Contributed Image/CDC

From San Juan County

San Juan County Health and Community Services will be opening registration for first dose vaccine appointments at 9 a.m., Monday, March 15.

Those who are eligible and wish to register for an appointment should go to this website at 9 a.m., Monday, March 15.

There will be links clearly marked for each clinic. At this time, Phase 1a and Phase 1b Tier 1 are eligible for vaccination. Phase 1b Tier 2 will be opening up later this coming week.

The links will be shown in the “STEP 2” section, highlighted in orange. More details on the timing of clinics will be available at 9 a.m., Monday.

In addition to the health care workers eligible in Phase 1a. Phase 1b Tier 1 includes:

• All people 65 years and older
• People 50 years and older in multigenerational households
• Workers in childcare settings
• Pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educators and staff

Full eligibility details are available here. Continue Reading

Contributed Image/CDC

From San Juan County

Since the last update on Friday, March 5, total cases in San Juan County have remained steady at 129. There are zero close contacts of a positive case currently in active quarantine.

Orcas Island

There are no new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are no positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island at this time.

Lopez Island

There are no new cases on Lopez Island. There are no positive cases on Lopez Island at this time.

San Juan Island

There are no new cases on San Juan Island. There are no positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

Overall

Sun is out, cases are as low as they have been in months, vaccination rates are increasing, schools are reopening, daffodils are blooming. There is a lot to be thankful for. Continue Reading

Contributed Image/CDC

From San Juan County

To better understand the current need for vaccinations for San Juan County residents 65 and older, San Juan County Health and Community Services asks that those who meet all of the four measures below fill out a simple form:

1. A San Juan County resident (short term or long term), and
2. Age 65 or older, and
3. Currently unvaccinated, and
4. Interested in being vaccinated.

The form is available online here.

Thank you for taking a moment to provide this valuable information.

From Island Rec

Island Rec’s levy funding request will be on the April 27 ballot for San Juan Island voters.

The request is for a renewal of the existing property tax levy rate of 38.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. To validate the election Island Rec needs 2,550 people to vote and then a 60% supermajority it to pass.

Your vote on April 27 counts!

The levy is the primary source of funding for Island Rec and School Sports:

• 16.5 cents: funding for recreation programs, events, and trails
• 10 cents: funds Friday Harbor High School sports
• 12 cents: funds operations and maintenance of all Island Rec parks, including John O. Linde Community Park

The current levy expires at the end of 2021. This request is for a six-year renewal; 2022 – 2027. Neither Island Rec nor the school sports program has funding to operate beyond 2021.

For more information regarding this levy request, visit www.islandrec.org/levy, or contact our office at 360-378-4953.

From San Juan County Economic Development Council

The San Juan County Economic Development Council urges businesses and residents to hire local workers and contractors as the economy starts to reopen.

In an effort to connect island workers with local businesses, the EDC will host a virtual job fair from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 31, via Zoom.

Business owners and workers are invited to join the EDC’s Virtual Job Fair on Wednesday, March 31st from 10-11:30 a.m., via Zoom. Reservations required by March 28.

Businesses and local workers may register at www.sanjuansedc.org/jobs-fair. After registering, Zoom instructions will be emailed to participants. Attendees must be over 18 years old and have a Zoom account to participate.

The EDC thanks San Juan County, the Raynier Foundation, the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Friday Harbor, the Port of Lopez, Kings Market, Marketplace, Walt Corbin, Heritage Bank, WEDA and the Washington State Department of Commerce for their support of EDC initiatives.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council strives to strengthen and diversify the economy of San Juan County. We believe a strong economy builds a strong community.

From Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Office

Gov. Jay Inslee announced March 11 that Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process.

The governor also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap, a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports.

Effective March 22, the entire state will enter Phase 3.

Sports guidance will change in Phase 3 to allow in-person spectators at events for the first time in a year. Spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor venues with permanent seating with capacity capped at 25%.

The change affects both professional and high school sports, as well as motorsports, rodeos, and other outdoor spectator events. Social distancing and facial covering are still required.

Additionally, the governor announced that starting Wednesday, March 17, everyone in Tier 2 will be eligible for their COVID vaccine. Continue Reading

From San Juan County

Are there changes to San Juan County’s Charter that you would like to have considered during the November election?

The San Juan County Charter Review Commission will be conducting two town hall meetings on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13. Click here to learn how to join.

