Deer Harbor parking to be discussed Apr. 17

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

Providing parking on Orcas Island for vehicles used by Waldron Island residents to make transportation connections will be the topic of a public meeting hosted by San Juan County Public Works at the Deer Harbor Community Club on Friday April 17, 2009.

Sign-in will begin at 12:30 pm with the meeting beginning at 1:00 and ending at 3:30 pm.

The current parking area is along Upper Deer Harbor Road south of Jack and Jill Place. While other alternatives have been considered in the past, the current location is a site which provides the best opportunity for parking.

Presently, this parking area is limited to fifteen vehicles, is narrow, and needs to be widened to facilitate access.

The San Juan County Public Works Department developed a preliminary plan in Late 2009 to improve this situation. The proposed plan utilizes both the existing County road and unused right-of-way directly to the east. The roadway is proposed to be widened to 40 feet and to provide 25 diagonal parking spaces. Click Here to view or download the preliminary plan.

At the April 17 meeting, Public Works will present the preliminary plan it has prepared, provide background information, discuss the proposal’s advantages and disadvantages, and take public comments. The meeting is intended for both Waldron Island and Orcas Island residents.

Members of both the Deer Harbor and Waldron communities are encouraged to attend this meeting, which will be conducted in “The World Café” style. This format was used in the September 2008 Transportation Summit held in Friday Harbor. The meeting format allows all participants to participate and to share their experiences and ideas.

For additional information, please contact Shannon Wilbur at 370-0522 or John Van Lund at 370-0510