Frontage ULID dead after Bob Jankelson pulls support for project

CHELAN - Well, the people won this battle. 

The Bear Mountain Frontage Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) was officially shut down last week after former Bear Mountain board member and Tsillan Cellars Owner Bob Jankelson withdrew his support for the ULID, effectively giving the lakefront property owners the 40 percent land area needed to reject the ULID. 

Jankelson originally was in favor of the ULID but withdrew his support on Friday after sending an email to Bear Mountain homeowners. 

“After protestations of potential stakeholders, it is obvious the political sentiments and climate are averse to undertaking such an ambitious project at this time,” Jankelson wrote in the email. 

The proposal would have stuck lakefront property owners with a $16,500 bill to help finance the construction of a $2.5 million project to extend the municipal waterline to homes in Hawks Meadow/Hawks Ridge and some parcels near the Bear Mountain Golf Course while installing fire flow for lakefront owners. 

When the proposal was announced, lakefront property owners, who already have water, were furious and demanded the ULID to be voted down. However, the way the annexation was drawn, they wouldn’t be able to stop the process without the help of Jankelson or other ag  owners. 

With Jankelson’s change of heart, the frontage LID is effectively dead. 

According to Bear Mountain Attorney, Mark Peterson, the other two LID’s at Hawks Ridge and along the golf course parcels are in question, but as of now still in place. 

“We have a meeting on April 19, but much won’t happen. I think we have to wait and see what Hawks Meadow wants to do. We have some fairly strong groups that want to do those projects, but they are still trying to find out how to make that happen, so I guess we’re just kind of waiting,” Peterson commented. 

The meeting on the 19th will be at the Chelan Public Works Office at 1 p.m. 

Zach Johnson can be reached at lcmeditor@gmail.com or (509)682-2213