The Council Comes to Town and the People Are Heard

— by Margie Doyle —

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the San Juan County Council met on Orcas. The meeting was focused on issues that impact Orcas Island residents primarily, and heard from many Orcas Islanders on their work for the island and the county.

Early in the meeting, Mark Tompkins, Director of Health and Community Services, spoke for the County in recognition of  two long-time  employees.

Recognition of Sage MacLeod and Melissa Johnson

Sage MacLeod, Director of the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) retired after nearly 18 years working for the county. After receiving a standing ovation from the room, Sage spoke of the quiet and confidential, yet profound impact of the program.

“Not a lot of folks will stand up and say I’m an ECEAP parent; I’m needy,” MacLeod said. But the program has been in the county for 30 years,  and has brought over $3 million to families, providing early education and helping parents of children with special needs, she said.

“ECEAP is serving the most needy folks in our county. It is funded by the state, very much like Head Start, but the beauty of the program is that the state allows us to tailor the program to the needs of our community.

“With other leaders, we have done so much, thank you. It’s been a wonderful pleasure, this place and this program have really captured my heart.”

Melissa Johnson has been a Washington State Ferries employee for 28 years, the last nine years in San Juan County. She was not present but was recognized for going beyond in serving the ferry terminal operations and the people of San Juan County.

Public Comment

During the public comment session, citizens addressed the proposed Greenhouse regulations and their impacts on agriculture and farming in the County. (Since the Council meeting on Orcas, the Council has withdrawn the effort to propose new greenhouse regulations (Click to link HERE).

John Evans, Learner Limbach, and Steve Diepenbrock, among others, voiced their opposition to the proposed county regulations regarding greenhouses. 

Orcas farmer Rob Harlow asked the Council to separate the two issues at odds:

• cultivation of cannabis
• use of greenhouses for agricultural food production

Harlow said, “It seems unfair to the citizens of the county and those of us producing food, when there are hundreds of greenhouses here already. You should spend your time with the cannabis issues that seem to be at the core of this; regulation of [cannabis] has nothing to do with the regulation of the food industry.

“Your time is better spent on the actual issue, and that’s how we regulate the new cannabis laws.”

Kaj Enderlein spoke in “strong support” of the Sept. 16 letter from the greenhouse regulation “working group,” and said his primary concern was for food security. “The proposed [greenhouse] regulations are not in the interest of the county.”

Further, Enderlein said, “I’m not sure I would have made the decision to invest in 10 families as a small farmer,” were the proposed regulations in effect.

 John Steward urged the Council not to make regulations on food production: “It’s hard enough as it is without meeting any other regulations.”

On other matters before the Council, Fred Klein spoke urging the Council to “give priority to the Prune Alley Project  Klein noted that five years ago, the design process for the Prune Alley street improvements began. He and Bill Trogdon had sought and received the consensus among property owners to comply with the project for sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and for parking.

Klein said last week, “Consensus is fragile. It degrades over time where properties are changing hands, et cetera.” He noted that in February of this year, County Planner Colin Huntemer was assigned to facilitate the Prune Alley Improvements. Klein cited the renovated driveway access to the Village Green, which Huntemer oversaw, as “a wonderful example of what public works is doing.

“I ask the council to give priority to the Prune Alley project; Please do what you can to get this project on the road.”

John Campbell spoke of the recent debate among the EPRC, the county advisory Planning Commission, and the County Planning Department staff over the split zone property owned by the Port of Orcas at the northwest intersection of Mt. Baker and North Beach Roads. Campbell said, “I’ve spent enough time arguing with the EPRC, now I’d like to support them.” He referred specifically to the EPRC’s stance to keep the property split zoned, rather than the Port and  County Planning Department ‘s stance that the land be zoned Service Light Industrial (SLI).

Campell requested that the “Planning Commission not …overrule the EPRC. The split zone parcel “deliberately zoned to enhance the appearance and uses of this location. It is not appropriate for a hangar or marijuana greenhouse.

“The split zone is not a mapping oversight, but a deliberate planning decision,” Campbell said.

Patty Miller, who has served on the EPRC and the County Council, questioned the rezoning of property east of Washington Federal building to village commercial, stating traffic concerns. She asked the council to look beyond how the property is served now to how it could be used. “If it is serving restaurants and retail, take a look at the impacts [to Eastsound traffic and parking.]”

The Orcas Landing Store will be renovated as a terminal building at Orcas Landing

Following the citizen access portion of the meeting, the Council set September 29 for a public hearing for consideration of a lease with the State Dept. of Transportation for the “Russell property,” the building across the street from the current Orcas Landing Ferry Terminal.

County Council Chair Bob Jarman said plans are to move the ticket booth into that building, and County Councilman Rick Hughes added that Washington State Ferries will install a  turnaround for passenger drop off. Hughes said that state funds of nearly $1.5 M for updating and improving the Orcas terminal will also be used in park and ride facilities further up the hill. “It will be transformed into a modern facility that will serve the community and tourists alike, and make a nice recreational area,” Hughes said.

(Reports from various Orcas Island committees and agencies will be addressed in a further report on the County Council meeting of Sept. 15)