Primary Election – Recount of Ballots for Congressional District #2 – U.S. Representative

San Juan County has been directed by the State to recount the votes cast for Congressional District #2 – U.S. Representative.

The difference in votes cast in the August 7, 2018 primary election between second- and third-place vote-getters Brian Luke and Gary Franco, respectively, meets the statutory threshold of fewer than 150 votes and less than 0.25 percent. The difference between the two candidates is 51 votes, 0.207 percent, causing the recount to be conducted manually.

The San Juan County Canvass Board has scheduled the recount to begin on August 28, starting at 9 a.m. The recount is expected to be completed that day. The recount will take place at the Elections Office, 55 Second St, Suite A, Friday Harbor.

The Canvass Board will convene on August 29, at 3 p.m.to re-certify the election.

If you have questions about the recount, please call the Elections Office at (360) 378-3357.

This is not an official announcement, but we hear from a reliable source that there will be food, educational exhibits, Concours d’Elegance cars and more at the airport on Saturday. The poster at right is official however. Just click to enlarge it.

Griffin Bay Bookstore & the San Juan Island Library Present author Jonathan White

Jonathan White’s Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean won accolades when it first came out, garnering early praise from fellow writers Peter Matthiessen, Thor Hanson, Susan Casey, Gretel Ehrlich, and Carl Safina, among others.

Since then he has gone on to win a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History and numerous others. And now Tides has recently been released in paperback.

If you missed his presentations here last year and if Tides is new to you, Griffin Bay Bookstore and the San Juan Island Library are giving you another chance to hear Jonathan White talk about Tides on Wednesday, August 29, 7:00 pm at the Library.

Expert mariner and marine conservationist Jonathan White’s love for the sea is lifelong. He grew up diving, sailing and fishing on the beaches of Southern California, has logged more than one hundred thousand miles sailing on the Pacific and Atlantic, and has surfed all over the world.

In the 1980s, he founded the Resource Institute, a nonprofit educational organization for which he hosted a renowned seminar series aboard Crusader, a 65-foot wooden schooner that sailed the Pacific Northwest. Crusader’s odysseys nearly ended, however, in 1990 when the boat ran aground and was nearly destroyed on a large tide in Alaska’s Kalinin Bay. Continue Reading

EDC invites entrepreneurs to participate in business plan competition, “Launch San Juan Islands”

Entrepreneurs can bring their business ideas to the next level in the third annual EDC Launch San Juan Islands business plan competition, created by the San Juan County Economic Development Council and sponsored by local businesses.

Participants will receive instruction in business planning and marketing, plus follow-up mentoring—and some will win cash prizes to help launch their businesses.

Thousands of dollars in cash prizes will be awarded to contest winners this year.  The greater goal, however, is to help every participating entrepreneur to advance their business. 

Included in the program for all participants will be seminars on business planning, financing and marketing; opportunities to network and collaborate with other entrepreneurs; media coverage for contestants; professional advice from a team of experts, and feedback on business plans. Continue Reading

San Juan County is exploring options to centralize government operations in an efficient and community-centered new Civic Campus building located near the courthouse in Friday Harbor. A design team has developed a concept that was informed by the first public survey in March 2018, as well as discussions with County staff who would be providing services in the new building.  A new building would consolidate the operations of 9 different county departments that are currently housed in 5 different buildings.

Virtual Open House:  At the August 21, 2018 County Council meeting, the county’s contracted architect, Miller Hull Partnership, LLP performed an online presentation of a conceptual design for a new Civic Campus building.  Miller Hull’s Virtual Open House presentation can be view at council video.  (Click on “9:19 a.m. DISCUSSION” agenda item and the video presentation starts at 9:26 a.m.)  Also, a link to the Executive Summary document is located here.

Community Survey:  We are asking community members to review the draft conceptual design information (Virtual Open House and Executive Summary document) and provide input through a public survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SanJuanCounty2 . The survey will be open until September 5.  Individual responses will be kept confidential.

