The Town of Friday Harbor sends along a brief update about last week’s Spring Cleanup efforts.

The Town of Friday Harbor helped its customers jump start their spring cleaning with free pickup of oversized refuse the week of March 25-31. This is the sixth year the Town has offered the Spring Cleanup service to its residential refuse customers. Refuse employees Dave Smith and Robert Penwell picked up a total of 20 tons of oversized junk too large to fit in standard garbage cans. Last year the Town picked up 18.5 tons.

“Once again, our customers did a fantastic job of selecting acceptable items and neatly stacking them for pickup,” said Town Administrator Denice Kulseth. She also recognized the excellent job the Public Works employees did handling the significant increase in refuse picked up this year.

“Town staff is grateful to the Mayor and Town Council for approving this additional free service,” said Kulseth. The Town hopes to see this town beautification service continue in future years.

Friday Harbor Atelier shares some news about their upcoming spring exhibition.

Winter has given us an opportunity to go inward and springtime brings the promise of new creativity, as the artists of the Friday Harbor Atelier open the doors to a new season with new artworks by more than a dozen member artists. 

The artists of the Friday Harbor Atelier at 313 Spring Street invite the public to a Spring Open House and Art Show on Thursday, April 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. The show will be on display through Sunday, May 1.

The artists involved will be on hand to talk about their work with interested visitors and open their studios, and each artist will present recent works for sale.

We hope to offer neighbors and new friends a chance to emerge from their cocoons to help us celebrate spring. This year more than ever, we want to celebrate local small businesses and encourage islanders to support each other as we gear up for a busy summer without masks.

Member artists of the Atelier include Shannon Borg, Mary Bruce, Winnie Brumsickle, Debbie Daniels, BJ Dollahite, Alison Engle, David Harsh, Pamela Hoke, Lisa Lamoreaux, Jan Murphy, Teresa Smith, and Dolly Sundstrom. Not every artist is involved in every show; you can read more about the artists on our blog.

The San Juan County Council will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 5 at 9 a.m. The meeting will include two public hearings related to:

• An ordinance amending San Juan County Code 3.16, eliminating separate lodging tax facilities and promotion accounts and making other amendments to update Chapter 3.16 of the San Juan County Code to be consistent with the County
• An ordinance adopting amendments to the Personnel Policy Manual

Items up for discussion or action include:

• Repeal of Ordinance 18.30.640 (Eastsound Village Parking Fund) and scheduling a public hearing for Tuesday, May 3
• Planning Commission’s findings and recommendations regarding a vacation rental permit cap and scheduling a public hearing for Tuesday, May 17
• Precinct changes
• Senior/disabled rental subsidy program annual applications
• 2022 point-in-time homeless count results
• Climate Sustainability Advisory Committee selection
• Interlocal agreement with the Port of Friday Harbor pertaining to use of a portion of Jackson Beach property for limited commercial purposes
• Proposed change in credit card vendor

The Council will also hold four non-public sessions to discuss property acquisition or leasing, litigation or potential litigation with legal counsel, matters pertaining to collective bargaining, and the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or the performance of a public employee.

You can view the live stream of the meeting online or attend in person at the Council Legislative Hearing Room. Masks are required for in-person attendance. To make a public comment, sign up prior to 9 a.m. on April 5.

• The Friday Harbor High School baseball team is rolling. They beat Coupeville 3-2 on Friday and Nooksack Valley 10-0 on Saturday to go to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
• There are still spaces left for the library’s neon sign art program. It’s for grades five to 12 and takes place at 4:30 p.m. this Thursday. Email [email protected] to sign up.
• The first Sculpture Park Bird Walk of 2022 takes place this Wednesday from 8 to 10 a.m. at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park. They’ll happen on the first Wednesday of each month through October.
• Peace Island Volunteers sold more than 200 baskets at their Easter Basket Sale at the Mullis Center on Saturday. All of the proceeds support the Volunteers’ cancer care projects.
• Driving access to the summit of Mount Grant is now open two days a week, Wednesdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Madrone Cellars & Cider has opened their outdoor wine garden at 40 First Street. They’re open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!

On behalf of the Family Resource Center, Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is collecting household items to help Islanders in need, now through Friday, April 29.

Requested items this year include paper towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, women’s hygiene products, deodorant, toilet paper, diapers (sizes two to four), baby wipes, bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, floss, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, and masks.

You can drop off your donations in one of the cans located near the entrance of Browne’s Home Center, Friday Harbor Drug, or the San Juan Island Food Co-op.

Spring is here and along with the rain, sunshine, and tulips, indoor activities are cautiously returning to the Mullis Center. While the Mullis Center is not quite ready to resume community lunches, we are pleased to invite you to join us as in-person activities begin to open up.

The Mullis Center recommends that activity attendees be vaccinated and boosted. At this moment masking requirements remain in place but will be subject to change. We serve a vulnerable population and continue to lean towards caution.

