Pop-up Party at Public Works Lot in Heart of Eastsound

— by Margie Doyle —

For now, Fern Street Park, opened up between North Beach Road and Prune Alley

Today, October 1,  there’s a Pop-Up Party going on at the County Public Works lot in the heart of Eastsound, connecting North Beach Road to Prune Alley. Formerly (pre-2002) it was the site of the Orcas Island Senior Center, right across the street from the Village Green. The adjacent lots were owned by private parties, and, like the center lot, remained undeveloped for years.

Today, interested islanders have planned a Pop-Up Party at the location known variously as the “Fern Street Extension, the “Transportation Hub,” and the “FEAST gardens.” The party was prompted by concerns over recent changes at the lot, including the removal of fences along Prune Alley and North Beach Road, and clearing much of the land, and fencing off the property to the south of the county lot.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. islanders are welcome to visit the park, exchange ideas and talk with Jim Jonassen, architect and organizer of the “Vision for Eastsound” plan, and with County Councilman Rick Hughes, who said, “For now it’s a little park, an open space while the county decides its permanent uses, as long as it meets basic transportation uses as defined by the road funds with which it was purchased.

“But it’s really up to the community. It’s a public space and with the upcoming Prune Alley [Streetscape] improvements, a final decision for the property needs to be made,” Hughes added.

The site was purchased by County Public Works with Road Funds from state gas taxes, and thus, it may be used as a pathway, a park-and-ride, or as a road only. There have been discussions at Eastound Planning and Review Committee EPRC meetings and Council discussions of the Eastsound Subarea Plan and among citizen meetings about its use as an art park, a foodcart area, a public garden, a public transportation stop, and a road or parking area.

Fern Street extension ties North Beach Road to Prune Alley in the heart of town. Photo courtesy Paul Kamin

Last year, after repeated requests, County Public Works installed gates and a sawdust path from North Beach Road to Prune Alley through the Public Works lot. This summer, Hughes said, the lot became the site of a homeless encampment.

County Public Works Director Brian Vincent said on Sept. 30, “We don’t have any specific plans for that strip; it was unused, unkept. Removing the fence opened up the right-of-way. For now, it’s open for discussion on what to do with it.”