Coho Restaurant is delighted to reopen on June 23. We will offer on-site dining (five tables inside and five tables outside) plus carry-out of our entire menu. Reservations are strongly encouraged due to limited seating.

Current summer hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 5 – 9 p.m. Learn more and preview the opening menu here.

June 20, 2020: San Juan County Health and Community Services staff have been notified of a new positive COVID-19 test result in San Juan County, on San Juan Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 17.

This is the second positive case of COVID-19 on San Juan Island in a week and involves a resident of The Village at the Harbour, a senior living community in Friday Harbor.

The County Health & Community Service Department’s surveillance team is actively investigating and contact tracing this case.

Like all senior care facilities in the state, the Village at the Harbour has restricted access to their facility for the past several months, with only staff and residents allowed to enter. The San Juan County public health team facilitated a joint testing effort with Village at the Harbour of all staff and residents at the facility at the end of May. All test results from that effort were negative.

County Health Officer Dr. Frank James details the situation, “This is a serious and worrying development and is something we and the facility have been working hard to avoid. Our hope is that aggressive containment, rapid testing, and careful but quick investigation will limit transmission. We will know more in the days to come.”

Evan Perrollaz is the Administrator of Village at the Harbour, and wants to highlight the concern and effort that he and his staff will be putting in to help manage this situation, “We’ve been communicating with families of residents and are working side by side with the County Health Department to identify the route of the transmission and reduce the risk of further spread. This is clearly a complex and challenging time for our entire community of residents, families, and staff. We pride ourselves on devout and diligent care for our residents and have been doing all we can to avoid this exact scenario. We will respond rapidly and thoroughly.”

Those with specific questions or concerns about the situation at the Village at the Harbour are asked to call the facility at 360-378-7144 or email [email protected].

Dr. James highlights the importance of remaining vigilant, “This case highlights that the disease is still out there and that we can’t relax our basic precautions as we move forward. Hygiene, social distancing, covering our faces, and quick testing for anyone with symptoms are vital. We have to stay focused.”

San Juan County health officials remind everyone that if you have symptoms of COVID (including a fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, sort throat, or diarrhea), please contact your medical provider immediately to discuss being tested.

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders

There are some relatively simple best practices that our local businesses and community organizations should be following to ensure the safety of employees and volunteers, the safety of customers, and the ability to remain open and providing service.

These are unusual times and as you already know, there is nothing about COVID that is easy. The impacts on many fronts are dramatic and severe. All we can do is remain informed and involved, focus on what we can control, be patient and kind with each other, and be willing to adapt and evolve as the situation requires. Common sense and community spirit are vital to our success.

We’d like to share a few possible strategies. None of these are perfect and all of them require a little effort, but we feel that they’re worth doing to a degree that matches the resources and needs of your organization.

GENERAL GUIDELINES: Continue Reading

Drivers and pedestrians are urged to exercise patience and safety.

San Juan County Public Works (SJCPW) will chip seal Second Street in the Town of Friday Harbor starting the week of June 22nd. The exact date for resurfacing depends on the County’s ability to complete other sections of roadway on San Juan Island that week. Work is estimated to last one day. Second Street will then be re-striped with fresh paint and crosswalk markings as soon as practical. Questions and comments can be forwarded to Town Public Works at (360) 378-2154 or (360) 378-2810.

What to Expect:

• NO PARKING – “No Parking” signs will be placed on the sidewalks next to the street 24-to-48 hours in advance of the work. Once the process begins, all vehicles must be removed from the project area. Vehicles remaining on the street will be towed at the owner’s expense.
• ROAD CLOSED TO TRAFFIC– No thru traffic will be permitted on Second Street from the intersection of Spring Street to the intersection of Blair Avenue. This includes the intersections at West, Court & Reed Streets.
• LOCAL ACCESS ONLY – Pedestrian access will be maintained. When feasible, flaggers will direct vehicles for local access to private parking. Drivers should expect delays and, if possible, plan alternate parking.
• DETOUR – The public is asked to use alternate routes such as Blair Avenue.

Due to weather, Town construction work will be assessed on a day-by-day basis. As always, drive carefully and thank you in advance for proceeding with caution in areas where Crews are working in the roadway.

Dear Friends,

Great news from the Library!! What many of you have been eagerly waiting for is finally here! Beginning Tuesday, June 23^rd, library staff will deliver curbside holds to your vehicles. Service hours will be from 11am – 2pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Your returns of library materials starting on June 16^th has gone very smoothly, thanks to everyone following safety measures put in place for staff and community members, like wearing facemasks and social distancing. Many thanks to all of you! We will continue taking your returns in the meeting room, during the same hours as curbside holds, for weeks to come.

If you had holds waiting on our hold shelves since before the library closed in March, or if you get a hold notice by text, email, or phone for new holds, just drive to the Library during the hours and days mentioned above and park in a designated Curbside Pickup parking spot.

