Flu season is here and it is time to get your flu shot!  San Juan County Health and Community Services will be offering the following flu vaccine clinics:

By appointment: Call 360-378-4474 to schedule

San Juan Health & Community Services | 145 Rhone St, Friday Harbor

• September 20, 2017 1:00pm – 4:30pm
• October 11, 2017 1:00pm – 4:30pm
• October 24, 2017 4:00pm – 6:30pm

Walk-in clinics: no appointment necessary:

Lopez Health & Community Services Clinic | 2228 Fisherman Bay Rd

• October 12, 2017 1:30pm – 5:30pm 
• November 9, 2017 1:30pm – 5:30pm

Shaw Community Center

• October 23, 2017 10:30am – 3:00pm

Orcas Senior Center | 62 Henry Rd, Eastsound

• November 15, 2017 9:00am – 5:00pm

Adult Flu Vaccine (19 years +) – $45

Child Flu Vaccine (6 months – 18 years) – $23

We will bill:

• Medicaid
• Kaiser Permanente (if we administer the vaccine to FIVE or more Kaiser Permanente clients during the clinic).
• Medicare

All other health insurances: An invoice will be provided upon request for individuals wishing to submit a claim for reimbursement. 

San Juan County Health & Community Services – 360-378-4474

San Juan County Health & Community Services

San Juan Island Lions Club is pleased to announce their first annual fundraiser island bike ride:
Friday Harbor Bike-n-Brew!

The Friday Harbor Bike-n-Brew will take place on Saturday, September  23rd, starting at 9:00 am. The community is invited to buy a breakfast served by our own island Cutthroat Pirates at 8am at the Fairgrounds and then the fun starts! Approximately 100 bicyclists will bike for charity on three courses around the island.

The bike event will be followed by a brew fest at the Brickworks at 5:00 pm, featuring four local island microbreweries: San Juan Island Brewing Company, Friday Harbor Brewing Company, Island Hoppin’ Brewery, and Lopez Island Brewing Company. It’s not too late to join us for this event! You can register on our website or at the SJC Fairgrounds all the way up to 9:00 the morning of the bike event, or if you prefer to attend the brew fest only, stop by the Brickworks at 5:00 pm and buy a brew fest ticket at the door!

The Lions Club wants to thank our premier sponsors for making this event possible: Meat Machines Cycles, Lawson Construction, Islanders Bank, Coldwell Banker, and Centerplate. We also want to thank all of our wonderful 2nd and 3rd level sponsors and personal sponsors who believed in us and financially backed this event as it was being planned.

The Lions Club hopes to make this a regular community event that promotes charity, exercise, fun, and support of local businesses! All funds stay local to help with college scholarships and the many healthcare events our Lions Club brings to the island, including yearly eye screening in our schools for early-detection of childhood eye disease and healthcare help for our underserved islanders.

If you see a bicyclist on the road on Saturday, the 23rd, please remember they have a family and they are riding for charity, so please only pass only when it’s safe! And whether you ride or drive, share the road and practice kindness.

Survey Results Show Support for Community Solar

Proposals sought for design and construction

More than 1,200 members responded to OPALCO’s online survey about Community Solar, measuring preferences, appetite and collecting narrative comments. In a nutshell, the membership is very interested in Community Solar so long as it doesn’t affect rates. A request for proposals was published in September for solar installers interested in designing and building the project.

OPALCO’s community solar project will give co-op members an opportunity to purchase units of the large solar array and receive monthly bill credits based on the production of their units. The project will be constructed at OPALCO’s substation on Decatur Island. Planning is underway in 2017 with construction beginning in 2018. Project details such as cost, return on investment and number of units available will be published by January, which is when we expect members can begin to purchase units.

What OPALCO learned from the survey is that members would like more info about solar in general and the project details. Members want frequent project updates, primarily on the website. Of those surveyed, 61% would invest at least $150, 35% would invest at least $450 and others wrote in amounts in the thousands. Members are motivated primarily by financial factors: return on investment, out-of-pocket costs and affordability compared to rooftop solar. Comments show support for carbon reduction, community sustainability and creating a model for others. Project aesthetics were less of a concern; see full survey report in the Resource Library at www.opalco.com (Governance and Finance / Member Surveys).

Griffin Bay Bookstore and the San Juan Island Library Present an evening with Bellingham author Candace Wellman.  This is an evening you won’t want to miss! Please join us at the library on Wednesday, September 27, 7:00 pm for a book talk by Candace Wellman, author of the remarkable, Peace Weavers: Uniting the Salish Coast through Cross-Cultural Marriages.

While helping researchers at the Washington State Archives, Candace Wellman discovered that about 90 percent of all marriages in Whatcom County’s early decades were cross-cultural. The husbands included nearly every community founder and official. Yet when she studied the written chronicles, only white women were mentioned as founding mothers. It seemed many historians considered the indigenous women to be unknowable, unimportant, and uninteresting. She became determined to illuminate the hidden history surrounding these relationships. Producing her manuscript required eighteen years and close to two hundred collaborators.

