||| FROM JOE BROTHERTON for DOE BAY RESORT |||

We hope this message finds you well and safe after the most recent deluge that hit the Pacific NW. For us, we were met with a most unexpected surprised on Monday morning to find the road between the upper and lower portion of the resort had collapsed. Not only has this affected us and our operations but has impacted the 200 plus residences that were left stranded on the other side of the road! And not only did the road get washed away, but when it went, it took with it two of our foot bridges which were the only remaining lifelines to the other side of island.

When news of this kind spreads, it brings out the best in us and many hands were ready to help! By Wednesday, a temporary footbridge was put in place so at the very least people could get to the other side to arrange transportation, food, and supplies. Up to this point, all of our efforts have been put into getting the resort back online and doing what we can to accommodate our neighbors and community as a depot for mail and package delivery, food drops, shuttling, and parking.

It’s still uncertain when vehicles will be able to cross, but the County is working hard on a temporary bridge with the goal of it being passable by Thanksgiving. And while we are wanting to stay hopeful that the road repair will happen next week, we are remaining cautiously optimistic.

Here is a letter from Joe to the County, the Orcas Island community Foundation and the dozens who participated:

Thank you for bringing the best of government to this process. We were just starting to plan re-building our pedestrian bridge with our own team which would have been about a week’s work. That is about the same schedule for the road work out front, so we all would have been only using rowboats for a week which really would have been tough for many. We were trying to figure out how to do it faster. Then, before we knew it, the whole neighborhood was there and helping us to open for safe crossings by Wednesday. It was an old-fashioned barn raising.

So thank you to San Juan County for supporting this emergency action and my heartfelt thanks to everyone who jumped in with their skills, experience and effort. Our staff was 110% from the beginning, especially River and Shandra and I am so proud of them. Even the few guests that we had on the upper property on Sunday night were wonderful. Patient and supportive. We will plan an outside holiday gathering at Doe Bay next month to thank all of the many who participated. We love our neighborhood.

During the pandemic we were less encouraging of interaction between our guests and the Orcas community. We became more insular, for safety reasons. However, I want to be sure that everyone on Orcas knows that we consider the bridge a community lifeline connecting our community and it is open to anyone and everyone at any time for as long as the need is there.

Finally, when I received an email from the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) this morning, I admit I expected it to be a solicitation to support OICF’s response to problems caused by this unique weather event. So I had a huge smile as I read the email and the kind offer to support what we were doing, with no solicitation in there anywhere. (I had just gotten the news that the events are not covered by our insurance, so it was a tough start.) That said, Maureen and I are sending a $5000.00 check for flood and storm relief to help OICF take care of our community with our sincere thanks.

We look forward to seeing you all to celebrate during calmer times. You can bet that next Thursday, at our dinner table, your names will be mentioned when I share what I am thankful for.

 

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