Think Red Holiday Show at WaterWorks Gallery

With the holiday season approaching, WaterWorks Gallery is pleased to announce THINK RED Holiday Show opening on Saturday, November 29th from 4.30 to 7.30. This show runs until Saturday, January 3, 2015

Adding to the festive activities of Thanksgiving weekend, the gallery celebrates the season with some wonderful new works of art by Kathryn Trigg [invitation piece], Joan Stuart Ross, Randall Tipton, Danielle Dean Palmer, Nichole DeMent, Caroline James, Georgia Gerber and Tom Small and introducing Doug McIntosh – abstracted photographer

Exciting wearables by Dianne Coe, Tana Acton, Maru Alemeda, Micki Lippe, Judy Morgan, Anna Skibska, Caroline Viene, and introducing Jane Adams from England.

​The gallery offers complimentary gift wrapping and/or free shipping [subject to limitations]​
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Gallery hours are 10.30 to 5.30 Monday – Saturday, Closed Tuesday & Sunday. Other hours by appointment.The gallery be open till 7 PM on Thursday & Fridays in December​.

Come on out and see all the lights in Friday Harbor, as this year’s Island Lights Festival will run from December 1st through December 31st. Stop by the gallery for some exciting Holiday Cheer

Best wishes for the Holidays,
Ruth and the shop gals, Julie and Carla

Merri Ann Simonson

Merri Ann Simonson is back with a new article on local real estate…

Who is interested in property in the San Juan Islands?

Over the last twenty years, the “typical” buyer profile has not changed. The majorities of the new-comers are between the ages of 45-65 and interested in purchasing a second home or property for their future retirement. Since the recession, we have not had many investors in our market due to lack of appreciation but that will change with more market recovery.

Looking at the chart, 76% percent of the buyers live in Washington. This falls in line with the premise that most second home owners desire to purchase a home within 2-3 hours from their primary residence. The out of state buyer’s percentage was 24% with California contributing the most. California was actually down a few percentages from the last time I created this chart back in 2008.

Click for larger chart

Of the Washington Buyers, 74% had the zip code of 982XX. This high level supports the practice of buyers moving to the islands first then purchasing real estate later. Many buyers desire to experience the island community, schools and employment for a period of time prior to making their buying decision. It is also much easier to shop for real estate while living here.

The breakdown for property type includes 64% for homes, condominiums and manufactured units, 27% land/lot sales with 9% commercial and multifamily. This supports the fact that you can buy existing homes for less than the price of constructing a new home.

Real estate volume and transaction numbers are increasing, inventory is starting to be absorbed in several of the categories of our market, and the general attitude is positive. 2015 looks promising for those that desire to sell or buy property in the San Juans.

Article by:
Merri Ann Simonson
Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands Inc
[email protected]

Tucker Avenue – Tim Dustrude photo

State Transportation Improvement Board Awards New Grant to Friday Harbor

The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) announced their annual grant awards today and the Town of Friday Harbor will be the recipient of $800,000 for the reconstruction of the first phase of Tucker Avenue. The TIB is a state organization funded by a portion of the gas tax charged on each gallon of gasoline sold within Washington. Tucker Avenue is an arterial street and is one of the highest ranked projects on the Town Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan.

Town staff worked with the Engineering firm of Gray and Osborne to secure the funding. This is the third year in a row that the Town has received road construction monies, having previously been awarded grants in 2012 and 2013 that funded over 80% of the Blair Avenue project and Mullis sidewalk project.

The project plan submitted for Tucker includes improvements from the intersection with Guard Street down the hill to Harbor Avenue, just past the Town wastewater treatment facility. The total project cost for this phase is estimated at $1.1 million dollars of which $800,000 would come from the TIB. The Town anticipates paying their portion of project expenses from the recently adopted Transportation Benefit District sales tax of two-tenths of one-percent that will start in April of 2015. Annual revenues from this new tax are anticipated to be $240,000.

The Town will be awarding a contract for the engineering of this project in 2015 and anticipates construction will be completed in 2016. “This is very exciting news” said Mayor Carrie Lacher. “To receive such a significant grant three years in a row is a wonderful vote of confidence from the TIB. I really appreciate the hard work of our staff and engineers in making this happen.”

Carmen in The Met: Live in HD on Monday – Contributed photo

Bizet’s steamy melodrama takes center stage in The Met: Live in HD presentation of Carmen on Monday, November 24 at 7:00 pm at San Juan Community Theatre.

Richard Eyre’s mesmerizing production features mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the ill-fated gypsy temptress.

Aleksandrs Antonenko plays her desperate lover, the soldier Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who comes between them.

Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score, which features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another.

For more info go to www.sjctheatre.org.