An expert in research methods, sociology, history, and genealogy, Wellman began re-scrutinizing old sources and searching for new ones, particularly legal cases. Focusing on cross-cultural couples, she found evidence that, except in rare cases, local and regional historians stereotyped and ignored the Frontier West’s intermarried women. Peace Weavers challenges that viewpoint and Wellman hopes that her efforts will inspire others to re-examine the historical role played by those relationships. Continue Reading

Artist Tom Small at work in his outdoor studio – Contributed photo

Opening at WaterWorks Gallery. Tom Small’s sculptures are inspired directly from the land. For Tom specific locales in the Northwest provide the vision for the work. These locales include the islands, the beaches, the rivers, the mountains. This show will include recent drawings, carvings in stone and wood, and glass castings.

​Please join Tom Small at WaterWorks Gallery on Saturday, September 16th for an artist walk/talk sharing insights about his work from 11:30 to 1:30.

The show is up until September 30th.

The Life Care Center of San Juan Island at 660 Spring Street – SJ Update photo

<Note: This story has been updated to include a link to a press release at the end of the article>

Residents of the Life Care Center of the San Juan Islands (LCCSJI) received notice that the facility will be closing its doors effective November 30, 2017 due to considerable lack of demand. The facility has capacity for 64 residents, is operating on a budget based on 46 residents, and yet they only have 35 residents living there currently. Director of the center, Janice Fisher said “Even at the budgeted 46 residents, we would still be losing money.”

Two meetings were called on Thursday, September 14, both with the same purpose, to let family members and residents know of the upcoming closure. There were about 15 – 20 family members at the 2:00 meeting, where Janice said “We know this is devastating news for all our families, residents and employees – heartbreaking.” The evening meeting had fewer people, about 8 or 10, and there was a consensus of frustration all around at the short notice being given to relocate.

Several factors have affected the decision to close the center – in 2016 the LCCSJI lost the ability to train and certify CNA’s (Certified Nursing Assistants). It used to be they could hold classes and teach current and new employees to become CNA’s which was very beneficial financially, as all of the care staff must be CNA Certified. Now it is very difficult to find and retain qualified staff.

In the last 10 years, there has been significant change on the island, most notably with the coming of the Village at the Harbour, an assisted living facility, and more recently with the creation of the new hospital, Peace Island Medical Center. Also, there are more “private duty” nursing jobs available and many of these options tend to lure staff away from the Life Care Center.

Being funded primarily by Medicaid is another factor – in recent years funding for Medicaid has been eroding, a program that already paid bare minimums is now paying even less. This is not only a problem for San Juan Island but for Anacortes and other similar facilities in Whatcom, Skagit and Island Counties as well. The further you head down toward Seattle, the better the situation gets, because communities classifed as “cities” fare much better with Medicaid reimbursements. Continue Reading

San Juan County Comprehensive Plan 2036 Update Vision, Values, and Priorities

Public Engagement Opportunity

The Department of Community Development will be hosting events to elicit public input on the County’s Comprehensive Plan vision, values, and priorities. The public is encouraged to attend our Pop-Up Studios and Community Workshops. Community input is vital to ensure that the Vision Statement reflects the aspirations of all the residents of San Juan County.

These events provide an opportunity for residents to participate in shaping the Comprehensive Plan Vision that will guide the county over the next twenty years.

The events will be held at the following times and locations: Continue Reading

Large crowd on the rainy docks of Roche Harbor Marina, September 9, 2017 – Contributed photo

Volunteers from The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 13th Coast Guard District, Flotilla 11 San Juan Islands Detachment provided 47 boaters free vessel safety examinations on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Roche Harbor Marina on San Juan Island.

The free vessel safety examinations were conducted on a rainy Saturday during the annual Ranger Tug Rendezvous at Roche Harbor, where the owners of more than 180 of the vessels gathered to learn more about boating safety, share information about their vessels and socialize.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary members from San Juan and Orcas Islands made a presentation to vessel owners about boating safety and procedures to confidently operate their vessels for safe boating pleasure. Following the presentation, the auxiliary members completed 47 vessel safety examinations, as well as providing other information [to] answer many public questions on boating safety.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary provides free vessel inspections for all boaters including power vessels, sailboats and paddle craft. For more information about getting your vessel inspected, contact David Tribolet (360) 376-3994. Continue Reading

San Juan Island School District Superintendent Danna Diaz accepts, with gratitude, school supplies from the Islanders Bank ‘Stuff the Bus’ school supply drive – Contributed photo

Dr. Danna Diaz extends her appreciation to Michelle Morton, Islanders Bank Services Manager, for her enthusiasm in spearheading this annual drive, and thanks the community for supporting public school students. “Our students will benefit greatly from receiving these classroom supplies.”

New from Island Rec! for Ages 55+, Active older adults who are looking for a modified Zumba class that recreates the original moves of Zumba at a lower intensity. The design of the class introduces easy to follow Zumba choreography that focuses on balance, range of motion, and coordination. Come ready to sweat, and prepare to leave empowered and strong. Class focuses on all elements of fitness: cardiovascular, muscular conditioning, flexibility and balance. Instructed by Bill Ament, guaranteed fun!

