Pacific, claiming full responsibility himself for releasing extra water from the Mud Mountain Dam on White River. Wright is in charge of both the Howard Hanson and Mud Mountain Dams. He had the courage, at least, to admit a mistake. As we learned from the news late last week, the USACE has, until now, been considered imnnrne from liability for flooding problems. But I suppose the ruling by a federal judge last Wednesday that the USACE is liable for much of the Hurricane Katrina flooding in New Orleans will make Army Corps people more cautious in what they say. Too bad that our excessively litigious society makes people lean toward caution and defensiveness and away fi•orn being open and honest. You must have received my September 9 message requesting a meeting with you and Kristen about flood concerns --it was the same message she responded to both of us about (regarding preliminary emergency plans for the animals). But now that you have answered my questions to the best of your ability, a meeting about flooding at Olson seems almost irrelevant (unless something new comes up). However, your answer to my other concerns --considerations regarding my mobile home in Olson Farm Alarming designs --troubles me all the more. These issues are not as inunediate and urgent as Green River flood concerns! But regardless of any perceived value of a mobile home, and regardless of any assumptions about the prohibitive costs of moving it, I believe an owner's rights to his/her property can not be confiscated by another party. Nothing I'm aware of in my lease agreement with the City of Auburn, nor in the RCW erases any of those rights (within the guidelines of the agreement itself). You would not want your own property rights modified by the plans of someone else, especially if they never consulted or made any agreement with you about those modifications. Forme, it's an important matter 11/30/2009 Page 3 of 8 of principle and civil rights. Like you, I hope the mobile home I currently own (at the insistence of the City) will continue to be useful here long beyond my caretaker tenancy, but that will depend a lot on what I can eventually work out with any future caretaker. Please clarify (with the Legal Department, I suppose) any questions regarding the rights of mobile home owners whose property is on leased land. I will also consult my own legal references and advisors, and if any differences of opinion or ambiguities remain, we should certainly meet to find solutions. As it now stands, some portions of the�lson_F�rn>r Landscaping and Fencing Plan" are unacceptable. � Regards, Stan P.S. [PAST COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING OLSON FARM DRAINAGE PLANS AND SURFACE GRAVEL --please read from the oldest at bottom to newest at top]: January 8, 2009 PC to SF & MM: I believe that if we do any pumping into the stream we will be violating all kinds of rules and regulations. Please do not do that unless the buildings or Stan personally are at risk. I think Stan just hos to park near the gate during times he anticipates flooding a rather common-sense solution. I have passed the photos on to our engineer and architects for a discussion on long term fixes. This is an exceptionally wet time -PC January 8, 2009 MM to SF & PC: I took a look at it this morning and did not see on out flow to the creek, so that might be a good long term solution, or re gravel old road on berm would be a cheaper solution. I can try and locate a pump for you and gas if you want to pump it out, it will take a good day and than some. It looks like the majority of the pond is being fed by the river along the hillside and will continue to fill the pond as you pump it out. It doesn't appear as if there is any water flowing into the pond form the creek so you could pump water into the creek. However, I would need Patricia to verify whether there is an outflow or not. If there isn't than you could pump into the creek, if there is an outflow than you wouldn't be able to pump into the creek until the outflow was below the creek level. January 8, 2009 SF to MM & PC: Thanks for your suggestions, Mike. Yes, I had thought of parking at the gate. Yes, the berm is walkable with some taller boots on. But at this point, I'm unable to get either of my vehicles safely to the gate. I canceled my work assigmnent for today. The stream is very full, but a lot lower than the pond and the culvert opening. I don't know if there's actually a culvert outlet near the stream --it was supposed to be completed when the recent stream work was done by KC. But my impression is that it's not working as planned. The pooling had already started last weekend, before the recent heavy rains. New developments today: . The pond has grown overnight so that it is now spilling over the berm. It is also being fed by a steady stream from the open ditch between my home and the west ridge. . The creek has run so rapidly that it widened to approx. 