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Tuesday, May 31st
County Hires New Code Enforcement Officer
Starting June 13th, the CDPD (Community Development & Planning Department) will have someone to investigate, and take action, on code violations.
Jeffrey Wasnick has a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Minnesota and over twenty-six years experience with the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, coordinating priority programs with state government, including the forest law enforcement and public land use programs.
Mr. Wasnick currently resides in Puyallup, but plans to live in the San Juans.
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Monday, May 30th
Memorial Day - Friday Harbor - 2005
 Friday Harbor A large crowd and members of the American Legion listen to 90 year old veteran Mr. Brown, who landed in Normandy on D-day as a member of the infantry. He and his unit walked and fought 800 miles across Europe to the outskirts of Berlin. A moving account of his experiences was given by family members Harvey Brown, his son, and by Boy Scout Mitchell, his step-grandson, who has applied to the Air Force Academy. The Legionaries in the chairs represented all of the arms of the services.
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Sunday, May 29th
Veterans and Poppies
 Toni Obrad & Dorothy Robinson offer poppies to shoppers at King's Market
Disabled Veterans make the poppies given out on Poppy Day. When you accept and wear a poppy you aid the living victims of past and current wars, and at the same time honor the fallen and the living servicemen of our country.
Contributions for poppies is used only for the welfare activities of the American Legion and Auxiliary that are devoted to rehabilitation and assistance for veterans and their families. The poppies may be obtained for the rest of this Memorial weekend from members of the American Legion/Auxiliary.
Don't forget to attend the parades and memorial services on your island this Memorial Day.
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Saturday, May 28th
Petersen's Given Award For Preservation
Lori and Gordy Petersen awarded the 4th Annual Partners in Preservation Award by The Town of Friday Harbor and the Historic Preservation Review Board .
The award was presented to the Petersen's for Outstanding Achievement in Historically Compatible New Construction.
On May 9, 2002, Friday Harbor experienced one of the worst fire disasters in the town's history. five businesses and more than 8,000 square feet of commercial property owned by the Petersen's burned to the ground. Working with the Historic Preservation Board, the Petersen's built a new "business complex with a successful contemporary interpretation of 1920's-style design features that blend easily with—rather than distracting from—the surviving turn-of-the-century buildings that grace Friday Harbor's unique downtown".
The result is a business complex with a successful contemporary interpretation of 1920's-style design features that blend easily with—rather than distracting from—the surviving turn-of-the-century buildings that grace Friday Harbor's unique downtown. And for the members of the HPRB, this was not only a true test of the Town's preservation program, but was also an outstanding contribution by the Petersen's to our community. The 2005 Partners in Preservation Award recognizes their accomplishment.
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Friday, May 27th
THE PRESENT STATUS OF RULE CHARTER
Key elements that may be included in the Charter are listed below. The Charter will be put to a vote this coming November and will require a majority vote to pass.
A Hired, Professional, County Administrator -- A professional administrator will
be hired to manage the day-to-day administrative duties of the county. With this arrangement, each department head would report to one boss instead of three.
A Non-Partisan, Less Compensated Council Of Six -- Rather than three County
Commissioners (salaried at about $67,000/year plus benefits), the number will be changed to six Council members (salaried at $20,000/year or less). The council members will campaign and be elected solely by the citizens in their respective districts. The council will handle all legislative and policy matters of the county and will be strictly prohibited by the Charter from interfering in any way with the administrative duties of the County Administrator.
Initiative, Referendum and Charter Review -- These provisions will respectively
provide the citizens with the opportunity to initiate new ordinances, to overrule an ordinance implemented by the Council or to modify the charter. A high threshold of support would be required for any initiative to appear on the ballot, and all initiatives would have to identify a source of funds if additional expenditures are required. Charter review would allow the Charter to be modified as the needs of the County change.
Transition Plan -- The Charter will include a transition plan that will allow for the
orderly phased transition from our current system and will be sensitive to the elected officials who currently have unexpired terms.
The Proposal is Revenue Neutral – It is the Freeholder's expectation that none of the above changes will increase operating costs.
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Wednesday, May 25th
New County Storage & Equipment Yard For PW ?
 To Become New Public Works Yard?
The Director of PW (Public Works) would not confirm or deny today that the BOOC was in the process of purchasing 28 acres of land just north of Friday Harbor as a new site for the PW yard. But Director Shannon did say that in two weeks he would be able to comment.
The site in question is near the new Carlson Commercial park development, and is some of the only land left on San Juan Island where commercial development can be placed. The land was designated as Rural General so that commercial development for the private sector would have a place to be located. But if it is now true that the BOCC is quietly purchasing the land for it's own use, the land will be removed from an area where the public can locate a business.