Call us at 360-378-2798 and tell us: Continue Reading

Island Rec and Peace Health want you to walk or run 50 Miles in July! Get outside and enjoy Summer! This is a great way to also train for the Friday Harbor 8.8K Run. You can track your distance using your smartphone or watch, using many available apps such as Strava, Map My Fitness, FitBit, Nike Running, and Garmin.  Or download a printable Mileage Tracker worksheet from our website to track your distance if you don’t have access to a smart device.

Feeling social? Tag us in your photos each week (@IslandRec & #islandrec50) on Instagram or Facebook and be entered to win a prize from a local business, as well as one Lucky winner at the end, for the most mileage completed! All mileage must be completed from July 1-31, and be submitted to Morgan by Sunday August 2^nd.  

How to participate: Get signed up by sending an email saying you want to participate to Morgan Johnston, [email protected]. It’s FREE!

Thank you to our amazing sponsor Peace Health!

Here at San Juan Island EMS we have long had a robust public outreach and paramedicine program. During the COVID-19 outbreak it continues to be a priority, though how we do things has by necessity changed. The office is currently closed to the public, but you can call us at 360-378-5152.

Some years ago, frustrated by biking injuries that were at least partly preventable with a good quality helmet, San Juan Island EMS began a free bike helmet program and give one to you. All you need to do is call, and we will make arrangements to fit you or your loved ones for a helmet.

There are few things more discouraging for our EMS responders than showing up at a bicycle accident knowing that the injuries would have been far less serious with a good helmet. Please don’t be shy – it’s not just for those that can’t afford it, and we do accept donations. Continue Reading

San Juan County Health & Community Services wishes to announce to eligible organizations the County’s intention to release a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for a 2020 funding round for the Home Fund program. The County intends to release this NOFA on July 1, 2020 with responses being accepted through August 5, 2020.

Applications will be solicited in order to establish a list of projects for funding in 2020. This is the second year this funding is being made available. Eligible activities for this funding round include acquisition, building, rehabilitation, and maintenance of housing for very low, low, and moderate-income persons and those with special needs, including both rental and home ownership housing.

Eligible organizations include nonprofit agencies, housing authorities, private for-profit developers with experience developing, owning or managing affordable housing, and public agencies.

San Juan County is making $1,200,000 available for the 2020 funding round, with awards expected to be announced by the County Council in late Fall 2020. Health & Community Services will be scheduling and conducting digital information meetings with interested parties who want to learn more about the application process for the Home Fund program.

Application forms and the Home Fund more information is available on the Home Fund webpage. To schedule a pre-application meeting on behalf of an eligible organization, or for more information on the Home Fund, the 2020 funding round or the NOFA please contact Housing Program Coordinator Ryan Page at [email protected], or visit the Home Fund webpage

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce the recipients of its 3rd Annual Tourism/Business/Communications Scholarships, awarded to four members of the Class of 2020 who are graduating from island high schools.

Congratulations to Tyler Sovelove (Lopez Island High School), Camryn Thompson (Orcas Island High School), Josephine Crosby (Friday Harbor High School), and Gavin Mason (Friday Harbor High School). A committee of Visitors Bureau staff selected them from an impressive group of applicants from across San Juan County.

The Visitors Bureau’s intention in awarding the scholarships is to recognize students for contributing to our Islands’ visitor economy—especially during summer—helping to make experiences fun and memorable for our visitors from around the world, and who plan to pursue studies in sustainable tourism, business, communications, or hospitality.

Here is how this year’s graduates are taking their island experiences and using them to direct their future plans, in their own words: Continue Reading

Mandy Gulla ND, LMT, LM Founder and Medical Director

As we move forward through the re-opening phases and begin to welcome back neighbors, friends and visitors to our beautiful islands, we know that the presence of the COVID-19 virus in our communities is a real concern. Living Medical Arts would like to extend you and your business some peace of mind.

Dr. Gulla is extending her services in the following way:

Living Medical Arts PLLC is offering businesses the option for onsite COVID-19 testing. Dr. Gulla will come to your place of business or a designated location to provide direct testing to you and your employees.

Living Medical Arts PLLC policy is to never mark up the price of lab tests, you always pay either our lowest available cash price or if you/your employees have current insurance, we will submit insurance information with the sample to see if it can be covered that way. Most insurances are covering this type of testing, however, we do not know what your co-pay might be for those that are covered. We encourage you to contact your insurance provider prior to testing for more information about your coverage

*Please note that all Lab costs are approximations and subject to change based on each company’s policies and negotiated rates with respective insurers. We have no part in how those billing/pricing practices are created.

