Square Lake Park AIS Tool Station: Opportunity Overview
I’m pleased to report that Matt Downing, AIS Program Coordinator at Washington Conservation District; Mark Apfelbacher, founder and CEO of CD3 Systems; and the Square Lake Association Board have reached agreement to install a CD3 Tool Station at Square Lake Park this summer, in order to further protect the Lake from Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) intrusion.
Despite joint efforts to obtain the optimal Tool Station product for Square Lake in 2022 (ideally the CD3’s Wayside or Outpost Tool Stations), Matt decided the CD3 products were too costly for his 2022 budget.
As a compromise solution, our Board was able to procure a $2500 CD3 Roadside Tool Station from Mark, at no cost to SLA or Washington County. Roadside is feature-comparable to the lower-cost Weed Stick product that Matt had sourced and cost-justified for Square Lake.
My underlying negotiation mission was to:
Obtain an AIS Tool Station for Square Lake this season.
Avoid conditioning the acquisition of a Tool Station on a related Square Lake Park AIS Survey of boat launch users that will be conducted by Washington Conservation District this summer, the results of which are unpredictable.
Align Matt and Mark on the best possible Tool Station solution for Square Lake, not driven exclusively by product cost.
Select the best-in-class Tool Station product financially possible - recognizing there is no silver-bullet AIS Tool Station solution.
Overcome Matt’s Tool Station budget challenge.
Overcome Mark’s Tool Station pricing challenge.
Keep the CD3 door open for a better-feature, higher-end product, should budget conditions improve in subsequent years.
During the negotiation, I updated our Square Lake Association Board, to debrief them on our Tool Station discussion, the options under consideration, and to obtain path-forward guidance.
Not surprisingly, Board feedback was mixed, including comments like:
“At no cost this looks ok. It would be far better to have a unit with vacuum capability and compressed air. It will also draw attention to cleaning boats after loading and pulling up from the ramp. Washington County prides itself on keeping Square Lake clean. Especially with the active beach park. They are willing to spend money on the park improvements but not on a cleaning system that would go a long way in keeping out invasive species.”
“I definitely support this. Thanks once again Jim for taking the lead on ensuring the cleanliness and long-term health of Square Lake. Is there a scenario in which a second $2,500 unit would further strengthen AIS mitigation efforts? If there's room to accommodate another unit, and we have sufficient use/demand, perhaps we can explore ways to purchase another tool station. I like the last point in your list below -- keeping the door open for a higher-end product if/when budgetary conditions become more favorable.”
“The CD3 system looks cheap and easily vandalized. The tools look like they're easily lost or broken, and would not be effective. The county should team up with our Association for an effective system. Would we still have an inspector on station?”
“Getting a wash station at the county park would be a good thing.”
Here are my responsive talking points, addressing Board questions and concerns:
Despite my best efforts to persuade Matt to purchase and pilot the CD3 Wayside or Outpost, models, I’m convinced his budget is insufficient to fund either this year.
There is a possibility that a Wash Station may be considered when the Park is expanded and upgraded over the next two to three years. Further advocacy by SLA will help increase the likelihood of that outcome.
After spending many hours conferring with Matt, I’m 100% assured that the only Tool Station installation possible this year will be either the Roadside unit I procured, the Weed Stick that Matt selected, or possibly both.
Additional efforts to move Matt in a new Tool Station direction are not recommended at this time. His plate is currently very full, and he will likely react negatively to additional efforts by me or us to consider an alternative solution.
The only alternative path forward, at this time, that might succeed, is if I told him our SLA is willing to self-fund either the Wayside or Outpost for 2022 installation. However, I understand that’s not a feasible plan this year for budget reasons.
The good news is that I was able to persuade Mark to give us a Roadside unit at no cost. While it’s far less than what we want and need, it’s a step-up from “no Tool Station”. At a minimum, the Roadside installation will help remind boaters of the AIS threat, and hopefully educate and engage those who share our AIS concerns.
Tool Station installation will not impair our AIS Square Lake Park inspector cost-share program. To the contrary, it will provide an additional, albeit imperfect, tool for inspectors to use.
Going forward, if any of you are interested in working with me to creatively design a 2023 AIS Wash Station plan for proposing to Matt, I’d welcome your help. My hope is to prove either the CD3 Wayside or Outpost units, and/or a custom AIS Boat Launch Wash Station, are cost/value justifiable, to further protect the Lake.
For those of you interested in CD3 product specifications, here are five links to:
If you have questions, please contact Jim Seidl at Jim.seidl@legalresearch.com.