Please visit the County Manager’s Civic Campus Plan webpage about the Civic Campus planning efforts and draft conceptual design.

Thank you very much for your time and input.

Mike Thomas, San Juan County Manager

Geoffrey Volk and Wade Knapik drew the winner – Contributed photo

SJI Community Foundation Fair Matching Program Grants $56k to Nonprofits

The San Juan Island Community Foundation once again featured 8 local nonprofit projects at this year’s San Juan County Fair as part of the 6^th annual matching grant campaign. 139 donations were made by generous community members for a grand total of nearly $40,000 during the 4 days of the Fair!

The Foundation will match these donations 50 cents on every dollar raised until each project goal is met. As a result, more than $56,000 will soon be granted to the following projects:

• Family Umbrella Group Preschool Scholarships
• Hospice of San Juan Volunteer Training
• PADs for Parkinson’s Wheelchair Ramp
• San Juan Community Home Trust Forever Affordable Homes
• San Juan Community Theatre Musical Theatre Production Fund
• San Juan Island Family Resource Center Building Expansion
• San Juan Islands Museum of Art
• Women’s Fund of the SJICF Membership Drive

On the last night of the fair, 13-year-olds Geoffrey Volk and Wade Knapik from San Juan Island reached into the glass jar containing the names of all fair booth donors for a special drawing. The donor selected was Nancy DeVaux, who chose the San Juan Community Home Trust to receive a $1,000 bonus grant. Continue Reading

Gee’s Bend inspired potholders – Contributed photo

In anticipation of the Conversation With Gee Bend exhibition at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor, WA two inventive women proposed two projects. Julie Weaver and Judy Okulitch brought their ideas to the Rainshadow Quilting Arts Guild (RQAG) for a trial run.

They introduced making Gee’s Bend-inspired potholders for SJIMA to sell to and promote the museum exhibition and quilting arts. The idea took off and all the parts came together-studying the Gee’s Bend designs, putting a heat reflective liner in the potholders and picking fabrics. In the same ingenious vein, they fashioned “San Juan Style” pincushions made with clean oyster shells as a base.

Then the equally enterprising volunteer, Hella Cascorbi worked logo stickers with Judy on cellophane packaging. And, the perfect hostess gift or surprise gift for a quilter in the family was born. Continue Reading

Washington State Ferry M/V Hyak in Anacortes – SJ Update file photo

This came in yesterday from Washington State Ferries…

On August 22, the M/V Hyak was removed from service for urgent motor repairs. The M/V Chelan will replace the Hyak on domestic San Juan Islands routes beginning on August 23 through August 29. Please see below for information on cancelled sailings and added/modified sailings during this outage.

Cancellations:

• Aug. 23-29: All international sailings from Aug. 23 through Aug. 29 are cancelled. We will provide updated timelines for international sailings as they become available.
• Aug. 23-29: The 6:15 a.m. Anacortes to Lopez Island and 7:15 a.m. Lopez Island to Anacortes sailings are cancelled until the Hyak is returned to service.

Added/modified sailings:

• Aug. 22: Added 6:45 p.m. Anacortes to Lopez Island; 7:35 p.m. Lopez Island to Anacortes; and 10:30 p.m. Orcas Island to Anacortes with a stop at Shaw Island
• Beginning Aug. 23 and until the Hyak is returned to service the following modifications have been made to scheduled sailings:
  6 a.m. Anacortes to Orcas Island sailing will now allow vehicles traveling to Lopez Island
  6:25 a.m. Anacortes to Friday Harbor sailing will make an additional stop at Lopez Island
  7:35 a.m. Orcas Island to Anacortes sailing will make an additional stop at Lopez Island AND allow interisland vehicle traffic

Reservation holders on the cancelled 6:15 a.m. Anacortes departure should plan to check in 30 minutes prior to the 6:00 a.m. sailing, and will be loaded on either the 6:00 a.m. or 6:25 a.m. departures.  All other westbound and eastbound sailings will depart as scheduled.  