The County Assessor has assigned a value of $577,110.00 to the property, but there is no information available as to what the purchase price of the property may in fact be.
The property was looked at by the SJ School District some years ago, but for a number of reasons (including concerns about wetlands and opposition from neighbors) they declined to purchase it. It is not known how the neighborhood will respond to the possible sale of the land to the County, and it's possible use as a public works yard; but then, it also not known why the County would buy it in the first place, or where the money is to come from to purchase it.
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Tuesday, May 24th
Appeal On LaFarge To County Hearing Examiner
Appeal Related to Shaw Firing
 County Gravel Offloaded Onto LaFarge Beach Day After Shaw Fired
No sooner had the BOCC fired Deputy Planning Director Shaw, and appointed a new interim Director brought in from Public Works, then an appeal to the County Hearing Examiner was filed by the GBPC (Griffin Bay Preservation Committee) charging there may have been a direct connection between the County Commissioner's firing of Deputy Director Shaw, and the BOCC's desire to purchase the former gravel pit and the beach created by LaFarge in Griffin Bay.
The appeal is interesting, and a bit unusual, in that it has to do with what GBPC believes may, or already has, happened, as a direct result of the firing of Shaw. The appeal is related to the pending purchase of the LaFarge beach and the former gravel pit behind it, and the concern by GBPC is that there may be a connection between the firing of Shaw and the simultaneous offloading of gravel onto LaFarge beach. An action that may signal that the County has somehow been able to have the appropriate form(s) signed by the appropriate official that would allow the sale of the property to go forward; a form that Shaw would not sign. (see former story: SHAW FIRED) The appeal clearly states the concern that: " the County Deputy Planning Director was fired yesterday (5-18-05) for refusing to illegally issue such approvals and the County has now purported to grant them without notice to the public or opportunity for comment. Such actions violate the UDC and other applicable law and further violate the directions of the Hearing Examiner"
The use of the beach for the offloading of gravel has not been allowed due to lack of permits and concerns such use is not allowed under the Comprehensive Plan and the Unified Development Code. The matter is further confused by the failure of the County to take any enforcement action at the property. The County has taken the position that it has a conflict of interest in enforcing it's own code, given that they are under contact to purchase the property.
While the Griffin Bay group strongly disagrees with the County on this position, they are concerned that a valid conflict of interest does exist in the County Prosecutor's office coming to the defense of the appeal, and asks that the "Office be disqualified from representing the County or advising the Department in this appeal because, inter alia, members of the County Prosecuting Attorney's Department will be called as witnesses in this appeal and because the County prosecutor has previously acknowledged that it has a conflict of interest in this matter."
As of yesterday, the County had not responded to complaints about the recent offloading of material by the County onto the beach, and had not assigned the appeal to any of the staff at the CD&P (Community Development & Planning).
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Sunday, May 22nd
The First County Wide Leadership Class
 The First Class
It was over a year ago when the word went out that Skagit Valley College, working with the aid of the SJC Economic Development Council, would be accepting nominations for a six month course designed to help and create leadership skills and knowledge that would benefit not only the participants, but also the community.
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Friday, May 20th
BC Candidates Support Sewage Treatment
"..In any event, I think we can, at least for the time being, allow a degree of disposal at sea,… dealing with the question of disposal in the ocean,… we can allow ourselves, I think, for the time being…the luxury, if I may use that term, of some disposal at sea…" Wednesday, July 11, 1979 - B.C. Ministry of Environment
The "for the time being" expanded to twenty-six years later: The BOCC held a workshop on Tuesday (May 17) that consisted of an update on the sewage problem coming from B.C. There was not much new discussed, but the BOCC had a little fun with puns on the problems that have surfaced (sorry..) and some thoughts were shared among themselves as to what impact the Winter Olympics (scheduled for 2010) may have in pushing Victoria toward solving their -and our- very real problem.
In news unrelated to the BOCC workshop action, there was a recent study conducted that may be encouraging. When eighteen candidates for various offices in Victoria BC were recently asked to give a response to the statement "I support the objective that Victoria install secondary sewage treatment, or better", they all agreed with the statement, but many felt compelled to add clarification and conditions to their agreement that sounded familiar to anyone who has listened to the answers of candidates running for office. (See Past Related Story
On May 2nd, The Georgia Strait Alliance and the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation conducted the survey, and found that while the majority of the candidates support secondary treatment for sewage in Victoria, they added such modifiers as:
"If we can get the money"., and "if we can get the money from the federal government", and "The money must be made available".
