4-H starts up on Orcas Island, led once again by Kathy Morris. The informational meeting is at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12 at the Orcas Christian School cafeteria. Sometimes island life doesn’t seem that rural, but for introducing our kids to the outdoors and animals and their other creative abilities, 4-H is hard to beat.
Also on Monday, Jan. 12, the County Council’s work session begins at 10 a.m. with new council members (including Richard Fralick from Orcas Island) being sworn in, followed by the selection of the Council Chair and Vice-Chair. Citizen access time, during which the public can bring up concerns to the council, is scheduled for 10:10 a.m.
Upcoming agendas for council business through Feb. 10 will be reviewed.
Appointments of council members to various boards and commissions will follow.
The Washington State Ferries Master Plan will be discussed, as well as an agreement between the Puget Sound Partnership & San Juan County.
County Administrator items are scheduled for review at 11 a.m. and will include the Eastsound GMA Hearing Board Decision and an update and discussion on Long Range Planning Priorities.
The General Government Subcommittee will discuss Code Enforcement and the Marine Resources Committee at 12:30 p.m.
For further information, go to www.sanjuanco.com or call 378-2898
Tuesday, Jan. 13, The Ferry Advisory Committee will meet from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Legislative Building across the street from the County Courthouse.
“Cucumbers and Urchins – Natural History and Fisheries” with Michael Ulrich of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Lectures will be the subject of the Marine Lecture Series at Camp Orkila on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The lecture will be at the Marine-Salmon Center on Orcas Island at 7 p.m. Contact Jean Spalti at jmspalti@ucdavis.edu, or phone 376-3910 for further information.
The Orcas Fire Department’s regular meeting will be held at the fire hall at 7:30 p.m.
David Sarver begins a class on “Puddin’ Head Wilson” by Mark Twain this coming Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Parish Hall of the Episcopal Church in Eastsound, from 10 a.m. to noonish. Puddin’ Head Wilson has been described as a grown-up Huckleberry Finn. The course will run for three consecutive Wednesdays.
The County Park Board meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 15 from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. at the County Legislative Building Conference Room at 55 Second Street #119 in Friday Harbor. Contact information: phone 360-378-8420, fax 360-378-2075, e-mail
Parks@sanjuanco.com, website www.sanjuanco.com/parks
A “floating” ferry meeting will be held on the interisland ferry with WSF on Thursday, Jan. 15, The meeting is a public hearing on WSF’s draft Long-Range Plan options aboard the San Juan Inter-Island Ferry from 11:35 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The main topic of the long-range plan is sustainable financing for ferry operations, which will be taken up by the state legislature this session. The draft plan considers two options, one of which is local communities absorbing some of the costs of operations.For more information on the plan, search this blog for “ferries draft plan” in the top left-hand corner search window of this blog (Dec. 22 post) or go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/eshb2358.
San Juan County’s transportation planner, Shannon Wilbur, has prepared a brief summary of Plans A & B which points out similarities and differences in the plans and highlights specific items which will affect San Juan County. That summary is available in PDF file format at www.sanjuanco.com/docs/news/FerryPlanReview_public.pdf
On Friday, Jan. 16, the county Planning Commission meets at 8:30 a.m. at Islander’s Bank Annex, downstairs, 225 Blair Ave, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island to continue public hearings and discuss the Madrona Coast LLC Open Open Space, Orcas Island, File No. 08OS004; The Proposed Update of the
San Juan County Comprehensive Plan Housing Element; the Amendment of the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element and Appendix 1 to Allow for 50% of the San Juan Island’s Future Population Growth to Occur in the Friday Harbor UGA; and delberations only on proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) and Appendix 2 of the Comprehensive Plan to allow for Essential Public Facilities (EPFs.
If necessary, the meeting will reconvene at 1 p.m. following a lunch break scheduled at noon.
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