Mullis Center Kitchen Crew Preparing Meals on Wheels: Callie Daniel McKay, Ben Spaulding, Carolyn Adler, Eugene Cuomo – Photo PS McRae

On Monday I had lunch at the Mullis Center. Lunches are served on Mondays and Thursdays at 11:45. It’s an inexpensive hot meal, $5 for seniors $6 for everyone else (all are welcome), and it comes with a choice of beverages, salad, and desert. On the menu Monday was Hungarian goulash over noodles, a good meal for a late November day.

From the Salad Bar – Photo PS McRae

I got to the Mullis Center just in time to see the kitchen crew serving up “meals on wheels” to be delivered to homebound Islanders in need of a prepared meal. If you or someone you know is unable to get out, requesting this service (call the Mullis Center at 378-2677) may help. Frozen meals are also available on request and donations are appreciated to help cover the cost.

Monday happened to be the monthly birthday lunch in celebration of all November birthdays. Birthday lunch is usually celebrated on the last Thursday of the month but because Thursday was Thanksgiving… we got cake on Monday. The cake is thanks to Chris Luma who purchases cakes at Costco and delivers them to The Mullis Center as a donation each month. Thank you Chris! I had the chocolate and boy was it tasty.

Raffle Prize – Photo PS McRae

Lunch at the Mullis Center is a fun sociable way to share a good meal, visit a few old timers (I’m including myself in that category) or meet some new people. My handsome Uncle Wally met his third wife at these lunches. Plus there is the raffle run by garage sale maven Pat Ball. For only 50 cents you can buy a raffle ticket and when your ticket number is called, choose from a table of treasures, some donated others gathered by Pat. With my lucky ticket on Monday I went home with the most adorable Teddy Bear!

Mullis Center lunch menus are posted in the Senior Signal newsletter and also on the San Juan Calendar. To see more photos from Monday’s lunch link to The Mullis Center Facebook Page.

Nana’s Holiday House at 165 First Street – Contributed photo

Nana’s Holiday House is opening for the 4th year in the same location as last year, next door to the Rumor Mill. For those who haven’t shopped here before, we welcome all kids under 18 to shop for their families for the holidays. All items are $1.00 to $10.00 and are new or handmade items.

The store will be open December 1st through the 23rd from 3:00 to 5 “ish” on school days, from 11:00 to 5:00 on weekends and 1:00 to 5:00 on school holidays. There are gifts for everyone in the family and parents are encouraged to bring the kids in and have some cookies in the “parent’s lounge” while their kids shop. We wrap the gifts and the kids tag them. Please send your older kids in too, they’ll love it and find some incredible gifts for under $10.00!

All the profits from this store go back to the community. Last year’s profits went for high school & college scholarships, middle and elementary school special projects, school supplies, food and gas cards to community associations, gift certificates, bill paying and funds for families in need, and group swimming lessons to name a few.

Although it’s nice to give back to the community, the main focus of Nana’s House is to give kids of all ages an opportunity to learn about the joy of giving and to create special memories for the entire family. A big thank you to the community for supporting us in so many ways.

Town of Friday Harbor Receives Two Grants totaling $1.2 Million for Rebuild of Web Street and A Street and for sidewalk on Nichols

The Town of Friday Harbor is pleased to announce that it has received two grant awards in the total amount of $1,200,000 from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board. The first grant in the amount of $975,000 will be used to rebuild Web Street and A Street. The project would start at the intersection of Web and Argyle (in front of Big Store) and continue down Web to A Street where it would then turn north on A to Nichols Street. The project will include the construction of curbs, gutters and sidewalks as well as a new driving surface.

The second grant in the amount of $230,000 will build new sidewalks on the South side of Nichols Street from A Street to B Street. This grant will include new curbs and gutters on Nichols in addition to the sidewalk.

The Town made application for the grants in October of this year and they were two of 378 different submittals from around the State of Washington. A total of $301 million was requested statewide and $117 million of those were funded.

The Town will be responsible for a $134,000 match between the two projects. This match will be paid from monies collected by the Transportation Benefit District sales tax of 0.2% authorized by the voters in 2014. The TBD tax proceeds must be used exclusively for transportation capital investments within the Town.