[BC Candidates Support Sewage Treatment">more..]
Wednesday, May 18th
BREAKING NEWS SHAW FIRED
 Shaw Supporters Wait For BOCC To Discuss Shaw
County staff is shocked, supporters are dismayed, Commissioner Miller is "excited about the new opportunities to have a fresh start in the department." In an extraordinarily long executive session that lasted from 10:30 a.m to just before 4 p.m., the BOCC met to discuss the continued employment of Deputy Director Shaw. While it may be awhile until the public knows why the Board acted against one of the most popular directors the department has had, it is clear that the decision was not an easy one, given how long the meeting lasted.
When word went out that there was to be an executive session that involved Shaw, a solid cross section of the public showed up as a sign of support for the Director. When the Commissioners filed into the commissioner's room to begin the session, by asking everyone to leave (including Shaw), as is required by law for an executive session, they seemed surprised by the showing of the supporters; and who the supporters were.
The supporters included strong and active environmentalists, developers, retired Public Works employees, attorneys, members of staff, and others. Many of the group spent the whole day waiting in the hallways, speculating on what was going on, and why.
As to why, it was not lost on the group that on the same day the new Director from Public Works took office, at least two complaints had been made to the Director that Public Works was having barges unloaded at Lafarge Beach, and according to Island Concrete, the necessary permits had not been obtained.
Public Works and Island Concrete have for sometime wanted to use Lafarge to beach barges and unload and store gravel, but according to a ruling by Shaw, this was found to be in violation of county regulations, and therefore not allowed.
Toward the end of the day, Town Attorney Don Eaton wandered by and asked why everyone was standing in the hall, and when told why, expressed amazement and concern, stating "they (the BOCC) would not do that! She is the best thing that has happened to that department…I was just leaving, but I'm staying to see what the Board does and show my support." When the BOCC voted against Shaw, Eaton left shaking his head.
It is anticipated that Shaw may not go gently into the night, that the same conviction that allowed her to say "No" to Public Works projects, will stand her well if she decides to go after the Board for wrongful termination. After the meeting, Shaw said she had no warning this was coming, that there had been no complains filed against her, no suggestions that she need to change anything in the department.
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Is The Deputy Director Next To Leave?
11:45 AM Update: BOCC Still In Executive Session, To Continue Into The Afternoon
Francine Shaw, the Deputy Director of Community Development and Planning (CD&P) was before a Board of County Commissioner's Executive Session on Tuesday for a "performance review" of work. This occurs on the heels of the sudden, and unexpected, departure of the recently hired Directory, who recently quit, just short of six months on the job.
Ms. Shaw entered the session accompanied by an attorney, and after their meeting with the Board, the Board stayed in session with staff members, then came out of session and announced the executive session was continued to 10 a.m. today (Wednesday the 18th). It is assumed that the Board will make some formal announcement today on what, if anything, has been resolved.
As with the highly unusual change of leadership of the CD&P that resulted in the almost simultaneous departure of the Directory, and the advancement out of the Public Works department of a new Director to be in charge of the planning and building permits for the county, the staff at CD&P were once again asking, What is going on?
It is no secret that Deputy Director Shaw's rulings on land use and development code interpretations in regard to the County's own development projects was not popular with Public Works, or the past members of the BOCC, and some felt that this was why she has been passed over for the Director's position that is now held by -until this week- a Public Works employee.
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Tuesday, May 17th
Freeholders To Ask Your Opinion on Their Opinions
 George Johnson and Steve Brandt Before BOCC - Francine Shaw of Planning in Background
Freeholder Chairman George Johnson recently appeared before the County Commissioners to present an up-date on where the Freeholders are in writing a charter, and where they are going with it. Chairman Johnson informed the BOCC that the Freeholders were preparing to go to the public with a brochure that would both explain what the Freeholders are considering to put in the charter, and to ask for input from the public on their proposals to date.
As of the last meeting that was held on Lopez, the current draft of the charter will include the following:
1. Six County Commissioners (or "Council Member") elected from districts
2. County Administrator to serve at the will of the Commission
3, Initiatives and Referendums to be allowed
4. Sheriff, Clerk, Auditor, Assessor and Treasurer to be non-partisan offices.
It is has been suggested the brochure should include both pro and con arguments on the above, but it is not clear if this will be included, and if it is, who would prepare the con arguments against what is being proposed. In addition to the brochure, a survey form will be made available to the public to receive public input on the proposals. The Freeholders plan to hold meetings, speak to groups, and in general find out what is most likely to be approved by the public when the charter goes to the voters in November.
