OPALCO shares news about their board nomination process for 2023.

Nominations for OPALCO board candidates are now open. There are two positions open — one in District 1 (San Juan, Brown, Henry, Pearl and Spieden islands) and one in District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Blakely, Obstruction, Big Double, Little Double and Fawn islands). Applications are due to the Elections & Governance Committee by Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Members of the Co-op from all backgrounds and representing all identities are encouraged to apply. The Co-op values all kinds of experience and skill sets — you do not need to be an engineer or have previous experience with utilities. Our organization includes business management, finance and accounting, legal, insurance, benefits, education and training, marketing, technology, public policy, construction, procurement, engineering, design, project management, permitting and operations. If you have expertise in any of these areas or other pertinent experience, you may be a good fit.

It’s an exciting moment in history for our Co-op and the industry with the push to get carbon out of our environment and renewable energy rapidly evolving. Directors set the policies, budgets and rates for the Co-op. And, as an added benefit, OPALCO Directors are paid a stipend for their time and board training. As a member-owner, you can take an active role in guiding the company you own.

There are two ways to be nominated for a board position — by the member EGC Committee, or by petition. The EGC will review nominations received by Jan. 25  and recommend their slate of candidates for the open positions. Candidates may also seek nomination to the Board by petition. A member in good standing must collect no fewer than 20 signatures of bona fide OPALCO members who reside in their district.

The election will be open March 10 through April 26. All voting is by absentee ballot, via mail or online. Voting materials will be sent by mail to every OPALCO member in early March. Election results will be announced at the OPALCO Annual Meeting on April 29.

You must be an OPALCO member and meet the eligibility requirements to run for the Board. Learn more about running for an OPALCO board seat on the OPALCO website.

Contributed photo

San Juan Island teenager Allison Larson — who has been battling severe health issues for nearly two years — is preparing for the next stage of a journey toward recovery that her family hopes will allow her to live a full, active life. To get there, the family is asking for help from the community.

“Allison and her mom will be flying to Connecticut for [major gastrointestinal] surgery and they will need to stay there for four to five weeks,” explains Elena Porten, who is organizing the fundraiser for Allison and her family. “Help is needed to cover everyday costs, flights, accommodations, a rental car, and uncovered medical costs as they navigate this new advancement in her medical journey.”

“Without this surgery, Allison’s body will continue to struggle and she will have a dramatic decline in her health,” Elena says.

When Allison became severely ill in 2021, San Juan Islanders came together to raise $30,000 to cover the expenses that her mother, Jeanine, was unable to pay because she could not work while taking care of Allison. They’re hoping to raise at least that much in the next few months through their GoFundMe campaign.

From May 11 — Walking (and running) off the mid-morning arrival from Anacortes on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

The Town of Friday Harbor shares some advice about preventing frozen water pipes during this week’s extended cold stretch.

With consistently freezing temperatures forecasted this week, the Town is reminding residents and business owners to take steps to prevent frozen water pipes. Following these simple tips can protect plumbing and prevent costly repairs and higher water bills.

Before freezing weather:

• Advise all household members where the main water shutoff valve is located in case of emergency.
• Make sure hoses are disconnected from outside faucets.
• Make sure water pipes in unheated parts of your home, including crawl spaces, are insulated.
• Seal all openings in the basement around the foundation, windows, and doors.
• Insulate all pipes in your basement that are near windows.
• Drain all underground irrigation systems.

During freezing weather:

• Make sure you heat all rooms of your house that have plumbing fixtures. Water pipes in unheated rooms are subject to freezing and could cause extensive damage.
• Leave the cabinet doors open to allow the heat from the room to enter if you have pipes that are located on an outside wall.
• Keep meter box lids closed to prevent cold air from freezing the meter.
• If you have experienced problems in the past during freezing periods and you have exhausted all other solutions, you can leave a trickle of water running from the highest faucet in the house. This trickle should be a steady stream slightly larger than the lead of a pencil.

If you have a frozen pipe:

• Never thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame.
• Use hot air from a hair dryer, heat lamps, heat tape, or electric heaters to thaw a frozen pipe.
• Also consider using an incandescent lightbulb to thaw pipes slowly, by placing it next to pipes that are frozen. Be sure to keep the bulb away from combustible material to avoid starting a fire. Today’s LED bulbs don’t let off much heat and likely won’t be useful for this purpose.

Customers are reminded to contact Town Hall at 360-378-2810 for assistance with turning on or off water at the meter. Municipal code states that tampering with water meters is prohibited. For after-hours help, call the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 360-378-4151.

OPALCO shares an update about about their capital credit dividend program.

More than $1.1 million in capital credit checks are going out to long-time OPALCO members this month, as they do each year. As an electric cooperative, the margin at the end of any given year goes back into the hands of members. Each year the co-op tracks how much you pay for power and determines how much of the margin you will receive as a capital credit allocation to your membership.

Capital credit dividends are paid to members after 25 years. The checks being sent out this year are for members active in 1997 and 1998 and will be in the mail today, Dec. 19. The check amounts range from five dollars to thousands, for big energy users like grocery stores. Most checks are between $50 and $250.