Register for October/November and December/January sessions now with Island Rec. Each Session is $69 when registered by the early registration deadline. Register at www.islandrec.org, or drop by the Island Rec office, 580 Guard st. Monday -Friday 11am-5pm.

Another great Fair that was truly “all the buzz”. A huge thank you and a round of applause to the many volunteers, exhibitors, performers, and sponsors that made another wonderful Fair possible.

Check out the “Best Of” the Fair award listings and photo and reminisce on a buzzin’ good time at the 2017 Fair: http://www.sjcfair.org/p/fair-event/best-of-2017

Have great Fair ideas for 2018? Want to volunteer, perform, or become a department superintendent for the 2018 Fair? Have some great Fair ideas for the Fair Board? Email the Fair office and share your thoughts: [email protected]

Fish for Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for two-day dental clinics on San Juan Island, three times a year – Contributed photo

Fish for Teeth brings free mobile dental clinic to Friday Harbor

Islanders unable to afford dental care can receive it for free thanks to the local nonprofit Fish for Teeth on Friday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 7.

“Many volunteers and local businesses work as a team to bring this service to those who cannot otherwise afford dental care,” said Fish for Teeth Founder Matt Marinkovich, a San Juan Island commercial fisherman.

Fish for Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for two-day dental clinics on San Juan Island, three times a year. The Medical Teams International’s van can handle dental hygiene appointments to root canals. Continue Reading

Hello Oakies! Can you feel it? That slight chill in the air? Fall may finally be upon us as the weather forecast is calling for rain on Sunday, so be sure to have your rain gear ready! 🙂

• When?
  Sunday, September 17
  10:00am to 2:00pm
• RSVP required (e-mail [email protected]).
• Where?
  Meet at the northernmost pullout of the Westside Preserve.
• What?
  Tree Removal
  Piling
• Bring/Wear?
  Small Saws
  Weather appropriate clothing
  Water/Lunch

Rehearsal of “Orphan Girl”; pictured is Darvis Taylor, Stormy Hildreth and Grisha Krivchenia – Contributed photo

The Up Close project brings the stories, wisdom, artistry, and humor of Island elders to the stage of San Juan Community Theatre’s Gubelman Theatre this Friday and Saturday, September 15-16 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, September 17 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the SJCT Box Office (360) 378-3210 or online at www.sjctheatre.org

Local composer and pianist Grisha Krivchenia teamed up with SJCT to present such stories after working on a similar project in New Mexico. “I had the great privilege of writing original songs with hospice patients in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was very keen to write songs with and for my Island community,” said Grisha. “Our elders have powerful words to share from a lifetime of experience, and a song delivers their messages beautifully.”

Several islanders have been working with Grisha since May and have written songs, readings or poetry. Continue Reading

Dance Workshop 2 “Dance for Charity” 8 Week Beginning Ballet Program

FREE for Teens and Adults

Lina Downes, Director of Dance Workshop 2 and strong supporter of World Vision, a nondenominational Washington based charity aid organization, is combining her passion for teaching with her commitment to service by offering a program to teens and adults entitled “Dance for Charity”. Beginning Sept. 27th, 2017, Dance Workshop 2 will offer a FREE 8 week beginning ballet program designed to promote the art of ballet with the opportunity to benefit East African famine aid through World Vision.

Dance Workshop 2 has room for up to 17 dedicated beginning ballet students (13+ years) to attend 8 weeks of classical ballet classes, taught by studio Director Lina Downes and guest teacher Julie Hagn, absolutely free of charge. Experienced dancers are also encouraged to join. The classical ballet classes will be based on beginning Vaganova Russian Ballet technique, and will be informative as well as expressive and fun – all for a great cause. This is a great way to learn, commit to greater good, and stay active during the Fall and Winter months! Continue Reading

In the San Juan Update mailbag today we find this letter from Steve Ulvi…

This place, protectively moated by surging tidal waters from the continuous spreading rash of the I-5 corridor, is a prominent geography of hope. I suspect that this has been a place of promise from the first human footprints on the beach sand. A wag could also say “a mainland-dependent, vacation home and summer tourism servicing community, highly vulnerable to the massive shaking and slosh of the coming Big One”. Or even a big spike in diesel prices.

People often use terms like pristine, wild, natural, rich or abundant in describing these islands and waters. As if the inconvenient truths of history can somehow be swept away or ignored. The use of these descriptors, given piles of contrary factual information, is sadly indicative of an outlook distorted through the prisms of social amnesia, faith-based myths and scientific ignorance. The generational blinders of “shifting baseline syndrome” numb all but the alarmists among us.

This syndrome, now so obvious, was popularized as recently as the 1990s in describing generational perspectives of fishery managers believing that the start of their careers was the starting baseline for managing fish stocks, many in decline.  You can apply this crippling lack of perspective to almost anything in this era of drastic change. The most truthful bumper sticker for seekers of the good life in the West has always been “You shoulda been here 30 years ago!”

I have a nagging feeling that despite our happy talk, the opportunities for this county to attain long term community stability – a more diversified economy, balanced population demographics and protection of critical resources – is evaporating like a snowbank overpowered by the relentless intensity of the summer sun. Continue Reading