Dreamers Meet Realists in Visioning Meeting

— by Ayn Gailey —

The behind-the-scenes of the Eastsound Vision Committee will never be a reality TV show, but it would make for an interesting one. One of the unspoken challenges for this committed group of citizens has been ‘How do you come to consensus when you put a group of dreamers and realists, and liberals and conservatives on a remote island and ask them to determine the future for everyone who lives on it?’

The answer, in part, is by showing unwavering dedication and perseverance, conducting massive amounts of research, keeping an open mind, and acting with love for the place we all call home. The Eastsound Vision committee, under the auspices of the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee (EPRC), and with guidance from EPRC members Bob Maynard, Fred Klein, and Jeff Otis have done just that.

One of the most useful clarifications made at Friday night’s meeting was a confirmation of what the Vision Statement actually is. After some criticized it for lack of detailed solutions or for being a dream perhaps too big, one of the lead organizers, Jared Lovejoy, explained that “The Eastsound Vision Statement is the guiding dream. It is not meant to convey specific solutions.” That will come later.

Lovejoy further explained that back in January, a group of 34 people committed to creating a Vision statement for Eastsound, based on all previous public input, that would be shared with the community at large. A smaller “Editor’s Group” then persisted in creating the pillars you see at the end of this article. Nik Schulz was thanked by the group for his hard work in the last stage of editing.

The committee then opened up the floor for feedback on the Vision Statement and the pillars. Instead of direct feedback on the Vision Statement and the pillars, however, citizens took the opportunity to give more planning ideas, some of which were outside the scope of the Vision Statement. Participants also took the time to criticize. For instance, after thanking the committee for their work, John Campbell went on to say, “As things happen in revolutions, things get out of control. We’re still Cinderella of the county planning commission. And, what I see [The Eastsound Vision Statement] is a romantic dream full of charming ideas…[but] good intentions are not enough to resolve our issues.” Campbell believes there should be more attention paid to the Port of Orcas and A street; housing (affordable and unaffordable); and figuring out where industrial spaces can develop in the future as industrial zones fill up.

Lovejoy politely countered that the Eastsound Vision Statement and the progressive point of view and proposed solutions are not what some call “pie in the sky.” He reminded the group that other islands are living examples of the very solutions the committee has gathered and discussed for months. And, the Vision Statement is a very achievable reality. He suggested that anyone who does not believe in the ideas of regenerative design and sustainability should take a look at “Islands of The Future” on Netflix, which shows how other islands like ours are living by like-minded Vision Statements.

Charlie Carver took the mic next and stated that he would like to see more “language of determination” and an examination of public property rights, among other things. Naomi Aldort presented her ideas as possibly “outrageous” and stated they were her attempt to break us loose of conservative ideas on the matter. Some of her proposed ideas were to create a raised walkway on the shore side of the businesses that sit between Main Street and the shoreline. She also passionately presented her idea to “close off car access to Crescent Beach to create a beach, playground, and cottage industry.” She also proposed the idea of a shuttle to get people around the idea to reduce overall car traffic—an idea she is familiar with from Switzerland.

Dan Christopherson proposed a crosswalk from Enzo’s to Teezer’s. According to him, it is one of the busier pedestrian paths. He’d also like to see pedestrian access from North Beach Road to Prune Alley and a bike path from the ferry to Eastsound. According to Christopherson, merchants held a meeting and there was majority agreement on the bike path idea. Others threw out the idea of electric-powered shuttles to move people around, thus decrease traffic.

Joe Symons, who spent a year in 1992 working on a previous Eastsound Vision—it resulted in controversy and no actual implementation—encouraged the group to utilize clear metrics around items the group wishes to create or avoid. He also stated it would be useful to be very transparent and clearly state what we do not want to be. In his eyes, examples of that would be Friday Harbor or La Conner. Sadie Bailey expressed concern over making sure the group explore “ways to help our watershed,” then added “I want the young people to have a say because they are going to inherit this, not us old farts.”

In the end, the youngest person in attendance, Yonatan Aldort, who describes himself as an “Island son” expressed his thoughts on the matter and showed his support for the Vision Statement. “This place means a lot to me. I’ve heard some of you say that the Vision is “pie in the sky…” As a person who has bought property here and one day wants to raise a family here, I don’t believe in small goals and I think we need to look at where we are now and where we want to be. If we limit ourselves now, time will just pass us by. So I say we dream big. And we make it happen.”

If you are interested in helping “make it happen,” the Eastsound Vision committee invites you to join a “work group” and attend the Apr. 8 meeting at the Senior Center from 1 to 4 p.m. According to Jeff Otis, participants will be organized into five groups under the following themes:

1. Livability
2. Character
3. Open Space
4. Parking & Roads
5. Opportunities

Forty people have already signed up but there is room for more. Interested participants can sign up in advance or do so at the April 8th meeting. For more information email: Eastsoundupdate@sanjuanco.com

EASTSOUND VISION STATEMENT
Eastsound is a diverse, vibrant community that embraces and emulates the wild and generous nature of Orcas Island and the Salish Sea. Life here flourishes year round, in the village, land, sea, and sky.

The Village serves as our island’s commercial and cultural center, connecting every facet of our community, each to the other.

We strive for a built environment that is worthy of our natural surroundings. We value and actively preserve open spaces, views, and access to the land and sea around us. We honor those who have stewarded this island before us. We are committed to our history, culture, arts, and to the deep and restorative stewardship of our ecosystem.

To ensure a thriving community for all, we champion sustainability and regenerative systems, tread lightly on the land, and shape our future in harmony with nature.

PILLAR STATEMENTS
(To read the full pillar statements visit: www.eastsound.vision/)

1. Eastsound is the commercial and cultural center of the island.
2. The Eastsound community embraces and encourages diversity.
3. Eastsound supports small business, entrepreneurship, and a year-round economy.
4. Eastsound honors its natural environment.
5. Eastsound’s built environment creates a vibrant, sustainable, livable village.
6. Eastsound honors its past.
7. Eastsound supports diverse modes of transportation.
8. Eastsound innovates.
9. Eastsound shall implement the principles in this vision.