Last year more than $18,000 was donated back from capital credit checks to support Project Pal, helping neighbors in our community. Project Pal offers a one-time-per-year grant to low-income members during the heating season.

More than 6,000 members will get checks in 2022.

In 2018, OPALCO started utilizing a smoothing methodology to ensure general retirements are as even as possible from year to year and to plan for bigger margins that occurred in the past twenty years. This year, all of the 1997 margin was distributed, plus about 60 percent of 1998’s. This helps OPALCO to budget for the cash required to pay capital credits and keeps co-op margins in the members’ hands. Members will continue to get their capital credits at 25 years, but distribution will be calculated based on a general rolling average.

Remember to keep OPALCO updated when your address changes so that your capital credit distributions can find you. Learn more about capital credits on the OPALCO website.

With snowfall arriving shortly, the Town of Friday Harbor sends along a request for help keeping sidewalks clear.

As we look forward to the wintry forecast through Christmas, the Town is asking residents and business owners to be vigilant with snow and ice removal on sidewalks this holiday week.

The Friday Harbor Municipal Code states that it is the responsibility of owners or occupants of properties in the Town that abut or front paved sidewalks to clear the sidewalk of snow, sleet, and ice.

We are all pedestrians at some point in the day, whether walking to the car, walking from a restaurant, or doing some fun last-minute holiday shopping. Without a wide, clear path, snow and ice on the sidewalk make it difficult for everyone to walk safely – especially seniors, children, and people with disabilities. Please clear the entire width of the sidewalk rather than a shovel width. In cases of ice cover, please put down salt or sand to minimize slipping.

Town crews will continue to do their best to address to sidewalks, but priority must be given to the streets, intersections, emergency routes, and other issues that come with snow and freezing temperatures.

From May 11 — A warm evening near the Royal Marine Cemetery at English Camp.

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor shares a look at the adoptable animal of the week — Jay, a tbree-month-old dachshund-chihuahua mix.

People have called me “Tiny Tim”, “a little bat”, “Yoda-look-alike” — and all of those are cute, but you can just call me Jay. I’m the smallest of the small puppy litter currently available for adoption at APS-FH. Our mom, Robin, was a previous Pet of the Week and mentioned us in her feature write up. Since then, Starling has been adopted, and the rest of us can’t wait for the same.

Since arriving on San Juan Island, mom and us kids have been with a foster family, we currently have our shelter family, and soon — paws crossed — our forever family will come walking through the shelter’s front door. You can see this door from our puppy room, and sometimes I watch it and imagine the person(s) who will come through it one day to adopt me. I daydream and come up with storylines for all the fictional adopters in my mind. It’s fun to let my imagination run away with itself, but the only thing that really matters to me is that I go home with someone who is ready to love me as much as I can love them.

I may be just a tiny guy, but I have so much love to give. Do you think I could be your forever family? If so, please fill out an application soon!

Contact APS to learn more about Jay.

The Friends of Lime Kiln Society are hosting a holiday celebration at the Lime Kiln Point State Park on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 1-4 p.m. The event includes photos with Santa, lighthouse tours, an ugly sweater contest, fireside refreshments and s’mores, and a silent auction.

From June 11 — Sunset over the Port of Friday Harbor.

From left to right — Coach Brandyn Pedersen, Jeffrey Volk, David Markham, Pierce Kleine, Jaxson Waldron, Drake Goodrich, Nathan Posenjak, Cyrus Rollins, Jasper Williamson, Jack Anderson, Jonah Parsons, Mason Clark, Mason Smith, Chris Gustafson, Mamadou Hoskins, Andrew Rezabek, Coach Brian Germaine

The organizers of the Friday Harbor Film Festival share a story about a recent screening party they hosted for the island’s high school basketball teams.

Friday Harbor High School’s varsity and junior varsity basketball teams met up at the Grange on Sunday, Dec. 11 to watch a special screening of the film Alaskan Nets, presented by the Friday Harbor Film Festival. The film tells the true story of a small island accessed by a one-hour ferry ride from the mainland of Alaska. Their small population makes it difficult to get a full basketball team. The whole town supports them as they win the championship against Anchorage. But the real story is of the players learning to pull together as a team and then go on to win.

After seeing the film at the Friday Harbor Film Festival last October, Rob Waldron thought of presenting a special screening of Alaskan Nets for the boys basketball teams. He reached out to the parents of the team members, who rented the Grange for the event. He asked FHFF for help. They supplied the film and projectionist, Norris Palmer. FHFF provided enough pizza to satisfy teenage boys, thanks to a discount from Kung Fu Pizza. Ben Waldron brought drinks for everyone, and it was a party!

Special thanks to Windermere San Juan Island for proudly sponsoring the film.

The kids were reminded that all local students are encouraged to come to the Friday Harbor Film Festival for free. Each year Suzy Mygatt Wakefield provides a generous grant to support their attendance.