From San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, June 4, total cases in San Juan County have not increased, and remain at 191. There are no close contacts of positive cases currently in active quarantine in San Juan County, and no confirmed positive cases in San Juan County at this time. The best  Continue Reading

Attached Guest Houses Temporarily Allowed in Residential Zone   From the Town of Friday Harbor On June 3, the Town Council adopted interim regulations allowing attached accessory dwelling units in the single-family residential zone. The ordinance intends to create a pathway to turn existing structures into livable spaces. “This is a historic moment for the  Continue Reading

Auditor Seeks Pro and Con Statements for Voter’s Guide   By Milene Henley, San Juan County Auditor The San Juan County auditor is seeking volunteers to write opposing arguments for measures on the ballot in the 2021 Primary Election. Two measures will be on the ballot. Both measures have “pro” committees, and both need “con”  Continue Reading

The Board of Commissioners of San Juan Island Public Hospital District #1 and Superintendent Nathan Butler are very happy to announce that the District has paid off in full the Frank Wilson Memorial EMS Building. Superintendent Butler said “We are so privileged to have this building which carries the name of former EMS Chief Frank  Continue Reading

Sandy Strehlou shares this announcement with you… Saturday, May 29, 11am, SJC courthouse lawn If you could give just 90 minutes of your time to help bring peace and justice to the people of Palestine/Gaza, would you? Join is for a peaceful community rally and march starting at the San Juan County, WA courthouse at  Continue Reading

From Rep. Rick Larsen’s Office Thursday, May 27, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) will visit Orcas Power & Light Cooperative to meet with Executive Director Foster Hildreth. Larsen and Hildreth will discuss how the utility is working to improve broadband connectivity within its service area. A senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Larsen  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The San Juan County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available on the county’s website at sanjuanco.com/641/Board-Committee-Vacancies. Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an advisory  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The draft 2021 notice of funds for the San Juan County Home Fund is available to review. The draft plan states the final version will be released June 1 and applications are due July 16. Applications will establish a list of projects for funding in 2021. The Home Fund is used  Continue Reading

Open Positions include Friday Harbor Mayor, Port Commissioner, San Juan School Board and more   From San Juan County If you have ever wanted to be an elected official, now is your chance.  Offices will soon be open in fire, school, hospital, water, sewer, port, parks and recreation, and cemetery districts throughout the county.  Three  Continue Reading

From the Town of Friday Harbor Town of Friday Harbor Finance Director Kelle’ Wilson retired May 7 after 28 working in the town’s finance department. The town council created a proclamation in honor of her last day. Proclamation Ownering Kelle’ Wilson Upon her Retirement WHEREAS, Kelle’ Wilson has distinguished herself as a hard-working and dedicated  Continue Reading

From the Town of Friday Harbor The following Town of Friday Harbor meetings will be held in May. Agendas will be posted at town hall and on the town website at www.fridayharbor.org. Meeting times may be amended or canceled. All meetings are currently held via the Go-To-Meeting web application. Visit www.fridayharbor.org/2202/Council-Meeting-Video for a video link.  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County will conduct a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, to consider projects proposed for funding under the Community Development Block Grant. The council will hear comments on proposals presented, and consider choosing a project for submittal for the 2021 grant round. Members of the public are  Continue Reading

  By Hayley Day, San Juan Update Preliminary voting results in the 2021 April Special Election for San Juan Island show the Town of Friday Harbor will join the island’s fire district and Island Rec will continue to receive local funds. The vote will be certified May 7. Fire District According to the San Juan  Continue Reading

From the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families is pleased to announce upcoming opportunities for licensed child care providers. The Spring 2021 Child Care COVID-19 Grant is scheduled to open in late April and will be available for four weeks. All licensed child care  Continue Reading

From the Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor is continuing construction on Spring Street. The contractor is nearly complete with the installation of underground utilities and will focus on installing curb, gutter and new sidewalk from Coldwell Banker to the pocket park through April 28. Every effort will be made to limit  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new bill into law April 16 that provides a deferral of 2021 property taxes for businesses with real property, according to San Juan County Treasurer Rhonda Pederson.  Businesses with a documented 25% reduction of their revenue attributable to real property for calendar year 2020  Continue Reading

By Hayley Day, San Juan Update The San Juan County Council will hold a special meeting 9 a.m., Monday, April 26 to vote on whether to sell the county’s public works building on Guard Street to the Town of Friday Harbor.  Watch the meeting online here. If you would like to comment, join the call  Continue Reading

The Building is Expected Open Around Memorial Day   From San Juan Island National Historic Park The American Camp Visitor Center site opens 9 a.m., Friday, April 16. The parking lot will remain open and a new bottle filling station will be available. Restrooms are currently available as port-a-pots as permanent facilities are being finished  Continue Reading

From the League of Women Voters of the San Juans The League of Women Voters of the San Juans is holding its membership meeting, which is open to the public, at noon, Monday, April 19 over Zoom. We have an exciting and informative speaker: our own Susan Martin, who is a league board member. She  Continue Reading

By Susan and Peter Risser, San Juan Island Since Peter and I had the good fortune to serve in various roles, including the assistant chief for over 20 years with the now-defunct Friday Harbor Fire Department, we became fairly well acquainted with some of the challenges involved in providing good fire protection to our community.   Continue Reading

Plans Include Pocket Park Near Grange, Sidewalks on Lampard   By Duncan Wilson, Town of Friday Harbor Administrator Year after year, the services and responsibilities undertaken by the Town of Friday Harbor grow as population and business activity increase. Beyond daily town operations that include administration, finance and community development, our most expensive and complex  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Due to a significant surge in positive COVID cases in the San Juan Island community, residents are instructed to take the following actions to prevent further spread. Immediately limit high-risk indoor contact with those outside of your household. This includes vehicles, workspaces, socializing between children, and other sources of prolonged high-risk  Continue Reading