— by Margie Doyle, updated Aug. 4 at 4:30 p.m. —
Following the San Juan County Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program (PFFAP) Evaluation Team recommendations to the County Council on July 14, 2015, the County Council today heard the matter in a public hearing. After comments from Council Members Jamie Stephens and Rick Hughes and Council Chair Bob Jarman concerning the $50,000 recommendation for the San Juan County Fairgrounds Exterior Solar Lighting Project; and from the public asking the Council to reconsider funding the Normandy Lane Sewer District on Lopez Island and the ORS/The Exchange road project on Orcas Island, the Council voted 2-1, with Council Chair Bob Jarman opposing, to allocate the 2015 PFFAP funds of $190,726 as follows:
- Maintain $35,000 for Town of Friday Harbor project for Spring Street Urban Pocket Park;
- Maintain $19,099 for San Juan County Fair Main Exhibition Building Exterior Upgrade;
- Reduce an award to $76,627 for the Port of Orcas project for Visiting Pilot Laundry and Hygiene Facility;
- Delete $50,000 for San Juan County Fairgrounds Exterior Solar Lighting Project;
- Award $34,500 to Normandy Lane sewer district on Lopez.
- Award $25,500 to Orcas Recycling Services for road construction.
Hughes commended the Evaluation Team for their original recommendations (link), “It’s not often we make a deviation as significant as this from the recommendations, but we’ve considered the outpouring of support and timetable for completing the projects.” He then proposed adding the Lopez Sewer District and ORS in the allocation formula above.
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.
Stephens said before making the motion to approve Hughes’ formulation, “We walk a fine line between process and needs; I like what Rick [Hughes] has done.”
Council Chair Bob Jarman countered with a proposal to eliminate funding for the Port of Orcas project and to use the funds instead to fully fund the ORS/The Exchange road project application at $60,000, and to fund the Lopez sewer project at $26,700. Jarman said that the $50,000 lighting project at the County Fairgrounds was needed to ensure public safety, and noted that the system could be expanded once it was installed. However, his proposal did not carry the day.
In declining to support Jarman’s proposal, Hughes said, “I’m fully in support of the Port of Orcas’ facility. It meets all the grant requirements and has not been a frequent recipient of the PFFAP grants. It will make public space for camping in Eastsound available. I disagree that it will support only the wealthy who own planes. As we reach capacity on the ferries, the Port should be commended for providing a grant that is what the facilities funding process should be.”
Jarman also asked Public Works head Brian Vincent if there was any funding from that department available to assist in “the ORS road” project. While Vincent said that Public Works assistance for the ORS site was basically tapped out, Council member Hughes pointed out that there is still $30,000 that Public Works has ear-marked for chip-sealing the road once it is constructed.
Stephens and Jarman questioned ORS/The Exchange Director Pete Moe on the costs for the road improvements at the county-owned Orcas Transfer Station, and Moe replied that with unexpected requirements of repeated soil testing by geo-tech engineers, and elevated bids for road excavation — including construction of a retaining wall — running about $200,000, the cost was now likely to be $300,000. Moe thanked the Departments of Public Works and Community Planning and Development for grading work and permit approvals, and said the non-profit ORS/The Exchange hopes to break ground on the road project “in the next week or two.”
Andy Finley, Lopez Sewer District clerk, said that the Normandy Lane work was a critical need. “All the [Lopez] sewer districts are under our wing; it is our responsibility to make sure the system works properly.”
The evaluation team had recommended that four of the ten applicants receive the PFFAP .09 retail sales 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
- The San Juan County Parks & Fair project for Fair’s Main Exhibition Building Exterior Upgrade received $19,099 of its requested $37,500.00;
- The San Juan County Parks & Fair project for 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
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Port of Orcas for Orcas Airport Fixed Wing Medical Evacuation Gate Automation
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Nice work, Rick. Thanks!
Sounds like the term “economic development purposes” should be changed to be “whatever local infrastructure project the council wants to fund this year”.
Funding a road at the Orcas Transfer station and a sewer project on Lopez and classifying them as economic development is a stretch in my opinion.
Thanks for the quick reporting Margie.
Interesting that Jarman proposed something so radically different, as I believe Jarman was the only Council Member on the advisory committee that made the initial recommendations.
Sorry, Chris, I agree with you on a lotta stuff, particularly wireless broadband, but on this I disagree. “Economic development” is more than just finding ways to bring more dollars to the islands. It includes finding ways to limit dollars leaving the islands, too, which is a good part of what the Exchange is all about. Please read my comment on Margie’s original 8/3 article about this issue. And thanks, Rick, for making sure some of these taxpayer funds flow to resurrect our beloved Exchange!
Very often I agree with, and thank Rick but, “It will make public space for camping in Eastsound available.” Are we going to allow anybody to set up a tent alongside the runway ? And what does “As we reach capacity on the ferries” mean. Are people going to fly in because they can’t get a space on the ferry and then put up a tent on this “public space for camping”. Who does this support other then the presumed wealthy who own planes. What it comes down to in my mind is that with limited money available for many competing proposals funding the “visiting pilot laundry and hygiene facility” shouldn’t have even been on the list. And don’t forget that the taxpayers will be on the hook for the maintenance and upkeep of this facility.
So terribly sad to see pilots who want to park their planes (very expensive toys) where they can camp (for way less that it would cost at Moran Park)take favor over a green sustaining Island. I agree Economic Development needs to be defined because it is so much more than bringing more and more tourists to the Island. I am at a loss trying to figure out who will benefit besides “only the wealthy who own planes.” Merry
Merry –
I would encourage you to come by the Port of Orcas this weekend, where we will be hosting our annual Fly-In. There you can meet many visiting pilots and perhaps form a more accurate impression of their demographic. Talk to them, learn about their interests and circumstances, interact with them as people instead of stereotypes.
Don’t forget to drop by the pancake breakfast next to the Port at the Fire Hall, where the Orcas Island Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Association will be doing our usual benefit breakfast to feed the pilots and help fund the Association’s efforts.
Laundry for pilots: There is a pay laundromat at Country Corner. The pilots have the use of a vehicle to get there. After they put their money in the machines, while their dirty stuff is going round & round they could be adding to the local economy by eating pizza, picking up some Buck Bay oysters and a couple of bottles of wine, or patronizing Token Herb, which would give them the munchies so they would go into town for a real meal at one of Eastsound’s restaurants. Funding a laundry so that they don’t have to come in to town is not exactly the way to foster economic development. Rick H , start thinking!
do not understand why enabling those pilots to Nv