The Town of Friday Harbor has noted that water levels in the water storage tanks in Town are dangerously low and the Town is therefore imposing an immediate water rationing order and may later need to initiate planned service outages to maintain service. We have no indication that there are major leaks in the distribution line to town or from our mains within town. It is believed that the majority of the water loss currently is as a result of broken pipes in homes and businesses. The Town Water Plant is running at full capacity and is unable to keep up with the water loss we are experiencing.

If you are able, please check around your home or business for obvious signs of standing or running water. Please check the crawl spaces under your home if possible, to check for broken pipes. Please be alert to conditions around your neighborhood that may indicate significant leaking. Look for large wet areas where snow should be or for unusually large sheets of ice. If you find any indication of suspected line breaks or leakage, please report your finding to the Sheriff’s office at (360) 378-4151 or 911 if an emergency.

The Town hopes that this is a temporary condition and that the sources of the problems will reveal themselves when weather warms over the weekend. If you have neighbors that are currently away or know of currently vacant buildings, please keep an eye open for signs of running water external to the structures.

The following emergency procedures should be followed: Continue Reading

Goodbye Cafe Demeter – Marilyn O’Conner photo

Marilyn O’Conner shares this photo of Jordyn Magnuson (left) and Alex Hayes (right), two of the crew on either side of Pam Stewart, owner of Cafe Demeter, as they hang the “closed” sign on Christmas Eve.  

The bakery is closing permanently.  It has been a beloved community gathering place for many years, not just for the excellent pastries and coffee, but also for the warm welcome provided to locals and visitors alike.  They will be greatly missed!

To Friday Harbor water system customers – Town of Friday Harbor is asking anyone who owns or lives in property served by the Town water system to check for water leaks both inside and outside.

Since the freezing temperatures arrived the Town has seen an unusual draw down of our water tanks challenging the ability of our treatment plant to supply water fast enough to keep up. We believe this is the result of multiple leaks at customer properties.

Please let us know immediately by calling us at 360.378.2154 (after hours call SJ County Sheriff’s office at 360.378.4151) if you find one.

Winter Visitor at Dream Lake – John Miller photo

“Neither Rain nor snow nor heat nor…” well you know the rest. It seems nothing keeps these beautiful birds from arriving at this chilly time of year. John Miller shares another of his gorgeous photos.

Plastic utensils – Photo credit to the Department of Ecology

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, Washington restaurants will no longer automatically include single-use food service items like utensils, condiments, and straws with food orders. A new state law restricts the use of these items and prohibits packaged bundles of single-use items in order to reduce waste and litter – although customers can still request individual items if needed. This law is part of the broader waste reduction legislative package passed in 2021.

Single-use food serviceware items covered by the new requirements include: 

• utensils (knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks)
• cocktail picks, splash sticks, and stirrers
• straws
• condiment packets, sachets, or sauce cups and
• cold cup lids except those provided at drive-through windows or events with over 2,500 people.

Under the new law, to receive a single-use food serviceware item, customers must request it, confirm their choice when asked, or select the item they want from a self-serve station. “Automatically including disposable silverware, straws and condiments with every order creates a huge amount of waste, much of which ends up littering our roads and damaging our environment,” said Laurie Davies, manager of the Solid Waste program at the Washington Department of Ecology. “This law nudges people to help reduce unnecessary waste.” Continue Reading

Volunteers at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) have been busy over the last few weeks, preparing for the annual Artists’ Registry Show, which opened its doors December 17.  The show is the much-anticipated event highlighting the recent works of artists from each of the San Juan Islands. 

A bit of history follows. The Artists’ Registry (AR) was founded in July 2011 and held its debut exhibit in the Churchill Square building in Friday Harbor the following December. The event featured 38 artists: all new members of the AR.  The following year, what had once been the Friday Harbor EMT facility was purchased by SJIMA. The AR staged its second show there, after converting the garage into a charming replica of a New York City art loft.  The facility was then renovated to its current state and the AR group was on hand to host the 2014 “soft opening” of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art. 