Besides ongoing services like foot care, mobility equipment loans, online yoga and balance classes, and our online/offline book club (the book club has experimented with partial in person, partial Zoom meetings), the Mullis Center’s painting and quilting groups will now be meeting again in person. Continue Reading

• It’s the first outdoor Farmers Market of the year, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.
• It must be spring — Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co. has reopened.
• Also because it’s spring, leashed dogs are allowed at Zylstra Lake Preserve again. Fishing from the dam is open as well.
• Remember to cast your vote in the OPALCO Board election — and check out the Q&As with the three candidates vying to represent District 1, which includes San Juan Island: Mark Madsen, Steven Carleton, and Jessa Madosky.
• Peace Island Volunteers are holding their Easter basket sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Mullis Center. Prices start at just $10.
• Harbor Hefeweizen is back at San Juan Island Brewing Co.
• Alchemy Art Center’s April Clay Club has a few spots left for kids ages six to 12. Registration closes on Sunday.
• San Juan Island Food Co-op is holding a virtual member meeting at 4 p.m. today over Zoom. Pre-registration is required.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!

The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation shares some news about the return of their after-school sailing program.

SJISF will be re-opening the net shed and kicking off the spring sailing season with a work party on Saturday, April 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. We’ll be setting up boats for the season, and many hands make work light. 

Sailing Club is open to all island middle- and high-school students with or without sailing experience. Students sail in single- and double-handed boats provided by the Foundation.

Sailing Club meets on Wednesdays and Fridays, from after school until 5:30 p.m., between April 6 and June 8. Instructors will be there to start meeting sailors at 2:30 p.m., and it’s fine that kids from different schools will be arriving at different times. Continue Reading

The San Juan County Department of Emergency Management reports seven confirmed or probable new COVID cases on San Juan Island since March 25. Orcas Island has three new cases in the last week and Lopez Island has none. The 10 new cases bring the total case count to 1,275.

The County will not publish weekly COVID updates going forward. Current data will still be accessible through the County’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The most-read stories on the San Juan Update in March included a look at the reopening of Tina’s Place, a profile of one of San Juan Island’s most adventurous cats, a profile of the Old Town Bagel Co. pop-up shop, and a preview of the apothecary on Spring Street that’s opening in mid-April.

We also published original stories about the Hospital District’s acquisition of the Village at the Harbor, the County Council’s debate on vacation rental caps, and Island quilters lending a hand to young Ukrainian refugees.

With the primary election four months away, four candidates announced their candidacies in March. Amy Vira is running for County Prosecutor, Lisa Henderson is seeking re-election as County Clerk, and Eric Peter and incumbent Ron Krebs are vying for the job of County Sheriff.

If you haven’t already read these stories, check them out now.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.

• It’s a big day on the diamond. The high school baseball and fastpitch teams both have conference doubleheaders at Linde against Coupeville High School. The first game for both teams starts at 4:30 p.m., with the second game at 6 p.m. Baseball is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference; fastpitch is 2-2 overall and 2-0 in conference.
• Island Rec and the San Juan Island Library are co-hosting Messy Me, an event where kids ages two to five can interact with sensory bins filled with a variety of interesting materials and textures. It takes place at the elementary school gym today from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
• Coho has late-night (by Island standards) dim sum from 6 to 10 p.m. tonight.
• San Juan Sailing Foundation is looking for donations of gently used dinghy sailing gear (wet suits, booties or water shoes, sailing gloves, boat hooks, VHF radios, etc.) for its middle and high school sailing program. If you have something to donate you can drop it off at the Net Shed at Jackson Beach from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
• The library is hosting a creative workshop for National Poetry Month for third to fifth graders next Saturday, April 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. To register your future poet, email [email protected] or call 360-378-2798.
• High school student Mia Blackmon is working with the Purple and Gold Club to raise $1,500 to improve the safety of Turnbull Gym by installing padding on the gym doors. The project is already over 40 percent funded.
• Cecil’s has put roughly 250 records on sale for a buck each.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!

The Economic Development Council sends along an update about another upcoming trades class.

Due to popular demand, the Economic Development Council of San Juan County is offering a second hands-on masonry basics class. This one-day course will be taught by Dave Koch, retired masonry contractor, on Saturday April 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on San Juan Island.

Dave Koch is an excellent instructor with three decades of masonry experience. The class is designed for anyone seeking jobs or building careers that involve working with brick, stone, tile, or other masonry components. The course will focus on bricklaying and mortar, the foundational masonry skills, and introduce tools and skills involved in other areas of masonry, such as stonework. 

Applicants must be 18 years old or older, residents of San Juan County, and participating in the course to gain work skills. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 4 and enrollment is limited. There is a $20 registration fee.

To apply, visit the EDC’s website. For more information, email the EDC Trades Coordinator at [email protected].

John Geyman, M.D. shares a synopsis of his latest book.

Transformation of U.S. Health Care 1960-2020: One Family Physician’s Journey is a new book by John Geyman, M.D.

Dr. Geyman takes a reader on a trip through health care in the United States in the last 60 years by weaving the changes into his perspective as a physician. He describes medical school, his first practice as a family physician in Mount Shasta, California, teaching and work in universities to establish and expand family medicine programs, and seven years as a physician at the Inter-Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor.

Since 1997 he has focused on research and writing about problems of the U.S. health care system including costs, access for patients, and the conflict between the business “ethic” and the medical profession’s service ethic.

This book offers insight into Dr. Geyman and his family, the joy of flying as a pilot, and life changing challenges in his life.

It is available at Griffin Bay Bookstore in Friday Harbor and Darvill’s Bookstore in Eastsound.