Residents along Crawford Road told the Board of Island County Commissioners on Sept. 16 that they received county letters seeking much wider easements than the existing 60-foot right‑of‑way and said the notices lacked design or safety explanations. The residents asked for a face‑to‑face discussion and said the mailed notice forced a yes-or-no response without mitigation details.

The concern surfaced during public comment from Mary Jacobson, who identified herself as a resident and former county commissioner, and Tara Rudolph, a resident. They said letters sent to property owners asked for easements of up to about 120 feet on one side and 110 feet on the other and did not explain the engineering or design standards driving the change. Jacobson said some residents worry proposed widths would affect septic systems, business access and front‑door placement. "If this road can be built, we need to know how and where to put our energies and our resources. If it can't, we need to hear that too," Jacobson said.

County Engineer C. W. Stewart presented the six‑year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) during the meeting and confirmed Crawford Road remains on the plan but is not yet at construction phase while planning and easement work continues. In adopting the TIP, the board preserved Crawford Road in the program and signaled continued work on planning and public outreach.

In response to the comments, Chair Janet (Island County Commissioner and board chair) told speakers the county will hold meetings with affected property owners in January and bring detailed information about design speed (including the 25 vs. 35 mph question), property impacts and mitigation. "We will have all of the information. We will share. We'll talk about the 35 miles an hour versus 25 miles an hour. We'll talk about everything people are concerned about," she said. The chair added the county intends to keep Crawford Road in its TIP and will take the matter up with the affected owners.

County staff and commissioners also noted Crawford Road has been under planning for some time and that further public meetings will allow residents and first responders to provide input on safety, truck traffic and emergency access.

The board did not take a final construction decision at the Sept. 16 meeting; instead it adopted the TIP and scheduled targeted outreach to property owners to address technical questions and easement concerns.

Ending: The county's next steps are a set of planned owner meetings in January, additional public outreach and continued inclusion of Crawford Road in future annual construction programs if funding and design milestones align.