A note from Scott Sluis and the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce…

I, well we (The SJ Chamber of Commerce), want to say a sincere thank you and also congratulations to Susan Doyle and her husband Michael from Susie’s Mopeds, as of July 1, 2020 the business has been sold and Susie and Michael will start to engage their retirement plan(s).  We want to thank them for their many years of support of the Chamber of Commerce and their long standing, visible, part of our community here on San Juan Island – you just can’t miss those little red scooters or the red mopeds buzzing around the island.  They have enjoyed a very successful business for over 30 years and have earned their time off.  All the best to you two.

In the same manner we would like to welcome and congratulate Greg Lewis owner of Island Wheels LLC the new owner of Susie’s Mopeds and his partner Anna Littlejohn. We wish you as many years of success as Susie and will support you in your efforts to become part of our island community.

With very warm regards,

Scott A. Sluis
Chamber Board President

June Sekiguchi and The Pulse of Water – Contributed photo

We hear from Diane Martindale at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art…

“Rusty” the Giant Crab – Rebecca Cook photo

Giant crab joins giant bear at San Juan Islands Sculpture Park

Thanks to a loan by Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil, “Rusty” the giant crab, now has a temporary home near the bay at the Sculpture Park. 

“Rusty” is the work of artist Zackarya Leck, on Orcas Island.  Come see them both along with 150 other sculptures in what CNN travel recently described as one of “9 of the US’s wildest, weirdest, and most spectacular outdoor art experiences“.  

The Sculpture Park is a great place to get outdoors for some great self-distancing recreation and exercise.

This Know Your islanders Talk will be available via ZOOM on August 3, 2020 at 7:00 pm

Brady Ryan will be discussing the science and practice of sea salt production along with some interesting things he has learned about running a small business–San Juan Sea Salt–for the last nine years.  Bring your curiosity!

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86088644174?pwd=QWlYVFlHbDJlZGpvR21EbmNWSmhEZz09

For more info contact Boyd Pratt, Adult Programs Associate, San Juan Island Library 360.378.2798

1. Invasive Longhorned Beetle 2. Emerald Ash Borer 3. Spotted Lanternfly 4. Asian Giant Hornet – Contributed photos

Olympia—Throughout August, the Washington Invasive Species Council and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are asking the public to take 10 minutes to check trees in their communities for invasive insects.

August is the peak time of year that wood-boring insects are most often spotted outside of trees.

“State and federal agencies do a fantastic job at preventing the introduction of invasive species to the United States, but occasionally some slip through,” said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council. “When a new invasive species is introduced, we need to know as quickly as possible so we can stop its spread.”

What’s at Risk? Invasive species are non-native organisms that include plants, animals and diseases. When introduced to a new environment, they do not have natural predators or diseases to keep their growth in check. Once established, they may damage the economy, environment, recreation and sometimes human health. Continue Reading

Woodland Sculptures by Anita Barreca and Francie Hansen – Anita Barreca photo

If you visit the Sculpture Park at Roche Harbor on a warm summer day you may feel drawn toward the shade of the forest path. Should you venture into the wooded path you may find some surprises.

Island artists Anita Barreca and Francie Hansen joined by others including Beth Spadafora and Jason Munkres have adorned the wooded pathway with ephemeral and whimsical works of art. Said Barreca, “Inspired by each other and our Pinterest Boards, we’ve come up with lots of ideas and will probably spend the rest of the summer and most of the Fall decorating the woods.”

Artwork by Francie Hansen – Anita Barreca photo

A truly remarkable woman is running for the San Juan Island seat on the county council. Christine Minney owns and runs Ernie’s restaurant with her husband Patrick and raises much of the produce for the restaurant in her garden. She has a 24-year history on the island, during which time she has owned and/or worked at several businesses, raised two children as a single parent, built her own home with Homes for Islanders (that’s where she and Patrick met, when he came to help with the electrical work for those homes), and continues to support and volunteer with many community organizations. 

From left: Chris Pope, board member, Greg Lange, Shelterra, El Baylis, project manager and architect designer, and Ken Christison, owner of Shelterra Construction – Contributed photo

The San Juan Community Home Trust is pleased to announce the completion of its twelfth and final house in the Sun Rise II neighborhood.

This home, known as “Stewart,” is the only one of the houses not barged over from Victoria, B.C.. Instead, the house was donated by the DuPar family from Decatur Island and barged to San Juan Island by Nickel Bros. house movers. After renovations and exterior painting by Shelterra Construction, and interior painting completed by board member Chary Caren and her legions of volunteers, the house is ready to become a home for an income qualified island family.

The SJ Community Home Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing permanently affordable housing to income-qualified San Juan Island residents. For more information and to schedule a tour of the neighborhood, call the Home Trust office at 360-378-5541.

The Town and its Friday Harbor Arts Commission have published Friday Harbor Poetry Gardens–a book of the winning entries in its first poetry garden contest. Thirty of the 271 entries submitted by local poets were selected for publication and for display at four outdoor poetry gardens within the town.

The limited edition book is available for free at Town Hall and will soon be available at local libraries, Chambers of Commerce, and other locations throughout the county. Publication of the book was made possible wholly through a generous donation by Suzy Mygatt Wakefield.

The book includes maps to garden locations at San Juan Community Theatre, at the Mullis Center, next to the Post Office, and on the Port’s waterfront property below Downriggers.

Here’s a note to you from the Library…

While waiting for Phase 3 to offer indoor services, we continue to improve outdoor offerings.