The Town of Friday Harbor has hired SFE Global to perform “smoke testing” of the sewer systems within your neighborhood beginning September 4, 2018 through September 6, 2018.

The purpose of smoke testing is to identify areas of leaks and cross-connections where rainwater and other surface drainage may be entering the sanitary sewer system. The goal is to identify and eliminate these sources of unnecessary inflow into the system and to reduce sanitary sewer overflows. This yields significant cost savings in sewer operations and maintenance and has a positive impact on the environment. The smoke testing program also allows the Town to locate problems in private sewer lines that need to be repaired.

Smoke testing is a very simple process that involves pumping non-toxic smoke into sewer main lines, allowing smoke to seep up through the soil and indicate any cracks or line deterioration. The smoke used in the testing is harmless and non-staining. During the brief test procedure, you may expect to see small volumes of test smoke coming from neighboring roof vents, perimeter drainage, or system manholes.

The smoke should not enter your home or place of business. If it does, it is likely coming from a dry sanitary connection such as a toilet, sink or floor drain that is rarely used. Owners can prevent test smoke from passing through dry connections by pouring a quart of water into any rarely used sanitary connections to seal off the plumbing traps. It is a good idea to do this periodically in your home or business to make sure sewer gases cannot get inside the building in general.

Please notify the outside field crews working in your area if smoke does enter your home or business during the test. They will assist in locating the access point and can help prevent further incidence of smoke or sewer gases entering the building.

Contact the Public Works Office at 360-378-2154 or the Wastewater Department at 360-378-5400 if you have any questions or concerns regarding this testing. Thank you for your cooperation.

Yesterday’s Grand Opening of the new Center for Whale Research’s Orca Survey Outreach & Education Center was attended by a good sized crowd of about 25 – 30 people. Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan, members of the SJI Chamber of Commerce and many CWR staff & volunteers attended as well. The Center is located next door to Mr. Believeable’s restaurant at 185 First Street South.

Ken Balcomb cuts the ribbon. L-R: Gail Schnee, Chamber President; Katie Jones, CWR Education/Outreach Manager; Ken Balcomb CWR Founder; Lodie Gilbert, CWR Community Relations Coordinator; Parin Columna, CWR Volunteer Coordinator and Karl Bruno, Chamber Staff Member – Photo by Tim Dustrude for San Juan Update

Inside, staff will be on hand to share information and education about the whales including a large 4K TV display showing recent drone footage of the whales. (Note that all drone footage was captured under federal permit.) Also, the following is there for the public to see: Continue Reading

Congressman Rick Larsen and FHHS student Ana Anderson – Contributed photo

This year Friday Harbor High School students Ana Anderson and Mariah Daniher (class of 2018) were awarded first and second place, respectively, in the 37^th annual Congressional Art Competition, sponsored by the Congressional Institute.

It was the first time FHHS students have entered the competition. Ana’s piece Close Your Eyes and Fly Away was chosen to represent Washington States 2^nd Congressional District and will be on display with other state winners in the nation’s Capital building for one year. Congressman Rick Larsen contacted her personally to congratulate her and invite her to attend the awards ceremony this summer.

During the awards ceremony congressional leaders, art college representatives, and renowned artists spoke about the importance of arts and art education in America. The awards ceremony was filled with passionate speeches praising and encouraging the young artists. Keynote speaker actor Cory Michael Smith discussed his personal journey as an artist, and the power of the Arts in bringing about social awareness and positive change.

Reflecting on the value of the visual arts and her selection for the award Ana Anderson stated: Continue Reading

Local photographer John Miller shares this photo…

John Miller photo

Hello SJ Update – I caught this fellow flying around the winery, in the gray! Fan powered motion! Nikon d500, f2, 200mm at f4 and 1/3000 sec.