This, it’s third show, featured 60 member artists.  Over 700 visitors attended the show on opening night, setting a record.  Since then, the annual AR show attracts several hundred visitors. Even last year’s show, during the beginning of Covid restrictions, was well-attended and highly praised, even though available to small groups or digitally at sjima-online.org.

The 2021-2022 exhibition features over 80 local artists, and includes many different mediums including: painting, fiber arts, mixed media, jewelry,  sculpture and more.   Now in its 10^th year, the annual Artists’ Registry Show attracts visitors and locals alike and is not to be missed. SJIMA board member, Linda Chowdry says, “The pieces in this AR Show are simply stunning and must be seen. Once again our local artists have given us a show of spectacular art.” Continue Reading

Thanks to Marg Johnson for the photo

To Town Water Customers:

The recent cold snap has caused pipes to freeze in houses and buildings that have never had that issue before.  Due to increased water usage, we know there are more leaks in the system.  We ask everyone to check their houses, inside and out, to make sure they don’t have burst pipes that could significantly increase your water bill and cause extensive damage to your house.

Please make sure to walk around your house and check all hose bibs.  If you have a backflow prevention device, check on that as well.  Vacation and rental properties are the most susceptible and won’t be discovered until meters are read mid-month.

Check your property immediately and again when the temperatures increase as frozen pipes will start leaking when thawed.

Dena Royal lost her boat home with all her belongings when it sank during Sunday’s storm. You can help her by donating to this emergency fund set up for her by her daughter at GoFundMe.

Icy First Street, Click to enlarge – Steven K. Roberts photo

Steve Roberts shot this photo on First Street last night. It sure is a thing of beauty, but if you don’t need to go out, consider staying home. Now’s a good time to binge on Netflix or read that book you keep putting off. Also a good time to avoid giving EMS and the ER more work.

Thanks for sharing your photo Steve!

Stay home and stay safe!

In the Mailbag today we have this letter from Nathan Butler, Superintendent and EMS Administrator…

We have seen the recent letter from Fire Chief Norvin Collins regarding our agency and merger talks. He badly misrepresented our agency, and his letter is an object lesson in why we have opted not to try again at merging EMS with Fire following the unsuccessful November attempt. Our community cannot afford to have the high-quality EMS service built up over years be dismantled by someone who is fundamentally hostile towards San Juan Island EMS.

We would like to reassure the public that we will be there for you when you need us. Our average response time for the entire island is well under ten minutes, while response times in town are about six minutes. This includes the time it takes to do a safety check and leave the station. Our crews consistently score highly in anonymous surveys as compassionate, effective, and responsive. We work effectively with the Sheriff’s office to serve the outer islands, as well as our medivac partners.

As we enter the new year, we believe the public has every reason to be proud of the Emergency Medical Services that they have sponsored over more than two decades under San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1. We are proud to serve you and will continue to do so with excellence.

Members of the public who want information about the renewal of the EMS levy under the hospital district in February 2022 can go to www.sjcphd.org/ems, and are always welcome to contact our commissioners or leadership with any questions they may have (see https://sjcphd.org/contactus/board).

Sincerely,
Nathan Butler
Superintendent and EMS Administrator

Resolution Run 2019 – Contributed photo

Island Rec invites you to take part in the 7th Annual Resolution Run 5k scheduled for a 10:00 am start on January 1, 2022.  This is a family and dog friendly fun run that travels up from Jackson Beach onto Pear Point Rd, left on Argyle, right on Mullis, right onto Spring, right onto Argyle, left onto Pear Point Rd and finishes at Jackson Beach.

After the run join us for the Salish Splash, take an icy dip in the ocean to celebrate the New Year! There will be a fire built and snacks available. Please make sure to bring a change of clothes if you plan on splashing with us.