Freeway Traffic – Tim Dustrude photo

Kind of a departure from local San Juan Island stuff today – I was recently shown the video below and just had to share it (warning – it’s about 9 minutes long).

Shannon and I were in Switzerland 6 years ago, and we saw Zurich (and a lot of the Swiss transit/rail system). It was very impressive. We had the Suisse Pass, a  ticket that took us anywhere the entire transit system went, anytime within our 2-weeks. We saw a LOT of Switzerland. We were never once frustrated with trying to find a parking place.

We were in New York City 2 years ago and had a similar pass there for the transit system which was not nearly as clean or pretty as the Swiss, but we were very impressed with how efficient it was. And with that MTA pass, we felt like we had the key to the city – we could go anywhere, anytime on any MTA transit vehicle (subway, bus, cable tram) – it was freedom.

Last week we were coming home from Eastern Washington and after a brief stop in Kirkland, we got caught in rush-hour traffic on I-405. And once again, we were really impressed. Only this time, the impression was all about how many people drive one-person-per-car, and get stuck in that traffic mess day after day after day.

We went whizzing past them on the on-ramp, because of the car pool lane, and then we whizzed past them on the freeway itself as they sat, bumper to bumper in their 3 and 4 lanes of gridlock. How do they do it? Day after day. And why? There must be a better way…

Anyway, no I’m not getting on a soap box or anything. I just thought this video was really cool and I wanted to share it with you. So here it is…

Zurich: Where People Are Welcome and Cars Are Not from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.

Jordan Reinhart – Contributed photo

Island Rec is pleased to introduce Jordan Reinhart as the newest member of its team. Jordan is responsible for coordinating STAR (Study Time and Afterschool Recreation), School’s Out Camps, and Camp Eagle Rock. He comes with diverse park and recreation experience working with youth and teens in sports and school’s out programs.

These programs offer an affordable, safe and enriching recreation program for school age children throughout the year. They fill a critical need for many working families and are appreciated by others as a desired recreational activity. During the course of a year 100 or so elementary school age children will participate in one or more of these programs. “We are looking forward to Jordan’s leadership in these essential programs” stated Island Rec Director Sally Thomsen.

Jordan has moved to the island from Seattle and is very excited to join the community. He is an avid sports fan especially for Seattle based teams. When he isn’t cheering on his favorite sports teams he is out playing basketball.

Here’s Sheila Harley again with this month’s edition of “Meet Your Volunteer Firefighter…”

Brien Sesby, FF2 W2 – Contributed photo

Brien is a 2nd generation firefighter for San Juan Island Fire Rescue. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Jim, who retired from the department this year. He is trained in structural and wildland firefighting and is also trained in rope rescue.

Brien started life on Shaw Island and when he was sixteen years old, his family moved to San Juan Island. He attended Spring Street International School and was a member of the 2nd graduating class. After that he went into the excavation business which he learned pretty much by trial and error. He earned his Washington State Excavation Contractor Insurance License and Bond very recently. Congratulations! Continue Reading

IMA OPENS December 5 with “Unveiling: The Best of the IMA Artists’ Registry”

The new San Juan Island Museum of Art building opens its doors for the first time on December 5 with the reception party for “Unveiling: the Best of IMA Artists’ Registry,” which runs December 6, 2014, thru January 25, 2015. Featured artists are members of the museum’s Artists’ Registry program, created in 2010 to offer San Juan County artists a venue for displaying their work in a gallery setting.

The exhibit will showcase local art in all media, including painting, sculpture, wood, glass, jewelry, pottery, photography and textiles. This Artists’ Registry show gives islanders and island friends a chance to appreciate first hand the surprising diversity of island talent, plus the historic opportunity to tour the dramatic new IMA building in its first show.

The December 5 reception is open to the public from 5 to 8 p.m. Museum hours are 11 to 5, Friday through Monday. A Charter memberships drive is in progress, with memberships starting at $40. Many membership levels offer reciprocal benefits with other art museums nationwide. Admission to IMA is free. Please visit sjima.org to learn more.

The Whale Museum is hosting a holiday open house on the evening of Friday, December 5th until 6:30 p.m. Come to Friday Harbor’s Tree Lighting and enjoy the festivities. After the Tree Lighting, there will be holiday refreshments and goodies to enjoy in the gallery at The Whale Museum. Visitors will also receive a 20% off coupon for any merchandise in the gift shop.

The Whale Museum exhibit hall and gift shop are open daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). Admission to the exhibit hall is free for San Juan County residents on Thursdays. For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext. 30.

Photo by Didi

San Juan Island Grange #966 is hosting an informational forum on The Proposed Moratorium on Marijuana Production, at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at the Grange Hall. The program will include presentations from differing perspectives and a moderated question and answer session. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

In November 2012 the voters of Washington State passed Initiative 502, The Legalization of Marijuana for Recreational Use. Several businesses have been licensed by the State to grow marijuana in San Juan County. Concerns regarding the impact of these operations on land use have led to a proposed moratorium on marijuana production, which is being considered for adoption by the San Juan County Council, in order for the Council to further consider regulations related to marijuana production.