30 feet a ways down fiom the farmhouse (before the bend). The plank "bridge" is gone. There are also several new (temporary) channels, like one straight across the old road from the farmhouse. . Several new, small (temporary) streams have appeared elsewhere on the farm--e.g. above the "rock garden" at the N end of the meadow. It flows down in front of the barn and has virtually turned the new road fiom my house to the gate into a pair of small streams. Some tiny streams are lapping at the edge of my house, but I don't expect any big trouble there. . The Green River is not flooding, but it's higher today, which turns a lot of the creek water at the big culvert back to our south meadow. I don't think that will cause much trouble. 11J30/2009 Page 4 of 8 Things should improve with the better weather, but Ion guessing that our pond will not go away very quickly! January 8, 2009 MM to SP & PC: Is it possible to park your car at the gate and walk in? The berm by the river looks like you can walk in from there. I'II take a Zook at it during day light, but there doesn't look like there is anyplace to pump the water to until the stream goes down There is a bowl where the pond is forming and I believe there is a culvert there that goes into the stream. With the out flow currently under river level (I might be wrong on this, you two would know) Long term solution would probably be to create a detention pond deeper into the Orchard area for times when the stream is too high, this would get it away from the road. January 7, 2009 SF to PC & MM: Patricia, here are the photos from this morning. Regarding fiu4her flooding (Mike's question), no, I don't think the water will reach my house (or other buildings on the property) this time around. The "danger" is that I might not be able to drive between my house and the gate, and get "locked" in without transportation. This morning en route to work, my car spun through the grassy area between the "pond" and the new stream -side landscaping (left side of the 2nd photo) --very soggy. It was an even bigger struggle coming in after work --almost didn't make it. The stream is raging now, of course, but it seems to be draining to the Green River pretty well. On Wed, 7 Jau 2009 ] 8:07:25 -0800 "Mike Miller" <rmnlle_r�a)1it�urn>vp.gov> writes: Stan, is there any danger of the water reaching your house? From: Patricia Cosgrove Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 3:29 PM To: Mike Miller Cc: 'Stan Flewelling' Subject: FW: Olson drainage Mike Well, we can't pump the water into the stream... Any suggestions? Patricia P5, I will send this on to the architects so they can be pondering a long term fix. _ _ __ __ _ . From: Stan Flewelling [mailto:flewelling@juno.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 8:39 AM To: Patricia Cosgrove Subject: Re: Olson drainage The situation is much worse this morning. The "pond" covers most of the key drainage area inside the gate--approx.50 feet in diameter, and about 8 inches deep over some of the new road. I should be able to exit via the old road, although the grass makes the footing soft. Will by to take pictures when heading out, but can't download them to my computer until later. If the city has any way to pump the pool over the edge to the sh•eam, that would help. I used to "trench" over the old road to promote drainage, but that no longer seems possible. Stan On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:37:50 -0800 "Patricia Cosgrove" <pcosgro��e�auburnwa.go�>> writes: No insights. Under the drive there are drain pipes that are supposed to keep that from happening. Can you 11/30/2009 Page 5 of 8 take a photo and email it to me? I will send along to our engineer and perhaps when we design the entry and ticket booth we can do something else to help with that problem. Thanks, PC From: Stan Flewelling [mailto:flewelling@juno.com] Sent: Monday, January O5, 2009 11:25 PM To: Patricia Cosgrove Subject: Re: museum lights ... I'm concerned (still) about the drainage situation just inside the Olson gate. I thought the recent stream work was also going to complete the drainage system underneath the newest road bed and out to the creek. But the relatively small amount of rain and snow we've had this past week is pooling up over and around the drainage pipes (like it's done for several years) as if it has nowhere to go. Any insights? October 8, 2008 SF to PC: ...The rain these past two weeks plus the extra haffic coming through the gate and down the newer driveway is creating a lot of slick mud that will get much worse during the winter. May I suggest getting another supply of gravel on the driveway, not only near the