Register now, $10 for ages 16 and up, free for 15 and under.  Register online at www.islandrec.org. Call Island Rec at 378-4953 for more information.

Since the last update on Friday December 17th, there have been 13 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 479. However, there are a number of suspect cases currently under investigation that are not yet counted in the total case count pending confirming test results, but may contribute to a spike in case numbers in the days ahead.

There are approximately six unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands. Six of the thirteen new cases have been identified as being fully vaccinated.

• Lopez Island: There are five new cases on Lopez Island since the last update, all of which are tied either directly or indirectly to a previously reported case. There are seven positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.
• Orcas Island: There are five new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are seven positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island. Note that there is an active outbreak investigation underway on Orcas at this time tied to a holiday gathering. More cases are anticipated.
• San Juan Island: There are two new cases on San Juan Island since the last update. There are two positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

NOTE: There is also one new case tied to Decatur Island, but the individual is isolating at a mainland location and there is no exposure risk to the Decatur community.

Important Notes: Continue Reading

John Miller is back again with another beautiful photo to share, and again captured at Dream Lake (Lakedale). This time it’s a Bufflehead on the wing.

Thanks for sharing John!

San Juan County Health & Community Services and community partners distributed several thousand EverlyWell COVID-19 Home test kits over the last week. Some of these test kits had an expiration date of December 21, 2021.  We were informed that the expiration dates for these test kits have been extended for one year beyond the printed expiration date on the box. You may now use the test kit anytime for up to one year after the expiration date printed on the box.

There is no official word on extension of expiration dates for the kits expiring in 2022 yet.

All the kits we had available for this effort have been handed out. If you weren’t able to get your hands on one during the giveaway last week try obtaining home test kits online from regional pharmacies. We are also working to obtain additional test kits to distribute to the public and will announce more details when available.

At home testing kits are a great tool to use prior to gathering with others outside your household, testing yourself if you have symptoms, or after you had an exposure to someone who is ill.

Click to enlarge

Friday Harbor Film Festival’s 2022 BEST OF THE FEST series begins brightening your winter on New Year’s Day. Each week during January and February a new event bucket of documentaries, each containing a feature film, a short film, and recorded filmmaker Q&As, will be available on demand on the website, www.fhff.org.

All the films are among the top ten features and top ten shorts shown during the festival last October.  Top student films will be shown in February.  Tickets are available online.  Each event bucket costs only $2.95. To support feature filmmakers, they will receive half of this fee.

The schedule for January is: Continue Reading

Churchill, 2022 Celebrity Dog, receiving the first dog license of the year – Contributed photo

The dog licensing season is upon us! The San Juan County Auditor’s office gets the exciting opportunity to name the celebrity dog each year and award them the first dog tag. For 2022, the honor goes to Churchill, a 14-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog who is the unofficial greeter for the Elections Office. Encouraging two-legged members of the community to vote is Churchill’s forte, but he’s excited to remind our four-legged counterparts to do their part and get a 2022 dog tag.

All dogs in San Juan County are required to be licensed annually. Current fees are $15 for dogs that are spayed or neutered and $40 for “natural” canines. A late fee of $10 applies to licenses purchased after March 31, 2021. Add a photo of your dog for an additional $5, which will display if the dog’s license number is looked up. This additional measure of security adds priceless peace of mind if a dog is lost.

Camolyn, the Elections Supervisor, welcomed Churchill to her home as an 8-week-old puppy. Camolyn brought Churchill to work daily, enjoying the opportunity to socialize him, but quickly realized that he had a knack for comforting people and dogs alike. He grew quickly, now weighing 100 pounds, but has kept his gentle demeanor and loving personality. He can often be seen in the Elections front window, watching the world go by and waiting for friends to visit. His favorite hobbies are playing at the dog park and annoying his feline siblings, Gunther and Boris. Churchill is a great reminder that love and kindness come in all shapes and sizes! Continue Reading