John

League of Women Voters hosts forum on affordable housing REET measure

From noon-2 p.m., Monday, Sept. 10, at the San Juan Island Grange, the League of Women Voters of the San Juans is presenting a discussion on the affordable housing initiative that will be on the November ballot. The proposal would establish a real estate excise tax, or REET, to help fund construction of affordable housing. Featured speakers include: Ryan Page, San Juan County affordable housing coordinator; Steve Ulvi, Yes for Homes Coalition; and Steve Buck, owner of Coldwell Banker SJI.

Topics to be presented include funding options that were considered, a description of the proposal and discussion of the benefits and concerns with enacting the REET. The public is encouraged to attend and submit questions to the speakers.

For more information, contact Shireene Hale at 360-378-9797 or [email protected].

Application deadline September 5th for 2019 Town LTAC Grants

The Town of Friday Harbor’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) is accepting 2019 grant applications until Wednesday, September 5th. LTAC grants will be awarded for tourism promotion of 2019 events and activities taking place within the town. Preference is given to those operations and activities that encourage tourists to visit during the off-season. Applicants promoting summer events are advised to avoid historically high traffic weekends when scheduling their events.

LTAC grants are awarded annually by the Town Council and are funded with the state’s Hotel Motel Tax collected on all in-town lodging stays of less than 30 days. Grant proposals are reviewed by the LTAC which is made up of council members, lodging owners, and community members appointed by the Mayor. The Town Council takes the LTAC’s recommendations under advisement when determining final grant awards.

Interested parties should review the Request for Proposal (RFP) and complete the LTAC Grant Application available at Town Hall, 60 Second Street, Friday Harbor, WA, and at the Town web site: www.fridayharbor.org. Applications must be submitted to Town Hall by 4:30 pm Wednesday, September 5, 2018.

A medical emergency caused a truck to hit a transmission pole on Lopez Island, which also caused a grass fire. The driver was flown off island for observation and to treat relatively minor injuries – Contributed photo

All of Orcas, Shaw, Blakely and some of Lopez island were without power for almost 10 hours after a car accident on Lopez took out a transmission pole at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 17th. Power was completely restored by 8:15 p.m. to Orcas, Shaw and Blakely and by 11:30 p.m. to all of Lopez. The driver of the truck involved in the accident is recovering from minor injuries.

OPALCO crews responded immediately and made the scene safe for fire personnel to extinguish the fire caused by the accident. While the fire suppression and mop-up operations were underway, the OPALCO crew worked on switching (rerouting power away from the fault, where bypass routes are available) to get as much power to Lopez as possible, including restoring power to the ferry landing.

Crews from Lopez, San Juan and Orcas islands worked almost 10 hours to rebuild the transmission system. (photo credit: Steve Horn)

As crews from San Juan and Orcas arrived, Foreman Brian Swanson brought everyone up to speed on the project. The linemen installed a new pole, built out the pole top, and then transferred the high-voltage conductor to the new pole. The broken pole caused some damage along the transmission line; crews repaired and replaced cross arms and insulators on adjacent poles and then began the process to bring the power back up.

Thanks to the folks at Blossom Grocery, Lopez Village Market and to some neighbors in the area who brought refreshments to the crew during their long day of construction work.

OPALCO Building New Path for Power
Continue Reading

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) is offering a workshop to transform your art-and it is fun!

This special workshop is for any one who wants to take advantage of the one of the hottest ways to show art today- no matter the medium, two-dimensional or three-dimensional art.

Join Ray Pfortner on Sunday, August 26th  1-5 p.m. at SJIMA in Friday Harbor. You will leave with your own samples on wood panels, travertine and a selection of slate stone tiles.  People of all skill levels are welcome.

Ray Pfortner – Photo by Don Milgate

The class size is limited, and registration is on a first-come-first-served basis. See www.sjima.org for details and registration. The fee is $75 and $65 for SJIMA members, and all materials are provided. There is a $15 materials fee collected at the workshop.

Working in professional photography for over 20 years, Ray Pfortner is an educator, agent, editor, consultant, and photographer.  He has been the Director of Education at Seattle’s Photographic Center Northwest. His primary interest is in coaching new talent.