Come one, come all, learn about the work of the commission and have your say early on in this important process. Members of the County Charter Review Commission will share some of their work and want to hear from you too.

In preparation for joining the town hall, you can view a list of issues being considered by the eight subcommittees. We’ve included a listing of committee members, as well as the committee leader and contact e-mail.

This truly is democracy in action at the local level. Be a part of it!

Learn more at www.sanjuanco.com/1764/Charter-Review-Commission.

From The Town of Friday Harbor

The Town of Friday Harbor has contracted for the replacement of damaged sidewalk panels on West Street, near the Kings Market parking lot, where tree roots and weathering have caused cracking and buckling of the concrete.

Construction begins Thursday, March 11, and is estimated to last approximately two weeks.

Vehicular traffic and local access should not be impacted. However, pedestrian access will be closed through the project area and the abutting parking stalls may be closed or restricted during working hours.

Businesses and residents should expect noise during daytime working hours. Utility services will not be affected. During this period, the public is asked to be patient and exercise caution near work areas.

Do not hesitate to contact town hall at 360-378-2810 with questions or comments. In addition, the contractor, Gull Wing Construction, will have a supervisor on-site at all times.

From OPALCO

OPALCO members are owners of the cooperative and each year elect community members to the board. Board members set rates, make policies and plan for our community’s energy future.

Members will be receiving their voter’s guide and ballot either by email or via mail. All OPALCO members vote in every election regardless of their home district.

The following are running for OPALCO board positions this year:
• District 2 (two positions open; vote for two): Rick Christmas, Joseph Cohen, Rick Fant and Jeffrey Struthers
• District 3 (one position open; vote for one): Eric Beckman, Peter Garlock, Tom Osterman

OPALCO will be holding a candidate forum via Zoom so members can find out more about each candidate at 5 p.m., March 17.

Find candidate bios, candidate positions on key issues affecting OPALCO members, and a recording of the candidate forum after the March 17th event here. Register for the Candidate Forum at www.opalco.com.

Ballots are due online or by mail no later than 10 a.m., April 21.

Election results will be announced on Saturday, April 24 at OPALCO’s Annual Meeting via Zoom. This year’s annual meeting will have lots of great prizes including electric lawn tools, back-up batteries for outage prep and electric home items.

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas-free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. 

From San Juan Community Theatre

Five theater artists, one idea: a charity live streaming event set in a world of swords and sorcery in Dungeons & Dragons & Drama.

Five actors are rolling the dice to raise funds in a two-night, live-streamed event to raise money for five theaters in the Pacific Northwest that have been hit hard by the pandemic. These theater artists are supporting each other through a game they all love: D&D.

The fantasy story will follow the exploits of a ragtag group of thespians who moonlight as adventurers for hire.

Leading the way as the Dungeon Master is San Juan Community Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey. Rounding out the players are Tia Stephens (Port Angeles Playhouse), Ginny Holladay (Olympic Performing Arts), Fred Robinson (Peninsula College Theatre Department), and Jake Perrine (Orcas Arts Center).

“I’ve found some of my best friends through Theatre and playing D&D. We love to tell stories, and what better way to do it than collaborating with each other and rolling some dice to find out how things go?” said Kessler-Jeffrey.

The story will play out live at 6 p.m., March 21 and 28 on twitch.tv/danddanddrama.

Visit www.dddfundraiser.com to find out more and for a link to our GoFundMe page. All proceeds are being split between the five theaters. Donations level up the characters and give them more cool stuff! 

From the Town of Friday Harbor

Artists are reminded that the deadline for submitting proposals for the Blair Avenue mural project is 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 22.

The Town of Friday Harbor is accepting proposals for artwork to be displayed on or against a 235-foot wall along Blair Avenue. All proposals will be considered with preference going to those from local artists.

The Friday Harbor Arts Commission will review and select one or more proposals to recommend to the town council. The Ccuncil will make the final selection.

Interested parties should review and complete the Request for Proposal for the Blair Avenue Mural Project posted to the town website www.fridayharbor.org.

Contributed Image/CDC

From San Juan County

The Washington State Department of Health will be sending San Juan County Health & Community Services a shipment of vaccine that is specifically allocated for K-12 educators and pre-school and childcare providers in the islands.

The shipment will contain doses sufficient to vaccinate all eligible educators in San Juan County.

