A flock of band-tailed pigeons feeding on acorns within one of Turtleback Mountain’s large oaks. Partners in Flight estimates this species has declined by 57% since 1970 – Contributed photo

The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on October 15, from 8:30am-11:30am via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and meeting materials.

To learn more about your Conservation Land Bank, visit sjclandbank.org. If you’re interested in volunteering and/or joining our mailing list, contact [email protected]. We look forward to engaging with you!

About the San Juan County Land Bank
The San Juan County Land Bank is a local land conservation program, created by voters in 1990, and funded by a 1% real estate excise tax paid by purchasers of property in San Juan County. Through conservation easements or outright purchases, the Land Bank protects special places in the Islands including coastlines, farmland, forests and wetlands.

This just in from WSF…

Washington State Ferries will temporarily operate reduced sailing schedules on most routes beginning this Saturday, Oct. 16. The change will help offer more predictable and reliable service systemwide in the face of crewing shortages due to a global shortage mariners that has been worsened by the pandemic.

Therefore the following changes to service will begin this weekend:

•  Seattle/Bainbridge, Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton: One-boat service instead of two
• Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Daily two-boat schedule instead of three
• Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Daily three-boat schedule instead of four with no vehicle reservations

The updated schedules that will begin on Saturday are currently listed as “inactive” on the schedule page online and will become active this weekend when they begin.  

Reservations for San Juan Islands Route: Continue Reading

Participating in the official ribbon cutting ceremony were (L-R) Becki Day, Chamber Executive Director; Scott Sluis, Chamber President; Tabatha Keane; Jacob Keane; Tina Keane; Deborah Hoskinson, chamber member; Farhad Ghatan, FH Mayor and Steve Hushebeck, FH Councilmember – Tim Dustrude photo

You remember Tina’s Tacos from up on Blair Avenue? Well they’ve moved and changed their name to Tina’s Place. The new location is downtown on the corner of Front Street and A Street where The Hungry Clam used to be, overlooking the ferry lanes.

And along with a location change and name change is a menu change as well – they’ve added BREAKFAST! And some other non-mexican food as well.

They first opened on Blair in June of 2017 when Tina and Grant Keane took over what had been Tia’s Tacos. Fast forward to August 2nd of this year when they got the new location and started painting and remodeling (all while simultaneously staying open on Blair Avenue) until finally opening doors at the new place on August 24. Tina says she couldn’t have done it without her kids Tabatha and Jacob.

They’re open Wednesdays thru Saturdays, 7am to 4pm serving breakfast and then lunch, and also on Sundays from 7am to 2pm for breakfast only.

Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity each year between October 15th and December 7th to review their insurance coverage and make sure that their current plans will be the right ones for them in the coming year.

Why should you do this? Because your health may have changed or your plan may be different for next year or there may be new plans available to you.

How can you prepare for open enrollment?  First, understand what insurance you have.  To find out, look at your insurance cards to see what coverage you have and who provides it or go to www.medicare.gov and log in to find out what coverage you are enrolled in.

Next, learn what your current plans will look like next year.  The plans send you information each October on how their coverage will change next year. You can also look at the “Medicare and You” booklet which Medicare sends out each year. Continue Reading

Washington State Department of Transportation shares this alert…

EVERETT – Travelers who frequently use rest areas along Interstate 5 between Everett and the Canadian border will need to plan for long-term closures, beginning Friday, Oct. 15.

The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the southbound I-5 Silver Lake Rest Area, located at milepost 188 in Everett, for maintenance work and cleaning on Sept. 24. This closure will be extended indefinitely.

In addition, rest areas located on northbound and southbound I-5 at Smokey Point north of Marysville and at Custer north of Bellingham, will close for at least three months beginning Friday, Oct. 15.

“The decision to close these rest areas is not taken lightly,” said Morgan Balogh, WSDOT assistant regional administrator for Maintenance. “Our priority is keeping the roadway safe for all users and we need to shift our resources moving into the winter months.”

The rest areas are useful for people who need to take a break from the highway. However, in recent months, there have been numerous issues with some visitors who are not using the facilities for their intended purpose. This includes those who extend their stay beyond the posted limits, illegal disposal of trash and waste, vandalizing the buildings, verbally abusing and even threatening WSDOT employees.

The dump stations for recreational vehicles will remain closed at Silver Lake and in both directions at Smokey Point. The agency is working to open access for the RV dump stations at the northbound I-5 Smokey Point Rest Area in the next few weeks. Neither of the Custer Rest Areas have dump stations.

WSDOT will reevaluate reopening all rest area facilities early next year and will make a decision based on crew and resource availability.

Before heading out the door, check traffic and the latest blocking incidents on the WSDOT app, the WSDOT Traffic Twitter feed and find dump sites via the WSDOT Rest Areas webpage.