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New Land Bank Director
 Dr.Lincoln Bormann
After a long search, the Land Bank LAND BANK MISSION & LINKS has a new Director. Dr.Lincoln Bormann (Ph.D.) and his wife were recently on San Juan island to attend a potluck dinner with the Land Bank, and make their final review of what it must be like to live in San Juan County. Lincoln stated "I am very excited to be joining the Land Bank and the community. In thinking about my career and my family, I believe this move will be exceptionally rewarding in all respects.
Lincoln Bormann was one of a number of applicants for the Director position of the Land Bank, was offered the position, but had not accepted until recently. He will officially become the new Director on August first, when he will take over the helm from Acting Director, Eliza Habegger.
One thing that is certain, is the change for the Bormann's will be obvious. Currently the Bormann's reside in Florida, where Dr. Bormann works for the Nature Conservancy and worked on an Environmentally Sensitive lands Protection program for Sarasota County Florida.
Dr. Bormann received a masters degree in environmental policy from the University of Minnesota, and took his doctorate from Yale, in forestry and environmental studies.
The Land Bank plans to hold a number of Open House events in August to introduce their new Director to the various island communities.
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Monday, May 16th
Town To Present Award To Lori and Gordy Petersen
Lori and Gordy Petersen to be awarded the 4th Annual Partners in Preservation Award by The Town of Friday Harbor and the Historic Preservation Review Board
This year the award is being presented to the Petersen's for Outstanding Achievement in Historically Compatible New Construction.
On May 9, 2002, Friday Harbor experienced one of the worst fire disasters in the town's history. five businesses and more than 8,000 square feet of commercial property owned by the Petersen's burned to the ground. Working with the Historic Preservation Board, the Petersen's built a new "business complex with a successful contemporary interpretation of 1920's-style design features that blend easily with—rather than distracting from—the surviving turn-of-the-century buildings that grace Friday Harbor's unique downtown".
The award is to be presented to the Petersen's on Saturday, May 28 at a Town celebration of National Historic Preservation Month (more on this later)
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Guest Editorial
Nonprofit Boards of Directors - Why Do Some Stall In Their Vital Tasks?
By Steve Brandt
Nonprofits come in all sizes and shapes ( e.g. Mr. Brandt's SJ Islands Institute) many do meaningful work that improves the quality of life in the community. Locally we have such organizations dedicated to a representative range of subjects ranging from mental health and low-cost housing to the performing arts, families, and preserving wildlife habitats.
Why do some nonprofits, including certain of our public taxing districts, stall in their vital tasks? One common reason is that they have ineffective boards of directors. Nonprofit boards are typically collections of friends and casual participants. Most directors mean well, I suspect, but in my experience they sometimes add little of value to completing the work at hand. When there is weakness at the top of an organization, one of two things happens. 1) The roost of the organization is ruled by the paid staff or a sub-group of directors that has a private agenda--and frequently a loud voice. Or 2) There is a power vacuum, the enterprise dithers, and its resources are squandered. Whichever outcome, instead of meeting a community need, the enterprise serves the interests of a select few, or no one at all.
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Saturday, May 14th
Salal Homes Tour Successful
 Photo by Larry Soll
Landscaping has just been completed with the assistance of AmeriCorps volunteers. The AmeriCorps Crew Poses After Work On Salal Project
The Home Trust of San Juan Island held there first tour of the Salal homes on Saturday, May 14, The permanently affordable houses for low and moderate-income residents of San Juan Island were open for a tour by a public made up of "So what do they look like?", those who have been involved, and some people who were "Shopping".
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Thursday, May 12th
A Woman Of Many Talents Leaves Us- Colleen Clancy
 The Director Paints A Class Room
Photo and Report By Mary Kalbert
She's off! August 15th is the effective date for Colleen Clancy, current director of Skagit Valley College, San Juan Center, to begin her new position as Director of the Benton Center at Linn- Benton Community College in Corvallis, Oregon.
In this position Clancy will serve 8,000 of the 23,000 total student population of the college.
" I am excited about this opportunity," Clancy said, as she prepares to wrap up her work here by June 30th.
Staff and students alike view her leaving with mixed emotions. All are happy to see her advance in her career, and sad to see a stellar director leave the successful programs that have flourished under her leadership.
Writing grants, weaving community and college programs together or painting the walls of a classroom, Colleen Clancy has made an indelible mark on Skagit Valley College and the San Juan Islands.
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Wednesday, May 11th
How Did It Happen? CD&P Director Is Out
The Board of County Commissioners announces that Steve Amsbaugh (above), Community Development & Planning Director has resigned from employment with San Juan County effective May 17, 2005.
