— from Gretchen Krampf —
Beginning on Jan. 7, 34 Orcas Island residents entered into a consensus building process to craft a Vision Statement for Eastsound in 2035. The group’s work was done under the auspices of the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee, and EPRC members Bob Maynard, Fred Klein, and Jeff Otis participated in the workshop. Our group, as a whole, chose to create a Vision Statement that is supported by “Pillars” to communicate the Vision’s intention and provide definitions of the key concepts.
Seven members stayed engaged as the “Editors Group” and distilled the feedback and ideas to create the “Pillars”. This work has been done to offer guidance for the next phase, set to begin in April, when working groups will make recommendations to the EPRC for desired goals and policies on the County level.
Eastsound Vision Preamble:
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.
You can see the complete PDF of the Vision Statement and Pillars online at www.eastsound.vision on and the Orcas Library’s homepage under Community Information. The Library has printed copies available, too.
Our ASK is for input from you, members of our community, on this document. We will be hosting a Community Feedback Session on Friday, Mar. 31, 2017 at the Fire Hall from 6-8 p.m.
Public comments can also be made via email to San Juan County at eastsoundupdate@sanjuanco.com
On Apr. 6, the EPRC meeting is from 3-6 p.m. and will also include time for final community comments.
UPDATED with link to eastsound.vision web page.
For those interested in making a difference in the future of Eastsound, please go to https://doebay.net/eprc/eprccategoricalworkshopregistration.html to participate in subcommittee groups of the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee (EPRC) tasked with the responsibility of recommending changes to the Eastsound Subarea Plan. Your help and vision is needed to make Eastsound the village you want it to be.