November 2021
Friday Harbor – Launch Location

The Town of Friday Harbor has contracted with Redside Construction to replace its existing submarine sewer outfall line with new 18-inch diameter HDPE pipe via directional drilling and placement on sea bed. Then connect the line upland to existing sewer utilities from the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Two aerial views are provided to help understand the project scope and how it may temporarily affect vessel traffic.

Starting in early November, the new piping will be fused together. This activity will take place just south of Jensen’s Marina on Turn Point Road. After completion, the pipe will be launched out to the south end of Friday Harbor, where it will be moored offshore for a couple of weeks in its Launch Location.

While moored, the pipe will have red buoys every 30 feet to alert boaters to its location. Both ends will be marked with four flashing yellow lights and every 600 feet in between for nighttime identification.

Directional drilling will begin in mid-November and is anticipated to be complete in mid-December. The overall outfall line will be approximately 1,950 feet long from the end of McDonald Street out into the harbor.

December 2021
Friday Harbor – Outfall Install Location

While the bore from McDonald Street is being completed, the new pipe will be towed to its Install Location, where it will be pulled into the bore for 1,200 feet, then progressively sunk to the bottom of the harbor.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the project, contact the Town of Friday Harbor at (360) 378-2154 or [email protected].

Merri Ann Simonson shares this market summary with you…

The third quarter results for San Juan Island and San Juan County were consistent with the first quarter results; very robust.  Our market continues to outperform all historic landmarks. Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume year-to-date on San Juan Island was $184,762,056 with a total of 254 transactions.  This reflects a 32% increase in the dollar volume and a 34% increase in the number of transactions.  For San Juan County, the total dollar volume was $421,393,152 with a total of 518 transactions.  The County also had an increase which was 43% in dollar volume and 20% in number of transactions.  

Despite low inventory levels, our volume is incredible.   As of October 4, the total inventory for San Juan Island had 106 listings for all types of properties with 39 of those pending in escrow and another 67 active listings. 

For the County, the inventory total was 247 listings with 82 of those pending and 165 active listings.  These are historically low, but apparently not low enough to stall the sales and slow down the market.

Continue reading…

Islanders who are eligible for COVID vaccine boosters (review this FAQ for details) and who are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine are encouraged to receive their third dose boosters beginning next week at free vaccine clinics throughout San Juan County.

Please register in advance at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info. San Juan County is also offering flu vaccine clinics in late October and November, go here for details and to register:https://www.sanjuanco.com/1856/Flu-Vaccine-Clinics.

FDA and CDC decisions on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters are expected by the end of October.

• SAN JUAN
  Monday October 18^th
  9am – 12pm
• ORCAS
  Wednesday October 20^th
  10am – 12pm
• LOPEZ
  Friday October 22^nd
  1:45 – 3:00pm
• SHAW
  Tuesday November 2^nd
  1:00 – 2:00pm
• WALDRON
  Tuesday October 26^th
  10am – 12pm
• DECATUR
  Wednesday November 3^rd
  10am – 2pm

Dateline: Friday Harbor, WA – Friday Harbor Film Festival opens with a FREE Opening Broadcast Honoring Filmmakers on Thursday, October 14 at 7:30 pm.  This special livestream event celebrates all filmmakers showing their work at the festival.  The evening will begin with an introduction of the filmmakers, followed by a video highlighting all the films scheduled during both the Livestream and On-Demand Festivals. The Local Hero Award will be presented to Verne Howard, Friday Harbor businessman and philanthropist.

The Livestream Festival follows from Friday, October 15 through Sunday, October 17, offering 30+ exciting feature documentaries paired with 20+ short films.  Most will be followed by audience-participation Q&As with the filmmakers. Details on all films and the schedule are available at FHFF.org.  San Juan County students will have free access to 4 features due to the generosity of Suzie Mygatt Wakefield.

Thanks to the support of our many sponsors FHFF can offer FREE access to over 30 short films and 10+ student films during the On-Demand Festival, Monday, October 18 through Sunday, October 24.  Recorded Q&As from the previous weekend will also be available at no cost. Continue Reading

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor is excited to announce that Jan Murphy is joining our marketing team.

As an artist, Jan has been a frequent exhibitor in the annual SJIMA Artists’ Registry show.  Her works include paintings and mixed media assemblage art.  Her work has been exhibited in several galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Jan Murphy has been a resident of San Juan Island since 2010 and has been active in the community since then. She has particularly been interested in the areas of animal welfare and the arts.

Many may know her as having served on several local boards, Jan has focused a great deal of time on volunteerism to contribute and give back to the community she loves to call home.   Her volunteer activities have included work for The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Hospice, The Home Trust, The San Juan Island ACLU and Wolf Hollow.

If you have read the Pet of the Week column in the past, you will be familiar with her work. Jan has always been impressed with the exhibitions and programs at SJIMA and looks forward to this new challenge.

Jan shares studio space with seven other artists at The Friday Harbor Atelier and often exhibits her work at shows and receptions there.  She is a member of the Atelier Masters group and often teaches art workshops there.