The Town will begin the engineering work for these projects in 2017 with construction expected in 2018. “I am so pleased the Town will be able to continue its work towards improved walkability and traffic flow. We want to thank the Transportation Improvement Board for these opportunities”, said Mayor Carrie Lacher. “These upgrades and repairs are long overdue and will result in expansion and improvement of our downtown core”.

We have an immediate opening for a Chief Scientist.

The Chief Scientist is responsible for the technical direction of Luxel’s ultra-thin film deposition processes. The position is hands-on in the lab, while also including extensive customer contact and sales support. Domestic and international travel is required several times per year. The ability to juggle multiple demands and timelines is critical.

Established in 1973, Luxel is located on beautiful San Juan Island, WA. With no stoplights, chain stores, and only 8,000 year-round residents the Island lifestyle is one that many people aspire to. We enjoy work-life balance and have a wonderful team and customer base.

Luxel is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a great work environment, competitive pay, and generous benefits. Please send your resume to [email protected]

Requirements:

• Ph.D in Physics, Material Science, or similar area
• 5 years minimum work experience
• Extensive knowledge of thin-film processes and their applications in soft x-ray and EUV wavelengths
• Experience with writing Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant applications and running those projects once awarded

Andrea Hampton, owner of Salty Fox Coffee – SJ Update photo

Salty Fox Coffee, where the Doctor’s Office used to be – SJ Update photo

Andrea Hampton is the new owner of the coffee shop down there by the ferry landing. It used to be Far North Cafe owned by Eric Bienenstock and The Doctor’s Office owned by Mary Nash before that.

Andrea, who worked for Eric for about a year and half, and who you may also know from her time with Swanberg-Judkins insurance, actually took ownership of the coffee shop in July and has been kind of “flying under the radar” as she puts it, getting to know the business and everything. But now she’s ready to announce it to the world and she has just recently unveiled her new sign.

The menu has many new items on it including organic eggs, a vegan gluten-free quinoa salad and many freshly baked pastries. She feels strongly about maintaining a clean-food-focus, and says “I want to be confident explaining to customers what’s in the food, and if I can’t explain it, I won’t sell it.”

For now* she is open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. She has grab and go items for the ferry trip and free wifi while you wait.

*The shop will be closing at some point in January or March for a couple of weeks for her to recharge for the new season.

Victoria Compton (L) of the EDC presents Addie Miller with her First Place certificate – Tim Dustrude photo

Addie Miller took first place and a $2000 prize in the Economic Development Council’s 2nd Annual Business Plan Competition for her women’s comfort clothing company, Tush & Bush.

Kris Brown of Printonyx took second place and $1300 for an online printing-ordering business, tentatively named Isle Print (but don’t write that name in ink just yet).

Third place and $200 each was shared by Shannon Borg, (Oysterous & Vine, consulting for sustainable culinary arts businesses); Aunde Cornley, (Embodied Spirit Photography – intimate portraiture “Positively all about You”, advocating for positive body image) and Claudia Bradley, (Sew What! – alterations, reupholstery, hemming, zippers, etc…)

More information will be posted later this week, but for now – Congratulations everyone and good luck with your new ventures! 

Local Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour Companies Donate $24,000 to Orca and Salmon Conservation 

Friday Harbor, WA – San Juan Safaris and San Juan Island Outfitters, two local whale watch and sea kayak tour companies, are giving back to killer whale and salmon conservation and research. As highlighted by the recent decline in the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, the commitment to conservation through salmon restoration is even more critical. 

By choosing San Juan Safaris and San Juan Island Outfitters for their whale watch and sea kayak tour experience, guests contribute to the conservation effort. For every tour ticket sold, $1 was donated to orca and salmon conservation. All donations were collected as a Conservation Fee per each ticket sold. Since the inception of the Conservation Fund in 2015, San Juan Safaris and San Juan Island Outfitters have donated over $24,000 to three organizations: The Center for Whale Research, Save Our Wild Salmon, and Long Live the Kings as well as smaller local to The Whale Museum, San Juan County Land Bank, San Juan Preservation Trust, and the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. 

The Center for Whale Research is a non-profit that monitors the Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales (SRKWs) through photo identification and observations, which are listed as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Save Our Wild Salmon is a nationwide coalition of organizations working to restore healthy populations of wild salmon, the SRKWs’ main food source, to river systems on the Pacific Northwest through dam removal and restoration, with their main efforts focused on the Columbia and Snake River Basins. Long Live the Kings is a non-profit organization working towards restoring wild steelhead and salmon populations through education and outreach, and by creating effective wild habitat management programs.  Continue Reading

Plans are just beginning for the San Juan Island Children’s Festival scheduled for May 6, 2017 and people willing to work as a team, committed to creating this fun filled festival dedicated to celebrating children are needed. The Children’s Festival attracts over 1,200 people and is in its 27th year as a hallmark event for San Juan Island and Island Rec.