The book drop located by the front doors is now open 24/7. Drop off your materials any day or hour.

Our drive-through book drop is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am – 2pm during curbside holds service.

Stay tuned for a new, convenient way to schedule curbside hold pickups coming soon! We’ll make an announcement as soon as it’s ready.

Did you know your materials are quarantined for 96 hours before getting checked in, reshelved, or put on hold for others? Please allow up to one week for your materials to be cleared from your account, for your safety and ours.

Since March, OPALCO has helped more than 450 members to pay their bills. Other members have given generously to the member assistance programs: donating solar production credits or directly to the low-income programs. Many other members have benefited by not accruing fees or being disconnected for non-payment during these difficult times.

OPALCO is closely monitoring member requests for assistance and payment arrears during the pandemic.  They are digging deep to put any and all available resources into helping members pay their power bills.

Heading into the fall season, OPALCO expects businesses may feel the pinch again – some more deeply – after a less than full capacity summer season. We don’t know what school will look like, but Rock Island provided internet connection to more than 100 middle- and high-school households in need to facilitate online learning this spring and is poised to help again in the fall. Continue Reading

San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 is providing notice of a Special Meeting to be held jointly with San Juan Island Fire and Rescue on Tuesday July 28, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. This meeting will be online due to COVID-19: members of the public may call 509-824-1884 and enter 919 848 360#

This meeting is open to the public and an agenda is available at https://sjcphd.org/meeting/2020mtgs. The purpose of this meeting is to define of the current status of the integration process, discuss the procedure for a path, Go/No Go points, potential timelines for the project generally, and set joint Board meeting dates.

This is in addition to our Special Board meeting tomorrow for strategic planning which was previously announced.

Do let me know if you have questions.

Take Care,

Nathan Butler
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
Board Recording Secretary
Public Records Officer/PIO

Governor Jay Inslee

On July 23, Governor Inslee issued new requirements for all of Washington State in response to increasing infections. In addition, Washington Secretary of Health Wiesman added additional requirements to the existing face covering order.

Below is some preliminary information on what the new requirements mean for San Juan County. This summary is based on initial information shared by the State, and may change as more clarity and information becomes available.

San Juan County is currently in Phase 2. The existing Four Phase plan guidance is here, but will be modified after these new restrictions.

RESTAURANTS (goes into effect on July 30)

• Alcohol (beer, wine, spirits) service must end at 10:00 p.m. until Phase 4.
• Prohibition of vending game areas (pool tables, darts, video games, etc.) until Phase 4.
• Indoor dining seating at an individual table is limited to members of the same household until Phase 4.

As per existing guidance, restaurants may operate at no more than 50% capacity in Phase 2. Outdoor seating does not count towards the 50% occupancy limit, though outdoor seating must follow all other requirements in guidance, including the table size limit of 5 customers.

FITNESS GUIDANCE (goes into effect on July 30)

• In Phase 2, only five individuals — not including staff — will be allowed for indoor fitness services at a time. This includes gyms, fitness studios, and indoor pools, ice rinks, volleyball courts, and tennis facilities. These are limited to small group instruction or private training.

WEDDINGS and FUNERALS (goes into effect on August 6)

• Applies to both secular and non-secular events.
• During all phases, the maximum indoor occupancy is 20% capacity or up to 30 people, whichever is less, so long as six feet of physical distancing can be achieved between households.
• Only ceremonies are permitted. Receptions are prohibited. Cermonies must follow all other parts of the faith based guidance.

FACE COVERINGS (goes into effect on July 25)

• The statewide order requiring the use of face coverings will be expanded to include any shared spaces. This includes places like elevators, hallways and shared spaces in apartment and condominium buildings, university housing, hotels and motels, and in congregate settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult family homes.

More details on the Governor’s website.

The San Juan Island Lions Club is pleased to announce that it has just approved and donated $10,000 ( Ten Thousand Dollars) to deserving organizations that provided programs and services to the residents of San Juan Island.

The grants committee of the San Juan Island Lions Club, Tom Starr, Brian Brown, Bruce Galton,
Jim Carroll and Bob Schwartzberg were able to approve the following grants:

• Toddler Learning Center (TLC) $3,500
• Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS) $500
• Boy Scout Troop 4090 and Cub Scout Pack 4090 $1,500
• BSA Sea Scouts $700
• Orca Behavior Institute $800
• Island Haven Animal Sanctuary $2,000
• Salmon Fishing for Veterans $500
• Stage Left $500

In just this young century, the San Juan Lions have donated approximately $300,000 in support of deserving organizations that provide needed programs and services as well as scholarships that meet many needs on San Juan Island.

The San Juan Lions Club earns the money to support non profits and students from working and selling food and drinks at numerous events and the annual Kings Market shopping spree. Because of the Covid-19 epidemic, all of the events that the Lions Club works at have been canceled. We regret that we most likely will not be able to make any more donations as intended later on this year. As soon as we are able to earn the money to give away, the Lions Club will make announcements soliciting proposals for grants.

The grants committee of the Lions Club of San Juan Island would also like to thank Lion Steve Brandli for hosting the committee meeting on Zoom. Without his support the committee would not have been able to distribute this money.

One new positive COVID-19 case has been reported on San Juan Island, which brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to date to 26. The initial case investigation is complete.

A small number of close contacts have been identified and are in quarantine and the patient is isolating. The findings from the case investigation suggest the transmission source was via off-island contact with an individual who later tested positive.