COVID-19 Test options include: Continue Reading

Poetry garden photo by Rebecca Cook

The Town and its Friday Harbor Arts Commission invite the public to enjoy the newly installed Poetry Gardens located at:

1. San Juan Community Theatre
2. Mullis Center
3. In the waterfront viewing area below Downriggers
4. Next to the Post Office

The 30 poems on display were selected in the Town’s first Poetry Garden Contest. Ninety San Juan County residents submitted 271 poems for review in a local blind judging process. Final selections were made by Washington State Poet Laureate, Claudia Castro Luna. Winners include 20 adults and 10 students grades three to 12.

“We would like to thank citizen committee members Boyd Pratt, Lisa Salisbury, Jennifer Boyden, and Rebecca Cook and FHAC members David Jenkins and Diane Martindale for bringing this project to the Town,” said Mayor Farhad Ghatan. This was the first time the FHAC partnered with a committee of local citizens on a public art project.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Town’s first Poetry Gardens will be announced later this year. A booklet of the poems is being published for free distribution at select locations throughout the islands.

Significant increases seen in Eastern Washington, some milder spikes noted in Western Washington.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released its latest statewide COVID-19 situation report. The report shows a significant increase in viral activity in Eastern Washington with concentrated spikes in Yakima, Spokane, Benton and Franklin counties. A rising positive test rate means that among tests administered, an increasing proportion of them return positive results. This indicates increased viral activity.

Another important indicator is the effective reproductive number, represented as R_e. This is commonly referred to as the “R-naught” number. This is an estimation of the average number of others to whom an infected person will transmit the virus. Recent R_e increases in both Western and Eastern Washington suggest increasing transmission statewide. In Western Washington, the latest best estimate is  R_e = 1.16. In Eastern Washington, the latest best estimate is R_e = 1.48. The statewide goal is R_e = 1.00.

The Safe Start reopening plan accelerates economic activity based on local public health conditions. These increases in viral activity are alarming warning signs and may delay expansion of permitted business activity in affected counties.

Read the full COVID-19 Situation Report here

George Winston – Contributed photo

An Evening with George Winston has been one of our most highly anticipated concerts of 2020. Due to the uncertainties of performing during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided to work directly with George and his team to reschedule his performances at SJCT.

The dual concerts were originally set for Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 2020. Both concerts were scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm. The new dates will be Friday, September 17, 2021 and Saturday, September 18, 2021, with both performances beginning at 7:30 pm. If you already have tickets for the concert, they will simply be shifted over to the new dates. A refund will be given to any patrons who do not want their tickets for the new dates.

All patrons who have tickets for the original dates will be contacted via email directly.

We look forward to continuing to serve our amazing community during these challenging times and bringing quality productions to SJCT!

Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is the local club of a world-wide service organization whose mission is improving the lives of women and girls.

This year, through the generous support of our Friday Harbor community, we are excited to award a $3,000 STEM scholarship to Rachel Snow of Friday Harbor High School. Rachel will attend the University of Washington to study Engineering. She has been active in both local and global environmental issues and is dedicated to creating a more sustainable and just society.

She participated in the Orca Bowl, Eco Club, was a four year tennis team member and volunteered in our community. She is number one in her class and excelled in a demanding math and science course schedule. She won the UW/FHL Young Investigators prize awarded to a student who has demonstrated exceptional promise in the fields of Science and Mathematics. This recognition resulted in an internship at the UW Labs in Biology research.

We wish Rachel continued success as she continues her education at UW.

Poetry Garden at the Mullis Center – Peggy Sue McRae photo

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Photo by Rebecca Cook

It’s June and gardens on the island are burgeoning with new life. At the Mullis Center more than foliage and flowers has sprung up. Among the greenery on the east side of the building you will now find poems thanks to the Town of Friday Harbor Arts Commission’s (FHAC) Poetry Garden project.

The arts commission sought poems from San Juan County residents and of the 271 poems submitted, poems written by 20 adults and 10 by students grades 3 to 12 were selected in a blind judging process with the final selections made by Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna.

The selected poems were engraved on plaques to be posted in town gardens located; at The Mullis Center 589 Nash Street, San Juan Community Theatre on Second Street at the intersection with Blair Avenue, on Reed Street beside the U.S. Post Office, and at Spring Street Landing at the Port of Friday Harbor below Downriggers Restaurant. Continue Reading

In the SJ Update Mailbag this morning we have this letter from Ron Whalen…

I request posting of the following;

June 7^th Amanda Azous posted a letter titled Fact Check of Whalen Petition. Therein Amanda alleges I request signing a petition to eliminate the Land Bank (LB). She alleges I have spread falsehoods and attempted to dupe the community with the language of the petition. She says with a little bit of research and reading I’d understand the facts like she does. Amanda ends her letter with the hope I can get my facts straight, I stop trying to dupe the community with falsehoods and deceptive initiatives.

Soooo….Lets go over Amanda’s allegations. Lets see who is spreading falsehoods. Lets see who needs to do a little reading and research. Continue Reading