— from County documents (sanjuanco.com) —
Washington State law authorizes San Juan County to collect a 0.09% sales and use tax for public facilities serving economic development purposes in rural counties, and to finance personnel in economic development offices. The San Juan County Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program (PFFAP) Evaluation Team presented its recommendations to the County Council on July 14, 2015. A public hearing on the recommendations is scheduled for August 4.
The evaluation team recommended that four of the ten applicants receive the .09 tax proceeds for the following projects:
- Town of Friday Harbor project for Spring Street Urban Pocket Park received $35,000.00 of its $40,000.00 request
- Port of Orcas project for Visiting Pilot Laundry and Hygiene Facility received $86,627.00 of its request for $91,627.00
Two projects of San Juan County Parks & Fair received funding:
- The Main Exhibition Building Exterior Upgrade received $19,099 of its requested $37,500.00;
- The Fairgrounds Exterior Solar Lighting Project was awarded its full request of $50,000.00.
The six applications that did not receive funding came from:
- San Juan Island Parks & Recreation District (Island Rec) for SJI Community Park Playground
- Fisherman Bay (Lopez Island) Sewer District for Normandy Lane Sewer Main Installation Project
- Orcas Island Library District, for Orcas Island Library Expansion Project
- San Juan County Public Works for Lopez Village Farmers Market Stormwater Project
- Orcas Recycling Services for Road & Traffic Flow Improvements at the Orcas Island Transfer Station
-
Port of Orcas for Orcas Airport Fixed Wing Medical Evacuation Gate Automation
The total amounts requested in the applications was $491,280.00. The four awards totaled $190,726.00. Members of the recommendation team were: Milene Henley, County Auditor; Bob Jarman, County Council Chair; Mark Madsen, SJ Economic Development Council; Brian Ehrmantraut, Port Districts; and Duncan Wilson, Town of Friday Harbor.
To see the full report presented to the Council, go to https://www.sanjuanco.com/Docs/CAgendadocs/07-14-2015/PFFAPStaffReport_071415.pdf
Just incredibly curious….does anyone know what the Port of Orcas Visiting Pilot Laundry and Hygiene Facility might be for $91K? Merry
I’m thinking it must be for the pilots after a rough landing.
Well, let’s see, $91,000 for Pilots who most likely Can afford a room at one of the many Bed and Breakfasts, Inns,and Hotels on the Island.
Spirit Eagle
A few questions to the award selection committee;
Is the Port of Orcas insufficiently funded by the Orcas taxpayers and by the FAA to afford PoA board prioritized improvements to PoA property?
Will $91,000 pay for 3640 round trips to the laundry and back at $25 per?
Will these publicly funded personal hygiene improvements to a publicly funded facility be available to the public for personal hygiene purposes?
What are your priorities when awarding these public funds? Private pilot welfare?
As the airport manager, I developed the proposal for this project that was submitted with the approval of the Commissioners. The entire grant application will be available shortly on our website http://www.portoforcas.com. I take full responsibility for it (blame or credit, as you may judge). — As background, our airport is one of very few (and the only in the San Juan’s) that allows camping on the airport under the wing of your airplane. Surprisingly, perhaps, many pilots desire to do this and seek us out for it (and not all pilots in small planes can afford a $100 room after spending their money to fly). Modest facilities enhance the attractiveness for this purpose. Pilots sometimes stop here on there way to/from Stuart, BC, Alaska, etc. simply to take advantage of facilities (which are currently much more modest). In addition, they often can’t rent a car or find an open room, so this expands capacity for tourism (for good or bad) and while here, they spend money in our economy, from buying airplane fuel, to shopping at the sporting goods store, buying groceries, eating at restaurants or going whale watching.– I’m excited to repatriate Orcas tax money to Orcas. In years past, virtually all of this money went to the town of Friday Harbor and San Juan Island. Our airplane visitors are up about 60% this year and that means more money in the local economy (whether that’s peripheral to a recovering economy or attributable to our modest marketing efforts is probably indeterminable). If you’d like to discuss further, you can always call me (tony) at x5285 or come to a commission meeting which is typically the 2nd Thursday of the month at 12PM.
Since this will be Publicly Funded, it should be open to the Public,Including the Homeless.
Spirit Eagle
OMG! Someone suggested to me that this might be a facility for the use of pilots who want to camp with their planes! Again, OMG, they can afford to buy an airplane, but cannot afford a cab ride and a camping spot at Moran Park. I guess I believe that spending money to buy an airplane is fine but that it is a choice and it is hard to then say that affording $100 for a room is too much to expect. I guess I feel that the Exchange is WAY more important to Orcas Island than making life easier for airplane owners who want to camp on the cheap…. Merry Tony, you are a great guy and you should be in sales!