“This is a very welcome boost to our schools’ effort to reopen,” said San Juan County Health & Community Services Public Health Nurse Stephane Stookey. “Our school and child care facility staff are supporting our community in so many ways, and to get them vaccinated in short order is a tremendous step forward for the islands. My team is looking forward to getting these much-needed doses distributed.”

San Juan County Health & Community Services staff are working directly with leaders at 26 local schools or licensed and/or currently operational child care providers. Staff at each of these organizations will be contacted with more details by their employer or by Health & Community Services staff.

The current plan is to complete this vaccination effort within the next week.

Orcas Island School District Superintendent Eric Webb highlighted the importance of this undertaking, “We recognize that vaccine is in short supply and that there are many in our community who are eligible. The schools in the islands are incredibly grateful to the State of Washington for making these doses available. We’re working hard with our entire school community to get reopening right, and this effort, along with the ongoing support of all islanders really helps us move forward.”

Leaders of formal school or child care organizations that are actively providing support to groups of island children and who have not been contacted may reach out to the Health & Community Services team at [email protected].

From San Juan Community Theatre

What? Auditions? Really?

Yes, it’s really true! In combing through monologues from prior Playwrights Festivals, San Juan Community Theatre has selected a small number to be filmed and edited as part of the 2020-21 Snapshot Season. A wide range of parts is available!

The auditions are open to everyone and will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 14 at the San Juan Community Theatre, 100 North 2nd St., Friday Harbor. Auditioners will be seen in the order in which they sign in.

All auditions and filming will follow strict COVID-19 safety protocols as provided by the state of Washington. Temperature checks will be performed on arrival and sign-in.

All auditions will consist of readings from the script (sides). The sides can be requested by emailing Nathan KesslerJeffrey at [email protected].

Rehearsals will be in the Gubelman Theatre from March 29-April 18. Rehearsals will be individual and scheduled with the actors in two-hour blocks.

Performances will be filmed in the Whittier Theatre from April 19-25 and scheduled individually with the actors. The completed project will be released when edited, likely mid-late May or early June.

For more information, click here. Don’t miss this chance to get back into the theater and take part in this new adventure!

Contributed Photo/Center for Whale Research, Jeanne Hyde

From Center for Whale Research

J58 is a girl!

The Center for Whale Research is pleased to confirm that J41’s calf, J58, is female.

This approximately 6-month-old calf was born in September 2020.

Jeanne Hyde photographed J58 from shore on March 6. The calf was rolling, showing her underside, which revealed her gender.

New females in the Southern Resident killer whale community are critical to the population’s sustainability. We celebrate this news!

From Washington State Ferries

As Washington State Ferries continues to operate under the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will extend its current schedule through May 8.

Reservations for the May 9-Sept. 25 modified “peak season” are available March 9. Reservations can be booked online or by calling 206-464-6400. Customers can also call that number should they have questions or need additional information.

As of 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, customers attempting to make a vehicle reservation for travel on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes may encounter technical difficulties making it slower to process their order. WSF thanks you for your patience as they work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Currently, vehicle reservations on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes are available two weeks or two days in advance of the sailing date through March 27. Vehicle reservations for the period between March 28 and May 8 were released Tuesday, Feb. 2.

A modified “peak season” service will begin on May 9 for all routes and run through Saturday, Sept. 25. This will bring increased service to the San Juan Islands and add a second vessel to the Port Townsend/Coupeville route. International service to and from Sidney, B.C. remains suspended due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Continue Reading

From San Juan County

San Juan County is seeking volunteers to write opposing arguments for measures on the ballot in the April 2021 Special Election.

Four measures will be on the ballot. All measures have “pro” committees, and all are in need of “con” committees.

The Town of Friday Harbor is running a measure that would authorize the annexation of the Town of Friday Harbor into Fire Protection District No. 3 (San Juan Island Fire & Rescue). Only voters in the Town of Friday Harbor will vote on this measure.

San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 3 is running a similar measure, one that would authorize the annexation of the Town of Friday Harbor into the fire district (San Juan Island Fire & Rescue). The annexation requires two separate resolutions because voters in both the Town of Friday Harbor and Fire Protection District No. 3 must approve it. San Juan Island voters who live outside town will vote on the San Juan Island Fire & Rescue measure.

San Juan Island Park and Recreation District (Island Rec) is requesting the renewal of a property tax levy for six years beginning in 2022. The levy would support Island Rec’s programs and services, school sports in the San Juan Island School District, and operation and maintenance of all Island Rec parks. Continue Reading