In a move that has surprised just about everyone not personally involved, the BOCC has hired Matt Zybas as an "in-house" replacement for the current Director of the CD&P (Community Development & Planning) departments. See the BOCC Press Release below.
The Island Guardian inquired as to why the Assistant Director was not appointed as Director, or as an interim Director, and then allowed to apply for the position, and was the case recently when the last Director resigned. Commissioner Ranker said "We won't find a better Director than Matt". He went on to say that he really "did not know anything about Matt until the last few days, but when I was shown his resume, I was blown away by his background and education". Becky Rusnak stated that Jon Shannon "had a great deal to do with Matt's name coming forward". According to Rusnak, Matt was invited to an executive session with the BOCC, was interviewed and that he had responded well in general, and to questions about "other issues in that (CD&P) department".
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BOCC Passes Ordinance on Guest Houses
Board of County Commissioners hold Public Hearing
Perhaps the public has lost interest, or feels it is in the hands of the Courts and the Politicians -both public and private-, or felt the Commissioners were doing the right thing with an ordinance that helps out some citizens who got trapped by regulations, but for whatever reason, the turnout at the Public Hearing for an Emergency Ordinance on guest houses, drew only three speakers in favor of the ordinance, (Pat O'Day, John Evans & Scott Lancaster) and one against. The against argument was presented by Stephanie Buffum Field of the Friends of the San Juans. The surprise speaker was Commissioner John Evans (Ret.), who made the trip over from Olga to give testimony in favor of the passage of the ordinance.
Mrs. Field,
Stephanie Buffumfield speaking for the Friends of the San Juans, said the exemptions in the ordinance gutted the ordinance. Read her GUEST EDITORIALand click below bottom right to read the full text of her testimony.
John Evans thanked the Board and Randy Gaylord (prosecuting attorney) for their work, but said "if he had any criticism, it was that he wished the BOCC and the Prosecutor were more aggressive in the right (for one) to have a guest house." If the vote was up to him, he said he would tell the State Growth Management Board "Thank you very much, but we are going to go in the direction our citizens want us to go". He went on to say "I think it is very telling that 70%+ of the citizens of San Juan County are supportive of guest houses…there is only one very small elitist group that seems to define that (guest houses) as a problem". Read Evans column on this topic: Friends
Pat O'Day
Pat O'Day also spoke for the ordinance, and as a well known radio announcer drew laughter from the Board and the audience when as he was instructed on the proper use of the microphone said "being unaccustomed as I am to a microphone". He then testified to "the broader issues", and like John Evans before him, reminded the Board the results of the citizens advisory ballot on guest houses spoke loud-and-clear: that guest houses were not troublesome to them; and that the planner at the time had shown in his report to the Board that the "impacts from guest houses was insignificant". He also felt that those against guest houses were operating on a subjective level, and not an objective level. An approach he called interesting in that there is no evidence of environmental impacts.
The Board voted unanimously to pass the ordinance.
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Tuesday, May 10th
SJC Fed Parks To Be Run By Contract Workers? Yeah, Maybe, But Not Here -Yet…?
 NPS photo: Director Fran Mainella
A press release issued on Tuesday from PEER ( Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) stated the National Park Service may outsource the operations of the San Juan Island National Historic Site, but according to Elaine Sevy, Deputy Chief, National Park Service Public Affairs, the PEER press release got it wrong.
The internal memo at the NPS stated the park was San Juan Puerto Rico, and NOT " San Juan Island National Historic Site (in Washington state)" as the PEER press release (and their web page) states.
Deputy Chief of National Park Service Responds To PEER Press Release:
PEER's statement that "whole parks" may be outsourced is misleading and
inaccurate! Each park has federal employees such as the superintendent,
law enforcement rangers, etc., who are considered inherently governmental.
These positions will not be reviewed under competitive sourcing. Positions
within these parks that are considered "commercial in nature" such as the
maintenance and administrative positions can be reviewed.
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650M-From State-If State Gets It From Feds
The Former Windermere Building in Friday Harbor
The County has received a $650,000.00 Grant from the State, IF the State receives the money from the Federal Government. The money can only be used toward the payment of the mortgage debt on the Windermere building, which the BOCC is lease/purchasing to provide a home for mental health and chemical dependency treatment programs. The building is currently being used by San Juan Recovery and Compass Health (an off-island company which recently won a contract away from San Juan Recovery).
The second catch to the grant, is the money may be withdrawn if there are changes "to the work plan activities or commitments from other resource providers", all of which is part of the standard "boiler plate" language that normally accompanies the grant process, and lists all of the requirements that must be met by the County to continue to qualify for the money.