San Juan Island Grange #966 has been asked to take a position on this issue, and is therefore hosting this informational forum.

DSHS is coming to Friday Harbor with their mobile CSO van. They will be here from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on December 9th & 10th at the Friday Harbor Family Resource Center, 500 Market Street (directly across the street from Marketplace grocery store).
The Division of Child Support (DCS) will also be on the truck on December 10th to assist you with your case or questions.

At this event, you can apply for:

• Cash Assistance
• Basic Food Assistance
• Child Care Services

You can also drop off paperwork, complete an Eligibility Review, Mid-Certification Review or make changes to an existing case.

Here’s a note from Town Administrator Duncan Wilson…

Town of Friday Harbor utility customers have certainly shown their holiday spirit by contributing to the Harbor Life Ring program to benefit the Friday Harbor Food Bank this year. The Town distributed a letter in the October utility billing statement informing customers that any donations they made this month would be contributed to the Food Bank. In addition, the Town stepped up and agreed to match the first $1,000 donated. Including the Town match, the Food Bank will be receiving at least $3132, as contributions continue to arrive at Town Hall.

“The response from the citizens has been outstanding” said Mayor Carrie Lacher. “Each year I am heartened by the generosity in Friday Harbor”.

Bill Cumming, director of the Food Bank was also excited to hear the news. “I cannot thank this community enough for once again supporting our mission here” he said. “On just one day last week we supported 91 families, and the need just keeps increasing. These donations will assure a happy holiday season for a great number of people in need.” Continue Reading

The SJI Prevention Coalition would like for you to share your thoughts on this survey. Here are some notes from Debbi Fincher…

This survey is not created locally, it is offered through the State, a Division of Behavioral Health, which maintains a high level of security, keeping this an anonymous survey. The SJI Prevention Coalition offers the survey for our community. We will end the survey December 15th, 2014 and get the results in January 2015.

Everyone’s voice is important. Thank you for sharing this information. We hope people will take the few minutes to answer honestly. The data will help our community to address substance abuse issues among youth and help to get a sense of what our community’s perceptions are on these issues.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SAJUXON

Also, please circulate this within your circle of influence, and add your personal invitation to parents, guardians, and community members. Our goal is to have a good cross-section of opinions that reflects the demographics of San Juan Island. Last year, we had over 300 survey participants.

As needed, SJIPC will be distributing hard copies to those of you who would like paper and pencil documents. The survey is also available in Spanish. As always, thanks for your continued support!

Take care, Debbi

Beautiful morning on Cattle Point Rd. – Bob Stavers photo

Bob Stavers shares this beautiful photo with you. This was the scene yesterday morning on Cattle Point Road with all the frost. Thanks Bob!

C-rhyme and Pun-ishment comes to SJC theatre – Jan Bollwinkel-Smith photo

“In the nursery rhyme justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups….”

And so opens the latest production in San Juan Community Theatre’s Family Theatre program, Law and Order: C-Rhyme and Pun-ishment, presented on the Whittier stage Friday and Saturday, November 21 – 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Written by Jane and Jim Jeffries, the goofy musical spoof on the Law and Order television series features a cast of more than 60 island youth in grades kindergarten through sixth grade as well as several adults (primarily parents).

It starts with two detectives who have to figure out what happened to Humpty Dumpty when bits of shell are discovered scattered around at the foot of a wall. In the course of their investigation they interview Little Bo Peep, Georgie Porgie, the Sprats, a Little Old Woman who Lives in a Shoe and other familiar characters from Mother Goose. (click for more photos and full cast list) Continue Reading

You’ve eaten the leftovers; you’ve watched the bowl games (your team won!); you’ve visited all the local haunts; now what? Come to the Land Bank’s Turkey Walk-not-Trot Trail Event at the Limekiln Preserve, Saturday, November 29th at 1:00 pm.

Share the preserve and some hot cider with your visiting friends and family…a quiet forest trail, our new bird blind along Westside Lake, and the gorgeous views over Haro Strait. The Land Bank will provide the cider—you provide the family! Length is variable roundtrip. Terrain is rustic trail with some travel on county road. Rating is moderate. Dogs on leashes welcome.

We’ll meet at 1:00 pm at the Westside Lake parking lot, which is located on the right side of Westside Road, about a mile beyond the parking lot at Limekiln Point State Park. Parking is limited, so please carpool if you can!

For more information call Tanja Williamson at 360-378-4402 or email
tanjaw [@] rockisland [.] com
See the official event poster at this link.