San Juan County Adopts Real Estate Excise Tax for Affordable Housing

In the November election, San Juan County voters approved a new 0.5% real estate excise tax (REET) to support the development of affordable housing options within the county. The tax will be assessed on the purchase and sale of real property within the county, with the buyer paying 99% of the tax and the seller paying 1%.

Ordinance 11-2018 calls for the new REET to go into effect thirty days after the election is certified. The election was certified on November 27 by the San Juan County Canvassing Board. That means that all sales on or after December 27, 2018, will be subject to the new tax.

The ability for a county to adopt the housing REET is conditional on the county’s having already adopted a conservation areas REET. San Juan County is the only county in the state that has adopted a conservation areas REET (Land Bank), and is therefore the only county eligible to adopt a housing REET. Continue Reading

Out of respect for former president George H. W. Bush, the nation’s 41st Commander in Chief, and to honor his vast contributions to the United States during his lifetime, and consistent with the presidential proclamation, the U.S. Postal Service will observe a national day of mourning.

USPS will suspend regular mail delivery and retail service on December 5th. USPS will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that the postal service network remains fluid and USPS does not experience any impacts to its package delivery operations that might negatively affect customers or business partners during the remainder of the busy holiday season.

All Postal Service facilities, including headquarters in Washington, DC, and area and district administrative offices, are included in the national day of mourning. Local managers will advise employees on staffing levels to maintain operations and prepare for the resumption of regular activities on Thursday, December 6th.

Additionally, USPS facilities are required to fly the flag at half-staff through sunset Sunday, December 30th.

The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting to be held Sunday, Dec. 9th, 2018

Oak Brook, IL – The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting, which unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor the memories of the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren who left too soon, is scheduled to be held on Sunday, December 9th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. As candles are lit at 7:00 p.m. local time, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of all children gone too soon.

Now believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, the 22nd annual Worldwide Candle Lighting, a gift to the bereavement community from The Compassionate Friends, creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone.

Started in the United States in 1997 as a small internet observance, the event has since swelled in numbers as word has spread throughout the world of the remembrance. Hundreds of formal candle lighting events are held and thousands of informal candle lightings are conducted in homes as families gather in quiet remembrance of children who have died, but will never be forgotten. Continue Reading

Salish Sea Youth Ballet is proud to present the 2018 Friday Harbor Nutcracker!  San Juan Island dancers will perform excerpts from the classic Nutcracker ballet in an intimate tea party setting at Brickworks. This interactive, family friendly event immerses audiences into the magical story and is sure to become a family tradition.

Our 2018 production features new, original ballet choreography that celebrates San Juan Island and its local culture while remaining true to The Nutcracker’s classical ballet roots.

The 45 minute youth ballet performance will be followed by holiday tea and sweets, a pop up Nutcracker gift boutique, and opportunities to meet the Nutcracker characters in costume. Performances take place at Brickworks (150 Nichols St, Friday Harbor) on Saturday, December 15th at 7:00pm and Sunday, December 16th at 2:00pm.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for children 9 & under, including tea and sweets.  Reserve your seats today at http://www.salishseaballet.com/friday-harbor-nutcracker/ or call (360) 298-1720.

This story was shared with the SJ Update by Jim Carroll…

The old NOEL sign had its days… in wind, rain, heat, being blown over several times during rooftop storage and it was ready to be replaced, with a fancy new LED NOEL sign being considered, when a very wise suggestion was made by Town Administrator Duncan Wilson and Mayor Farhad Ghatan.

They said that old NOEL sign is such a part of Friday Harbor history and a Welcome Sign to all that if it could be saved or rebuilt, that would be preferred and recommended.

Their suggestion inspired the San Juan Lions Club to make the old sign new again and keep the memory going as it has been for over 25 years.

So, we rebuilt the “Historic NOEL Sign” to place on top of Cask & Schooner / Tops’L Restaurants (Town Square Building). Continue Reading

Buddy is this week’s Pet of the Week – contributed photo

I see you when you’re eating…. I know when you’ve got treats… I know how to jump in your lap…. so, you’d better share snacks for goodness sake!

I’m Buddy and I wrote that little ditty. And that’s just one of the many talents I have to offer. I’m also an excellent bed warmer and a whiz at crossword puzzles. I know the lyrics to every Rosemary Clooney song every sung, so I’m a big hit at parties. Wait until you hear my rendition of “Mambo Italiano”! Did I mention I can dance?

In conclusion, I’m pretty sure you could use a little Buddy in your life right about now. Don’t be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins! Get over here to the animal shelter and adopt me!

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
994 Cattle Point Road
(360) 378-2158

The 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: http://sanjuanco.com/641/Board-Committee-Vacancies.

Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an Advisory Committee Application or Contact the Council Office at: (360) 378-2898 [email protected]

2018 Island Lights tree lighting ceremony – Tim Dustrude photo

The season is upon us. A good crowd showed up for the Island Lights Festival and mother nature smiled upon all. No rain, lots of familiar Christmas songs and good holiday cheer.

Dennis Sinnock tells us tales of the day’s hunt – Contributed photo

On Monday, Theresa Simendinger will share her journey to Shishmaref, Alaska, a small Threatened Island of Artists and Hunters.

