County Awards Funds from Lodging Tax and Public Facilities Revenues

— by Margie Doyle —

This fall, San Juan County awarded grants  from Lodging Tax Funds, as recommended by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC); and from the Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program (PFFAP) Grant, based on recommendations from  the PFFAP Evaluation Team. After Public Hearings, the County Council accepted the recommendations from both committees without change, in August and in October.

LTAC: San Juan County Lodging Tax AC recommendation approved without change by County Council on Oct. 16, 2018.

Total LTAC (Facility & Promotional) funds awarded  $950,516

ORCAS ISLAND:

• Orcas Center — $20,000 for lighting (facilities)
• Orcas Community Foundation— $7,600 for landscape  (facilities)
• Orcas Island Lit Fest  —  $10,000 (promotional)
• Glenwood Springs Hatchery — $9,000 (facilities)
• Orcas Open Arts – Imagine Convergence  $10,000 (promotional)
• Orcas Open Arts – Orcas Anthology — $12,500 (promotional)
• Orcas Open Arts – Orcas Film Festival — $17,000 (promotional)
• Orcas Open Arts – Orcas Jazz Festival — $5,000 (promotional)
• Parks & Fair Facility Eastsound Village Green — $26,700  (facility)
• Parks & Fair Playground Eastsound Village Green — $55,000 (facility)

SAN JUAN ISLAND:

• Friday Harbor Film Festival — $8,500
• Island Stage Left — $5,200
• San Juan Theatre – HVAC Project Pt 2 — $20,000

LOPEZ ISLAND:

• Lopez Center for the Arts -Chairs & Racks $20,000
• Lopez Island Grange — $12,500

COUNTY WIDE

• Keepers of Patos Light — $5,000
• Friends of the San Juans Maritime History Initiative — $8,500
• KWIAHT – Indian Island Interpretive Services — $2,000
• Land Bank /Terrestrial Mgr Group – Visitor Study — $76,000
• Lime Kiln Point State Park –$5,000
• MUSEUMS – Lopez, Orcas, San Juan — $101,475
• LIBRARIES – Salish Speaker Series– $6,000 promotional
• THEATRES – Lopez, Orcas, San Juan –$114,000
• PARKS & Fair Operating Budget — $285,000
• SJ County land purchase for Friends of Lopez Pool FLIP — $93,900
• SJI’s Ag Guild – Eat Island Grown Campaign — $15,000 (promotional)

Funds remaining after the allocation of LTAC grants — $359

Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program (PFFAP) Grant Awards

State law RCW 82.14.370 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 PFFAP Evaluation Team, was comprised of the following: Milene Henley, County Auditor; Bill Watson, County Council Chair; Gretchen Bailey, SJ Economic Development Council; Tony Simpson, Port Districts (Port of Orcas); and Duncan Wilson, Town of Friday Harbor/ It reviewed eight applications submitted through the request for proposal process that closed Friday June 15th.

The amount of funding available for the 2018 grant cycle was $299,202. The requested funding from the eight applicants totaled $752,500 for 2018/2019 cycle. This did not include a second year award from last year for the Economic Development Council (EDC) in the amount of $34,353 which had already been reserved from the available total.

The evaluation team was unanimous in the final recommendation, to provide funding to four of
the eight applicants as listed below. Their recommendations were approved by the County Council in August:

1. Port of Friday Harbor in the amount of $112,000 (1 year only) for Jensen Marine Business Park;
2. Orcas Center for the Performing Arts HVAC replacement in the amount of $73,702;
3. SJ Island Park & Rec District Skatepark Fence Replacement (SJI) in the amount of $13,500; and
4. San Juan County / Lopez Island Pool in the amount of $100,000.

Thanks to Sue Kollett and Debbie Emery for providing information