With the exception of the festival day, committee members volunteer an estimate of 6-8 hours per month beginning in January. The committee works closely with Island Rec staff to choose the theme of the festival, secure entertainment, coordinate participation of over 30 community organizations, recruit volunteers and promote the event. Traditionally, the committee has been comprised of moms of young children but others are encouraged to be part of this long standing successful event. If creating opportunities for children to discover, explore, create and be amused speaks to you, come speak to me.

Contact Morgan at Island Rec at 378-4953 or [email protected] to learn more about this opportunity.

BooBoo James and Shannon Miniken are now offering women’s boxing for fitness circuit training classes at San Juan Island Fitness.

“These classes are for anyone, any fitness level, from the experienced athlete looking for a new challenge, to the woman who’s never done a push up,” said BooBoo James, who’s been teaching these classes for almost two years, and receives quarterly training to keep the program fresh.

Participants will get a complete workout for the cardiovascular and muscular systems. Boxing workouts are great for increasing your strength, endurance, agility and coordination. You will burn fat, build muscle tone and get fit all at the same time.

There are currently twelve classes a week, from 6:00 am to after school to evenings. Class schedule is available at SJI Fitness, and you don’t need to be a member to participate! High school girls’ classes are $20/month for two classes per week and women’s classes are $80/month for two classes per week. Drop in rates are $15 per class. No gloves? No problem! All equipment is included in the class fee.

For more information about the women’s boxing for fitness classes, or to sponsor a student, call or text BooBoo at (360) 640-4506.

We are reposting this because today is the day that fees are waived and all of your donation goes directly to the PTO…

On November 21, Friday Harbor Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) launched their Second Annual Deposit a Gift Fundraiser.

The FHES PTO provides all elementary school field trip bus services and serves as the fill-in-funding that our SJI School District and the SJ Public Schools Foundation monies don’t cover. This online fundraiser through Deposit a Gift raised just under $10,000 last year and we hope to surpass that amount this year. Any denomination is greatly appreciated.

Today – November 29 is #GivingTuesday and the Deposit a Gift crowdfunding site will waive their administrative fee allowing more of your donation to go directly to the school and to the projects in need.  All donations to the FHES PTO are tax-deductible and may be made anytime throughout the year. Over 400 students at FHES need your support!  Thank you for giving!

Here is the link for the online fundraiser, please share with anyone you know who wants to support Excellence at our FHES:

http://supportingexcellenceatfhes.mydagsite.com/

It can also be found on our FHES website:

http://www.sjisd.wednet.edu/FHES

This Friday kicks off the 3rd Annual Friday Harbor High School Basketball “Tip Off” Classic Tournament! Purple & Gold will be tailgating both Friday and Saturday. Come watch some exciting basketball, enjoy delicious pulled pork sandwiches Friday night and hamburgers/hotdogs for lunch on Saturday. The tournament schedule is below.

Friday December 2nd (Home team in Whites listed first)

• 2:00 pm Girls:  Seattle Academy vs. Coupeville
• 3:45 pm Boys:  Overlake vs. Meridian
• 5:30 pm Girls:  Friday Harbor vs. Seattle Lutheran
• 7:15 pm Boys:  Friday Harbor vs. Seattle Lutheran

Saturday December 3rd (Home team in whites determined by coaches)

• 10:00 am Girls:  Losers of games on Friday
• 11:45 am Boys:  Losers of games on Friday
• 1:30 pm Girls:  Winners of games on Friday
• 3:15 pm Boys:  Winners of games on Saturday

Go Wolverines!

Merri Ann Simonson shares these real estate tips with you…

Merri Ann Simonson – Contributed photo

If you are contemplating buying a rental investment on island, one of the Roche Harbor Resort homes or parcels should be on the list for consideration. In 2005 I purchased a two bedroom rental house in the resort and have been very pleased with my investment.