The County hopes to pay for the total cost of the building with a combination of the proceeds from the sales of real estate, and with grant money
At a recent Commissioners meeting it was suggested by Commissioner Ranker that the County should proceed with cataloging property that it owns, so that it might be evaluated, and possibly sold; as the County is doing with the buildings it is selling to help pay for the Windermere building. While Commissioner Miller voiced strong opposition to the sale of public properly, Jon Shannon, Director of Public Works, pointed out that there are properties the County does not need or use, and there may be property the County owns that should be looked at for possible sale, and state law does require that an inventory be completed, and this has not been done. He also estimated that to do the inventory and a study would cost $5000.00. Commissioner Ranker said he would want to see a formal proposal from Public Works on the cost of the study prior to his consideration of it.
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Monday, May 9th
EDITORIAL: Guest House Saga Continues
Legal Guest House On Two Acres -San Juan Island
There will be a public hearing before the BOCC on Tuesday (the 10th) to take testimony on the Guest House Issue.
The original Comprehensive Plan adopted by County Commissioners Tom Starr, John Evans and Rhea Miller did not allow for guest houses; however a later, and the current board, did allow for them. And then the battle was on. The latest action will occur this Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., when the County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on an Ordinance designed to address one of the unexpected consequence of the battle; or to put it another way: a proposal to protect the innocent.
The County's allowance of Guest Houses has been repeatedly challenged by the Friends of the San Juans, in the form of Lynn Bahrych, Joe Symons and Maile Johnson. As a result of the challenges, the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board (WWGMHB) ruled Guest Houses were not legal in San Juan County. Other counties allow them, San Juan does not.
While the battle between the BOCC and those who oppose them has been going on, a number of people obtained permits, and many constructed what they though at the time was a guest house. They thought they were guest houses, because it was their intent to build one, and the regulations required it to fit within the tight constraints that define a guest house, not the least of which was that it had to be small. And of course the construction of the guest house was not located on the best part of the property in terms of views or exposure to light, since the more desirable location was being reserved for the main house.
The hearing this Tuesday is required as a result of the passing of Ordinance Number three by the BOCC. This ordinance came to be in order to comply with the WWGMHB ruling that resulted from the legal challenges. Because the County has not yet held a public hearing on an ordinance establishing a moratorium on the construction of guest houses, the County will now hold the hearing.
One of the official agenda item reads as follows: Public Hearing to Consider a Proposed Ordinance to Suspend for Six Months the Acceptance of Applications for the Building Permits for Freestanding Accessory Dwelling Units on Parcels of Less than 10 Acres in the Rural and Resources Land of San Juan County
There are a number of property owners who now find that because they were given a building permit, and built a small guest house, they cannot now build the main house. One of the issues that the ordinance has addressed, and solved, is to open the current trap some people have now found themselves in, resulting from their having built a small guest house that meets all of the conditions of a guest house, but now are not allowed to build their true house (the main house), because to do so, would truly make the small house a guest house -which is not allowed due to the challenges.
The part of the ordinance that solves this problem is number 3, which states in part: "…this ordinance shall not apply to an application for a principal residence on a parcel with a structure which existed or for which permits had been obtained before November 30, 2000…"
To give support to the ordinance, is to support the right of those who were granted a permit to build a legal guest house under the regulations, to now built a main house. To not support the ordinance, is to not support that right. Anyone who wishes to give testimony to the County Commissioners on this subject will be allowed to do.
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Saturday, May 7th
15 yrs & And Going Strong: Island Rec's Children's Festival
Magic Charlie Performs
For 15 yrs Island Rec's Children's Festival has been enjoyed by young and old alike, and this Saturday was a reaffirmation of the popularity of the event. Once again the main attraction was Magic Charlie and his basketballs; and before and after there was just about everything to do any child could have thought of. There were small animals, fire engines, face painting, real live sheriffs, a big castle, sail boat races,
ROTARY Wind Photo with Claire Boden and -of course- a parade. There were just as many smiles on the faces of the adults as there on the children. Thank you Island Rec; See ya all next year!
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Friday, May 6th
Lions Club: White Cane Days
 Send In Those Envelopes: Your Donations Will Help To Restore Sight To Thousands
Northwest Lions Eye Bank - as one of the leading eye banks in the country, it has provided corneal tissue for over 26,000 sight restoring transplants. Last year alone, sight was restored for 2,229 individuals who had cornea transplants.
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Will Berms & Screening Stop Stump Grinder Noise?
