TwispWorks is celebrating its ninth anniversary at the Big Shaabang.
A problem with stormwater runoff at TwispWorks has delayed the proposed dissolution of the Twisp Public Development Authority until a satisfactory solution is found.
A 2018 paving project created stormwater catchment swales in TwispWorks’ parking lot, but one of them has failed and water leaked or overflowed onto property belonging to Twisp Council member Mark Easton. “We are eager that a solution be found,” he said.
Twisp’s Public Works Committee is evaluating the problem and wants assurance of a solution from TwispWorks and the PDA before recommending that the council move ahead with the PDA dissolution, council member Hans Smith said at the Sept. 28 council meeting.
Smith, who sits on the Public Works Committee, said TwispWorks has hired an engineer to develop plans to fix the problem, but the committee will wait until the plans have been reviewed by the town and an independent engineer to ensure they meet town standards.
“Right now we don’t have a committed plan; we have an engineering proposal,” Smith told the council. “We’re glad to see they’re working on it, but we don’t have an engineering solution yet.”
Twisp Public Works Director Andrew Denham said he expects the town to receive engineered plans from TwispWorks to review.
A resolution to dissolve the PDA came before the council at its Sept. 14 meeting, but the council delayed the decision. Residents living near the TwispWorks campus have also questioned how future development on the campus would be managed after the PDA is dissolved.
The PDA was created 13 years ago to guide development of the property that is now TwispWorks. The PDA’s board of directors has recommended that the town dissolve the organization because it had “completed its mission” and is no longer needed to oversee TwispWorks development.
In written comments to the council, residents living near TwispWorks advocated for elimination of a zoning “overlay” that was established along with the PDA to allow greater flexibility in zoning decisions to foster development of the property, which is in a C-1 (downtown commercial) zone. Residents said that some developments on the campus permitted under that overlay have been detrimental to them, and want future TwispWorks development to adhere to C-1 zoning standards.There appears to be “no opposition to dissolution” from any parties, including the town, the PDA and TwispWorks, Smith said at last week’s council meeting.