We all felt the shock when the Life Care center in Friday Harbor closed in 2017.

Since then, various approaches have been investigated to solve the problem. The hospital district placed a lid lift to its primary levy from approximately $0.34 to $0.70 per $1,000 in assessed value on the ballot this fall to implement a plan broadly based on the “Community Long-Term Care Options Task Force,” which met over eight months in 2018.

The task force recommended “that a multi- level project needs to be developed under a unified umbrella utilizing current innovations to address these needs,” which included a range of things from home care to facility care to workforce issues. The idea was to give people the least expensive option first, home care, with expanded facility supports when home care is inadequate.

The hospital district proposes to purchase the Village at the Harbor to serve as the unified umbrella recommended by the task force. If approved, the hospital district plans to use the additional funds from the levy lid lift to purchase the facility, as well as upgrade, update, and expand the facility. The hospital district also plans on adding Medicaid beds, as well as a home care component so that as many as possible can “age in place.” Finally, the hospital district plans on supporting staff by providing medical benefits and retirement. Continue Reading

Join the candidates for Fire Commissioner 2 – Bob Jarman and Dwight Colley and for Port Commissioner 3, Greg Hertel and Victoria Compton. Watch for updates on our Facebook page.

Register at [email protected] for either or both of the forums and you will receive a link to the meetings which will be held via Zoom on October 14th.

We hope to see you at the Forum!

Below is our Market Snap Shot for October 2021 completed by Merri Ann Simonson.  This one focuses on the amount of inventory.  Even though our inventory is low, it has yet to impact our closing volume.  Our full quarterly newsletter will be out next week, and it provides full details, volume is huge this year.

The Port of Friday Harbor intends to assume operations of the Albert Jensen and Sons Shipyard at 1293 Turn Point Road, Friday Harbor WA as of November 1, 2021. Boats currently in the boatyard will be able to be launched immediately upon assumption of operations by the Port. New lifts and boatyard work will not be available until the Department of Ecology boatyard permit has been issued to the Port. We anticipate that new lifts and work will commence in early January of 2022.

The Port envisions operating the travel lift and yard including pressure washing and boat blocking. Working with local private businesses as the providers the Port anticipates the ability to have bottom painting, mechanical, electrical, and a host of other marine services available through local contractors.

The Port’s objectives for this facility are to support the development and growth of local marine businesses, accommodate a broad range of commercial activities and self-work in an environmentally prudent fashion that follows State and County laws, and increase the type and volume of services available to the boating public.

The Port of Friday Harbor Commission and staff will be refining the details of the facility operations over the next two months. The public and business community are encouraged to attend our port commission meetings and contribute to the planning for the facility. The commissioner meeting schedules and agendas are posted on the Port’s website at www.PortFridayHarbor.org

The following is a press release from SJC Public Hospital District and SJI EMS…

In July 2021 the elected Board of the hospital district voted to move forward with the integration of EMS under San Juan Island Fire and Rescue. This requires a new EMS levy under the Fire District to replace ours. There have been a lot of questions about how this works.

San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 is responsible for San Juan Island EMS, which includes the only EMS transport and Advanced Life Support (ALS) services on San Juan Island, as well as Johns, Henry, Stuart, Pearl, Brown, and several less inhabited islands. ALS is the paramedic level of care, which includes intubations, an array of medications, and other more advanced interventions such as the use of ventilators and ultrasounds in the field.

The hospital district is very proud of its EMS service! In monthly surveys by EMS Survey Team that compare us to 179 other services, we were recently ranked as 5th for comparably sized organizations in the system, and 7th against all other organizations in their database. Many rural areas cannot provide an ALS level of care, and we are able to do so because of a public that believes in the importance of EMS. Our strength is our people, and the Fire District will be taking them on in the event of integration. Continue Reading

Eye of newt, wing of bat,
this is one cool, crazy, Calico cat.

From dusk till dawn she’ll spellbound you
and tell you telepathically what it is you should do.

No handsy hands, no fast feet,
but if you conjure them up, she will take some tasty treats.

Cat nor kid does she want to greet.
Make your motions fluid and smooth, your voice soft and sweet,
and she’ll be the best feline you ever did meet.

Lap sits, forehead rubs, and honeyed words is the best she can do,
it is what it is, let her come to you.
Follow these strange steps true and through,
you could be the one to change her hiss to a coo.

• Age: 11 years
• Sex: Female
• Breed: Tortie

Application: https://www.apsfh.com/adoption-program/feline-application/

ABOUT

• Origin: Orcas Island
• Weight: 9 lbs
• Personality:  Mysterious, Superstitious, Talkative Gremlin, Mesmerizing
• Energy Level: Medium-Low         
• Likes: Wand play, Cursing Cats, High Perches, Silver-Tongued Talks, Story Telling
• Dislikes: Kids, Catnip Concoctions, Cute Curious Cats