San Juan County to appeal Town’s decision to shut off water at Fairgrounds

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

San Juan County will appeal the Town of Friday Harbor’s decision to shut off water to the San Juan County Fairgrounds at the regularly scheduled March 21, 2024 Town Council meeting. Withholding water from the Fairgrounds would end all current uses of the space including Island Rec programming, vaccine clinics, 4-H events, event rentals, the Emergency Operations Center for the County and Town, music and theater performances, County office operations, and more.   

Notice of Water Shutoff 

The Town issued a notice on January 9, 2024 citing a ‘lack of approved water use’ at the Fairgrounds. The Town attests that water is only to be used for the County Fair and for no additional programming or services.

The County has used water at the Fairgrounds for many decades for the variety of public services it provides. The County is a paying water user in good standing. Town records show that the County’s water use in the last decade has been reduced by more than 60% compared to the early 1990s.  

The County appealed the notice to the Town Administrator and met with the Town Administrator and Mayor on February 2, 2024 to present over 156 pages of information and evidence noting the historic programming and water use at the Fairgrounds dating back well before the Town’s 1998 water ordinance was adopted. The Town Administrator denied the appeal in full.

History of Water and Community Use at the Fairgrounds 

Beginning in 1924 the fairgrounds were operated by the private San Juan County Fair Association who oversaw operations and programming. The Fairground Association’s articles of incorporation laid out the mission as to, “buy, sell, lease or otherwise deal in lands, livestock, grain, hay and all farm products, lumber and building material, to construct and erect buildings and other structures on contract or otherwise, to hold shows, exhibits, fairs of all kinds, dances, socials, banquets and all kinds of social entertainment, to lay out, conduct, and maintain parks, pleasure resorts, and playfields.” The fairgrounds property was transferred to the County in 1972, though the association continued to operate and develop the property until 1988.

The San Juan County Fairgrounds is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year. Not only has it hosted the beloved County Fair, but since its inception, has served the community’s needs year-round.  The Fairgrounds provided a home to the San Juan Island Senior Center until it moved to Mullis Street, a daycare for island children, has been rented for dances and other events since at least 1966, hosted vaccine clinics during the pandemic, and continues to provide space for countless Island Rec and other organizational programs.

Next Steps

San Juan County’s appeal of the water shutoff notice will be heard by the Town of Friday Harbor Council on March 21. The County will ask the Town Council to revoke the notice of violation in recognition of the County’s lawful use of water at the fairgrounds.  

The appeal will take place at the Town of Friday Harbor Council Chambers at 60 2nd St, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. and is open to the public in-person and online. Meeting information, including agendas, can be found at: http://www.fridayharbor.org/2202/Agenda-Meeting-Info-Video