The County plans to undertake standard road maintenance throughout the spring of 2026, including clearing ditches, cleaning and replacing culverts, and managing roadside vegetation. This will set the stage for chip sealing Shaw roads in 2027.
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
To kick off the new year, San Juan County officials hosted a community meeting for Shaw Islanders to discuss Public Works Road Maintenance projects. The meeting was held online on Thursday, January 15, from 11:00 a.m. to noon and over forty community members joined.
County officials, including the County Manager, Public Works Director, and Councilmember Jane Fuller, along with other County staff, shared information about upcoming Public Works projects on Shaw Island.
The County’s Public Works Department plans to undertake standard road maintenance activities throughout the spring of 2026, including clearing ditches, cleaning and replacing culverts, pulling plants and debris away from road shoulders, and managing other roadside vegetation. This work will span approximately 3-4 miles of roadway around the island. This work will set the stage for the County to chip seal specific Shaw Island roads in 2027.
The County’s chip seal program on Shaw will likely begin in June of 2027. Chip sealing is a pavement treatment that extends the life of the road surface. Shaw Island roads were last chip sealed in 2015 and 2017.
To support these upcoming road maintenance activities, the department will be preparing the Public Works yard at 1385 Blind Bay Rd to accommodate material storage and equipment staging. This preparation will begin in February and March of 2026, with the construction of a storage bin to hold materials. The bin, constructed using ecology blocks, will be located on the northeast corner of the existing Public Works yard. At this time, the Blind Bay yard is the only property on Shaw that is permitted to store road materials and maintenance debris.
The County is in communication with Shaw Inc. to address how this new storage bin will impact the space, including the placement of recycling bins and parking.
Community Questions
Much of the meeting was dedicated to community questions, with attendees asking questions about the new storage bin, the prioritization of Public Works projects, and the possibility of the Public Works yard moving to the Neck Point Rd property.
County staff provided a brief update on the Neck Point Rd property that was purchased in 2025 with the intent to site it for Public Works activities. An appeal with the Hearing Examiner regarding the Neck Point property is ongoing. At this time, the County is not able to utilize the Neck Point property and will continue to utilize the Blind Bay property in support of public works road maintenance activities.
The best way to stay up to date with Public Works news (and other County news!) is to sign up for news flashes sent directly to your email. Simply input your email to create your account, select the topics you’re interested in, and start receiving emails to your inbox. Sign up here: https://sanjuancountywa.gov/
Other questions? Contact Colin Huntemer, Director of Public Works, colinh@sanjuancountywa.gov, (360) 370-0500
About San Juan County’s Public Works Department
The San Juan County Public Works Department’s mission is to steward San Juan County’s public transportation infrastructure, including roads, culverts, and numerous marine facilities among the islands. The department offices are located at 1609 Beaverton Valley Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Public Works Department, visit https://www.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Leave A Comment