Shishmaref is a town of about 600 people on a small barrier island 5 miles off the coast of Alaska and just south of the Arctic Circle. The island is about 2 miles long and about 1/4 mile wide.

Inuit people have called it home for 400 yeas. Currently less than 600 still do.
Theresa traveled there on a buying trip to find art for Friday Harbor’s Native Art Gallery: Arctic Raven.

Monday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm. San Juan Island Library.

Herbie Nayokpuk shows some of his famous art pieces – Contributed photo

We are announcing our new store! It located on our Animal Inn property at 25 Boyce Road.

The Shepherd’s Work is an Art Consignment and Christian book store. We are representing 8 artists’ paintings and quilts. Soon we will provide on site videos of local collections as well.

New Christian books and consigned Christian books from local collections will be available.

There will always be a tea kettle on however our Open House is Friday and Saturday December 7 & 8^th from 10am-2pm with extra goodies.

Come by and see us. Fill your Christmas list and your spirit!

Island Haven Animal Sanctuary Benefit

This uniquely crafted reworking of Moby Dick is more a poetic fantasia than literal adaptation of the familiar characters and themes from the classic work.

With an array of songs, contemporary humor, and the weaving of various myths, a group of whalers set off on an epic hunt. But once on the water, the obsessed Captain Ahab steers them on an entirely different course.

In this tale of blind devotion and sacrifice, where will the new path lead this loyal crew?

Wednesday & Thursday December 5 & 6  at 7:30 at SJCT’s Gubelman Theatre.

Free Admission – 70 Minutes

Nana’s Holiday House is opening its doors for the 6^th year at 175 First Street (formerly Mr. Believable’s & The Rumor Mill). Now a Friday Harbor tradition, Nana’s House provides a place for Kids, 18 and under, to do their Christmas shopping at the affordable price of $1.00 to $10.00.

All of the items are new or hand crafted. The kids come in with their list and purchase special gifts for their families, teachers and friends. There is a wrapping station with helpers and an area where parents of the little ones can munch on baked goods while their kids shop for secret gifts and have their gifts wrapped.

Jeanine Earnhart (Nana) remembers sitting in her car at the old dime store in Friday Harbor, Sprouse Reitz, when her kids were young. They would spend ½ hour and $20 shopping for parents, teachers, friends and other family members. They learned about the joy of giving while the excitement of the recipients opened their well thought out gifts on Christmas morning. It brought a lot of joy and Christmas spirit to the holidays to everyone. Continue Reading

In the SJ Update Mailbag we find this letter from Allison Lance…

I attended a meeting at the library last night on deer population here on San Juan Island and what I walked away with is: KILL DEER! My take is different than pretty much everyone else’s point of view at what felt like a Cabela-sponsored rally.

We humans seem to have a psychological need to blame any living thing other than ourselves for the ecological and economic mess we find ourselves in.

Deer are not the problem – we are. If we truly cared about the native plants, birds and insects, we would take a hard look at ourselves and shape up. Human overpopulation is the driving force of the problem. Deer, cougar, wolf and bear were all native to San Juan. Along comes man and we eliminated all of the apex predators that kept the island’s fragile ecosystem in balance.

The islands were gorgeous, flourishing with indigenous plants and animals. Fast forward today, The San Juans have been transformed, ecologically mutilated. Native wildlife have been sacrificed for the production of cattle pigs, chickens, sheep and llama. Our old-growth forests have been clearcut, plowed under and replaced with plantations, field crops, exotic flowers, grasses, alfalfa and hayfields. Continue Reading

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor plans to have all current dog and cat residents moved into the new animal shelter at 938 Cattle Point Road by the end of this week.

In order to allow the animals to acclimate to their new living quarters, the shelter will be open by appointment only beginning Friday, November 30 through Friday, December 7. The shelter will continue to accept stray and surrendered animals during that time. If you are interested in adopting a pet, contact the shelter at (360) 378-2158 to make an appointment.

The shelter has also announced it will hold a CLEARANCE sale at the old animal shelter, 111 Shelter Road, Sunday, December 16 from 10:00 – 3:00. Donations will be accepted for office furniture, cabinets, assorted pet carriers and other pet-related items available on a first come – first serve basis.

Here’s a quick note from The Studio…

We are so excited as we head into our 5th year of business. We wanted to make sure everyone knows that our annual Holiday party is right around the corner on Friday December 7th, from 7:00 pm to midnight.

We welcome islanders to join us in celebrating our gratitude for this wonderful community that has supported our passion of movement through the last 4 years. As always, a delicious variety of food from Coho Restaurant will be on the menu. Along with the great food, we have amazing live music with Bryan Leighton, followed by DJ Neon Tide.

We will also hold 2 drawings for a 6 month unlimited Group fitness membership (a $1,040 value) and a 12 month unlimited group fitness membership (a $2,029 value). Drawings will be at 8 and 9 p.m.

Folks can enter anytime they take a class at The Studio, as well as, shopping with our local partners around town listed below:

• Pebble
• Deer Hazel
• Be Chic
• Coho Restaurant
• Downriggers
• The Spa at Earthbox
• Island Roots
• Teri Gentry Aesthetics

So, mark your calendar and feel free to dress up with us (although it is not a requirement!). Join us for a festive fun holiday celebration!