gate, but most of the way back to my place? Is the meadow drainage system now considered complete with the recent stream work? April 6, 2008 SF to PC: Update: Since Friday night I've been able to take a closer look. Although some gravel has been applied to some spots, the worst mud problem areas (inside, outside, and widerneath the gate area) haven't been touched yet. I assume the golf course guys are aware of this and plan to do more sometime. Thanks for your help. Apri15, 2008 SF to PC: Thanks, Patricia. Got back this evening and it looks like they filled some potholes here and there. Apri12, 2008 PC to SF: I will ask the golf course guys if they could bring in some gravel... . Apri12, 2008 SF to PC: ...Both roadways just inside the gate are pretty beaten up and muddy right now and could use more gravel. March 5, 2007 SF to PC: Is it possible (or already in the plans) to get more gravel on the new road and near the entry gate? As you've probably noticed, the work on the gate stirred up a lot of mud around the entryway. The new road has been soggy for nnrch of the winter, and very slippery since the gate work was started. Now I can not exit or enter the farm without smearing my shoes in mud and caking my vehicle tires. January 11, 2006 PC to SF: The flow of water that I saw this morning is to be expected. The drainage is working as designed. The final part of that project will include removing the old driveway and that cannot happen until we have permits for in -stream work, perhaps this summer. So, we had to pause in that project 9/10ths of the way through, leaving the old drive in place. We realized it would form a dam, but there is nothing we can do about that. Unfortunate that we have a 100 year flood during the period between work on that project. 11 /30/2009 Page 6 of 8 January 3, 2006 SF to PC: ... I saw that the drainage "holding pond" area (both sides of the new road, near the gate) was pooling up considerably. The flooding completely covered a portion of the new road. As the rain subsided, the pool stayed put. Only today is it receding significantly. The visible ends of the 3 pipes placed underneath the new road seem clogged with gravel, leaves, etc. I wonder if the new drainage is not working the way it's supposed to. The lengthy submergence of the new access road especially concerns me. Anyway, it's something to be aware of. [END OF COMMUNICATION QUOTES.] On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:5223 -0800 "Patricia Cosgrove" <pcosgrove r�auburmva.go�>> writes: Hi Stan Here are the answers to the best of our ability to your questions. None of these answers are from experts, so please know we are all just doing the best we can with a potentially difficult situation. I. Drainage system: Last January, you (Patricia) told me to send pictures of the ponding over the road near the gate so you could consult with the engineers and work on solutions before the winter season of 2009-10. Any follow-up or other information? As I think we mentioned earlier, putting gravel down was their solution. We did this several times last year and will do it again this year. I was out yesterday and thought perhaps it was time for me to call in a grovel request —will do later today. 2. Cul��ert: Sometime last spring, someone from King County stopped by to investigate the culvert under Green River Rd. He said they were concerned that the huge amount of gravel washed by the heavy rains down Olson Creek had filled the culvert too much, restricting drainage from the property into the Green River. Any follow-up or other information? No, we have not heard anything. I know that the culvert is considered small and of the wrong kind —styles hove changed since it was installed, but it seems unlikely that King County with their budget issues would initiate any kind of replacement effort for some years to come. I wonder though if the threat of floods might inspire the agencies in charge (and I don't know who that might be) to move this up in their priority. 3. _S_e_ wage_& drain field: If there is flooding in the orchard, would sewage potentially back up into my home? Not likely since you are on n septic system and only the drain field floods. However, if the drain field was to become snturated to the point that it no longer could function properly and the Conk become full, it could back up if you continued to use it since it has nowhere to go. 4. Water supper: If there is flooding on the property, would the well water supply potentially be corrupted? My understanding is that the well is relatively shallow, 49 feet, so it could be affected by flood saturation. We have no way to guard against this. There are plans in the works to drill a new well and we just finished raising funds for that. It is on hold, along with many projects, until