Neighbors R. Packard & D. Cable On Grinder Site -Mr. Black (In Middle)
The SJC Hearing Examiner received a recommendation on Thursday to approve with conditions, an application by Thor Black, of Black Family Enterprises, for a conditional use permit for a commercial and light industrial development he currently operates on 4.28 acres. The property is at the end of the Friday Harbor airport, located on one of the few areas of private land that allows such development on San Juan Island.
Mr. Black has been operating a stump and construction material grinder on the site, and would like to expand the business to include retail sales and storage of products he manufactures out of the waste construction materials that are ground up in the large portable grinder. The proposal states A conditional use permit application for processing, outdoor storage and sales of landscaping materials such as bark, mulch, fertilizer, topsoil, sand gravel and other material used for landscaping; a business office, weight scale and retail sales of water tanks.
Many of the permit applications before the Hearing Examiner are poorly attended, but this application drew the attention of some in the neighborhood, all of whom had praise for Mr. Black, both as an individual and as an excavating contractor, but nonetheless expressed concerns that the development proposal was inappropriate, in both size and purpose, for the residential neighborhood it abutted.
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BOCC & FH Council Wants More Ferry Traffic
SJC Ferry Advisory Committee At Work
If a way can be found to shave a few minutes off of the unloading of ferries at Friday Harbor, there would be an argument to be made that an extra boat load of cars and people can be shipped from Anacortes directly to Friday Harbor. With encouragement from the BOCC, Bob Distler and the Ferry Advisory Council have been pushing this idea, and now the owner of the "bottle neck" (the Town of Friday Harbor) has agreed to spend $250,000.00 of state money to continue to study the problem, and in conjunction with the Port of FH and the State, come up with a solution to this pressing problem. Commissioner Kevin Ranker went to the FH Town Council on Thursday and assured them there would be more money coming from the State that would provide an additional $350.000.00, or more, of additional "study" money, if needed.
Some concern was expressed by members of the Council that if the results of the study show improvement are to be made, can the Town then pay for them. Once again Ranker felt that there is more State money to go after. And there may very well be so: the State Transportation Commission plans to develop A program of target investments to address bottlenecks and chokepoints …and future visions that support growth.
The question not asked and not answered, was to what extent the study of traffic flow, would include a study of the potential positive and negative impacts on the town, the island, and the county as a whole.
Town Council member Rosenfeld was encouraged by the news and offered congratulations to all involved.
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Thursday, May 5th
NW Stone Sculptors Group Show
New FH Museum At Spring And Argyle Streets
The Northwest Stone Sculptors Association (NWSSA) has a show at the new Westcott Bay Institute's newly opened Island Museum of Art. The show is comprised of stone sculptures and sculptures that combine stone with other materials.
This is reputedly the largest exhibit of three-dimensional art, and certainly the largest exhibit of stone sculpture, to ever have been displayed at one time in Friday Harbor. The opportunity to see the work of so many different sculptors, with such a wide range of styles, in a Friday Harbor gallery setting is unique. From glowing translucent alabaster to black basalt, from representational works of animals and the human figure to abstract works, this show represents a full spectrum of stone and style. The works of five local sculptors are represented in the show; they are Bill Weissinger, Mathew Palmer and Tom Small of San Juan Island, Dave Haslett of Orcas, and Tamara Buchanan of Lopez.
The show will run until Saturday the 14th of May. All of the pieces have been created by members of the NWSSA group.
Click For Photo
THE NWSSA is a 300 member organization that puts on symposiums, a bimonthly news journal and sponsors exhibits.
The Westcott Bay Institute also has the Westcott Bay Reserve, a 19 acre park like site at Roche harbor where 100 works of art can be seen. To learn more about the Institute, click here: WESTCOTT BAY INSTITUTE
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County To Hire New Code Enforcement Officer
The SJC Planning and Building departments are in the process of interviewing and hiring new personnel. In addition to the new staff, the Planning department will also he hiring a Consultant to work on the Comprehensive Plan and the Uniform Development Code. The flow of submitted permits has moved at a normal rate, but according to Director Amsbaugh, the rate of land use complaints has increased. No reason for this was given.
The hiring has been in the works for sometime, and is expected to return the current backlog of permits to the shorter turnaround times of the past. The backlog of permits has been reduced form 120 to the current number of 30 by asking the staff to work overtime. County personnel had attempted to use others to do the work, but found it was necessary for the new people to have experience to do the work.
In addition to the normal staff positions, there will be a new position created for a Salmon Recovery coordinator.
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Wednesday, May 4th
Land Bank Buys, & Will Sell Agricultural Land On SJI
Map Of Land Bank Property In San Juan Valley
The San Juan County Land Bank recently purchased 60 acres of San Juan Valley farmland from the King family. Working with the King family, the Land Bank was able to come up with a plan that would allow for some use of the 80 acre property by the family, and sell the remaining to the Land Bank.