I believe that the properties in the resort and nearby fared better through the recession. On San Juan Island our prices peaked in 2007 and reached the floor in 2013. During that period our median home price decreased 30%. We have recovered since then and in some pricing categories of our market, we may soon be able to measure appreciation. As a realtor, I have noted that homes and parcels in and near the resort sell at a higher percentage over their tax assessment than other homes on the island.

As an example, I paid $534,000 for the two bedroom rental home in 2005. If I add two additional years of average appreciation of 6% for 2006 and 2007, then calculate the 30% discount to market value due to the recession years, my house should be worth around $425,000 today, which is not the case.  I recently had my home appraised and the value issued was $675,000. I can personally say that Roche Harbor properties hold their value in tough years.

Continue reading… (PDF)

Diners enjoy a feast and good company at the Community Thanksgiving Dinner – Contributed photo

In the SJ Update mailbag today, it’s Jim and Minnie Knych with this note to share with you…

It is very satisfying to know that, in good times or bad times, easy times or hard times, there is no place we would rather be than Friday Harbor.

For the past eighteen years, we have shared Thanksgiving with volunteers, supporters and diners. Some of the participants come every year, some came for the first time this year. We’ve had the opportunity to gather with friends, neighbors and new acquaintances. The number has grown to five hundred.

It is an opportunity to gather and just share without making speeches or espousing a cause. We are truly blessed.

Thank you Friday Harbor!
Jim and Minnie Knych

An Island-Air Ambulance flight crew – Island Air photo

Recommendation: Sign up for both med-evac services

As island residents consider which of two med-evac services to pay for, the answer given unanimously at last week’s public hospital district board meeting was “Both.”

Commissioner Michael Edwards likened it to wearing both suspenders and a belt, saying “not to have the support of both is folly.”

Dr. Michael Sullivan, the county medical program director, told the board he has many factors to consider when determining how to transport a patient in an emergency situation, and adding in the question of which service they have paid for is just one more complication.

Airlift NW chopper – Tim Dustrude photo

Sometimes Island Air’s fixed-wing plane is best, and in other circumstances Airlift Northwest’s helicopter is preferable. It depends on weather, and where the patient is going, and several other factors which cannot be predicted.

Airlift Northwest offers its services for $79 a year for a household. Island Air which formerly did not charge residents of the hospital district, will have to begin charging on January 1st. Its rate will be $55 a year for a household but if paid before the end of 2016 it will be $39.

Both services are offered only to those covered by private insurance or Medicare. Individuals on Medicaid or uninsured are not eligible for either coverage, but commissioner Barbara Sharp pointed out that both have charity care programs “and they will work with you.”

And commissioner Monica Harrington suggested that with the holidays coming up “the best gift you can give your family is to be sure they’re covered by both services.”

Representatives of the two services will attend the December meeting of the board to answer questions. For information or to sign up, email them at:
membership [@] islandairambulance.com 
membership [@] airliftnw.org.

By Louise Dustrude

San Juan Community Theatre’s annual Holiday Festival on Saturday, December 3 brings island and theater friends together to embrace the joy of the holidays and help keep the Theatre thriving at the same time.

The nonprofit theatre’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Festival features gourmet food, silent and live auctions and island entertainment. The evening décor will bring glimmers of “rustic elegance” with warm gold and copper colors and driftwood accents. The warmth continues with:

• hundreds of silent and live auction items to bid on, including many unique travel opportunities such as tree house stays and Oregon and Canadian getaways (a live auction catalogue is available at sjctheatre.org);
• the ever-personable Jay Fiske, the FUNdraising event’s auctioneer;
• fine wine and a comfort food-meets-gourmet menu from the Island’s Coho Restaurant;
• Island entertainment featuring Penelope Haskew and Scott Mapstead, whose chemistry shined as Morticia and Gomez in The Addams Family. The two, accompanied by a local trio, will heat up the stage with holiday classics, Cole Porter tunes and more.

More information on the evening’s festivities is available at www.sjctheatre.org. Tickets ($100 per person) are on sale online or by calling 378-3211, ext. 23.

Roxy is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Hello sailor. New in town? Looking for some company on these long, winter nights? I know I am…

My name is Roxy and I’m currently rooming at the “APS-FH Boarding House for Discriminating Young Women”, otherwise known as the animal shelter.

I’m quiet, discreet, loyal and a real looker, if I do say so myself. If you like the same things I do; hiking, playing with other dogs, cuddling, rawhide chews and watching old movies, we should meet!

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158