the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation review the results of our archaeological tests and determine that by doing any of our planned digging (for well, fences, gardens etc) we will not ruin an important site. (BTW, there was nothing of importance found, except one stone chip of the kind flaked off while making a tool, and it was in a layer of very contemporary stuff, so it is by law considered on anomaly, not a find.) 11/30/2009 Page 7 of 8 5. Power supply_: If there is flooding on the property, would the power• supply potentially be interrupted? If I am asked to evacuate, should I shut down the power supply (or any part of it) at Olson? (I know how to turn off my own home's power supply.) It is a good idea to secure power to your building if you have to leave. The feed to the farm from the street is overhead and at the mercy of the power grid. 6. Vandalism: If I am asked to evacuate, there will still be a number of homeless people nearby who will not receive a phone call alert. (I see them walking and biking along Green River Rd. every week.) During heavy rains and/or a flood, they will probably be forced to move uphill away fiotn their campsites, and then they may want to look for dry shelter nearby. Empty, abandoned farm buildings will probably look quite inviting, and a furnished mobile home even more so. Are there any plans by the city to add security and patrols when none of the rest of us can get here? If flooding is extensive, security forces will be deployed to control looting or unauthorized entry into buildings. Because a very large area will need to be patrolled, I would not count on "absolute" security. As to the design of fences and gardens curtailing the possible movement of your mobile home, we have made several assumptions: 1. Last time we changed caretakers, it was desirable for them to keep the same home and avoid the costs of moving it. 2. Now, years later, the value of the mobile home has decreased to be less thou the cost of moving it, so the odds of deciding to do that ore low. BTW, it cost well over 20K to move and reconnect the home just within the farm, so moving it out would cost at least that much. Thus we did not consider movement of the mobile to be a strong possibility. As to sandbagging, we have not suggested you do that, because of two things: highly unlikely that water would reach that far, and sandbagging only works if it is maintained hourly with pumps. This is something I did not know but learned when we toured the farm with the fire department asking just such questions. As for the'unplanned pool' that formed at the base of the driveway, if you recall, the entire town of Pacific was under water and that was n catastrophic flood. We are not in charge or control of such things, and it is incumbent for you to realize that you must be, as is everyone, responsible for your own welfare and take appropriate actions. As to the drainage system not working during that time, all I can say is well, it was a catastrophic flood. Regarding your being left out of flood preparedness meetings, we had one such staff meeting concerning the museum, not the form. I met many times with skilled individuals to ascertain the possible or probable ' flooding at the farm and sent you our information and instructions as soon as that information solidified enough to be of use. You are not left out of anything that is important to your welfare. Lastly, I did not know you asked for a meeting with me. I am here Monday through Friday 9 to 5. I know you work but perhaps a late afternoon meeting be possible? Would you like to meet at the farm or the museum? My schedule is open late afternoon, say 3 or 4, on the 19th, 23`'d and 24ih to name a few. Patricia Cosgro�-e Museum and Farm Director 9i8 H Street SE 11 /30/2009 Page 8 of 8 Auburn WA 98002 253 ?SS-7437 �53 931-309`� pcosgrot�e @ auburmwa,gos� The information contained in this electronic communication is personal, privileged and/or confidential information intended only for the use of the individuals) or entity(ies) to which it has been addressed. If you read this communication and are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication, other than delivery to the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply e-mail. Thank you. Patricia Cosgrove J4usetun and Farm Director 9iH H Sh•eet SL Auburn WA 9800z z53 288-7437 253 931-309& pcosgrove a:aubtu•n�wa,gov December 5, noon — 4 p.m. Family Day: The Gift of Art Small Works, Big Presents is an annual juried art show and sale that includes talented artists from the region. Join the festivities and watch artist demonstrations, create your own miniature work of art, and more. Free with regular Museum admission. ref-=s6#%grotrp.ph�? id=103b'S58(155¢9 And Twitted ttp//t_w�tter.com/wrvmuseum 11/30/2009