Once conservation easements are placed on the nearly 60 acres now owned by the Land Bank, the land will be resold. If the land is sold to a member of the public, the land will be put back on the County tax roles; and there may be an increase in taxes on adjoining properties, since the value of land next to property that is protected from development can sell for a higher price. The easements will help to ensure the property is not further developed.
The Land Bank paid $545,000 for 60 acres of the prime open space, with 20 acres remaining in the family. The land has been owned by the King family since 1930's. "Our Dad loved that land," said Maggie King. "We wanted to keep some of it in the family, and we wanted to preserve some of what our Dad loved - the woods, the open fields and the views."
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BOCC Grants Exceptions To Low Income Housing Loans
OPAL (Of People And Land) is a community land trust that is currently constructing houses near Deer harbor that will be made available for purchase by low and moderate income buyers. The project is named Lahari Ridge, and four of the purchasers (of the buildings only, the land ownership remains with OPAL) need financial assistance in order to meet their down payment requirements.
In 1999 the County created a RLF (Revolving Loan Fund) designed to allow a qualified homebuyer to obtain a housing down payment through an "Equity Loan Program". In 2002 the County adopted certain policies and procedures that controlled how the program would function. A grant from the State provided the start-up money for the program.
In 2003 and 2004, the local land trusts began to increase the supply of housing, and sought access to the RLF money. To allow this to happen, additional changes were made to the policies that would allow purchasers of land trust homes to apply for the RLF loans. Today, the changes have yet to be reviewed by the County Attorney, or formally adopted by the BOCC. Exceptions to these policies have also been made in the past.
The policies that have been reviewed and adopted do not allow loans to be made if the house to be purchased has limits on the equity of the real property. This was to ensure that the purchasers of the houses could gain equity in their homes, and thereby financially advance their investment. (John Evans has an opinion piece on affordable housing, see his latest column: THE PERFECT STORM
At the Tuesday meeting of the BOCC, the County Commissioners authorized John Manning, the Loan Administrator, to grant exceptions to the (HEL) Home Equity Loan program to extend the maturity date of a Home Equity Loan from the current 20 years, to 30 years. This was done because the mortgages the new home purchaser will be entering into are for a 30 year period, and do not allow for so-called balloon payments for secondary financing -such as the down payment loan that some of the purchasers need from the HEL program- and since the current re-payment policy on the loans runs out at 20 years, there is a problem. To solve the problem, the BOCC authorized this new exception.
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Tuesday, May 3rd
BOCC Begins Legal Process On Essential Public Facilities
After losing legal appeals, and in the face of possible lawsuits on the placing of Essential Public Facilities, the BOCC is planning to explore changes to the Comprehensive Plan, and the UDC (the land use regulations that enforce it) that will allow for public facilities that are shown to be essential for the county. Such changes could result in the placing and development of County buildings and storage yards in areas where they are not now allowed by the Comprehensive Plan. Examples of potential results of such changes are the expansion of Solid Waste facilities (once called "dumps"), and possible commercial and/or industrial public uses on the shorelines and in residential and farmland areas that under the current Comprehensive Plan would be prohibited.
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Monday, May 2nd
The Port Still Shows Interest In Buying Old Cannery
Cannery Property At Jackson Beach On San Juan
The Economic Development Council (EDC) has embarked on a study of the possible uses of the now unused cannery at Jackson Beach on San Juan island. Jackson Beach is owned by the Port of Friday Harbor, and is next to the hotly contested Lafarge Beach and adjoining gravel pit that the former BOCC set out to purchase using money generated by the sale of General Obligation bonds.
Steve Simpson stated the Port is contributing $10,000.00, $5,000 in cash, and $5,000.00 as a contribution to the EDC toward a $30.000.00 study of the acquisition and use of the old Cannery building and property at the end of Jackson Beach. The Cannery is for sale, and has been listed with a sale price as high as five million dollars. The EDC, a local non-profit organization, has acquired a grant from the local Community Development Council, a government organization set up to ostensibly aid and fund economic development though the awarding of grants. Many of the grants go only to other government organizations, or other non-profit public groups
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Freeholders Hold FH Town Hall Meeting
The Freeholders held their second Town Meeting on Thursday, in Friday Harbor, to receive public input, and to allow the public to ask questions and make suggestions on what should be included in the Charter. The meeting started with an introduction and overview by Freeholder Richard Fralick, of how county governments are set up in Washington state, and a short history of the current Freeholders progress to date. The floor was then given over to professional facilitator Lynne Hobbs to guide the public comment and feedback.
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