From OPAL Community Land Trust
House Move from Buck Mountain to Eastsound
On Thursday, March 21 between about 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Nickel Bros. House Movers will transport a one-story house from Buck Mountain to Mountain View Road in Eastsound. The building has been donated to OPAL Community Land Trust.
The structure will travel a route beginning on Parker Reef Road to Buck Mountain Road. Parker Reef Road could be blocked for as much as 90 minutes, from 9 a.m. to 10:30. Buck Mountain Road will be partially blocked for approximately 2 hours after that, up until 12:30 p.m.. Each road will be blocked to vehicle traffic in both directions. If there are cars waiting to pass on the Buck Mountain Road part of the route, Nickel Bros. will stop in places where it is possible to let people go around
Please remember these travel times are approximate.
Next, the house will turn north on Terrell Beach Road, continuing on Mt. Baker Road. The final destination in Eastsound is on Mountain View Road.
Residents on Buck Mountain may be familiar with alternate routes to and from the neighborhood. Others may wish to plan ahead.
The house is 28.5 feet wide and may cause temporary traffic slow downs. Nickel Bros. will have front and rear pilot cars and flaggers to alert drivers to the house move. Vehicles will be allowed to pass in places where there is enough room for them to do so, the Nickel Bros. staff notes, and they are very sensitive to people who are “stuck behind a moving house”. A safety officer will be on hand. In cases of emergency, vehicles will be able to pass more quickly.
“We are hoping to get the word out to as many as possible that this move will happen next Thursday morning,” states Lisa Byers, OPAL executive director. “People who are planning to take the early ferry or coming to Eastsound may want to consider alternate routes, if possible. Once the house is on Terrell Beach Road, cars will be able to detour around the house,” she notes.
The residence will be renovated to provide another permanently affordable home for the island community. OPAL is delighted to receive another donated house that can be recycled to be permanently affordable housing for an island family.
OPAL stands for “Of People and Land,” representing a commitment to protecting natural resources while also providing permanently affordable homes for people who are vital to the Orcas Island community. Incorporated in 1989, OPAL now provides homes for 124 households on Orcas Island, and continues to accept applications from people whose annual household income is at least $18,000 and who are not able to afford a home on the open housing market. For more information, go to: www.opalclt.org.
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The amount of required annual household income as stated above – $18,000 – is incorrect. The amount is several thousand dollars higher. I hope OPAL will correct this mis-information. I rely on Bullwings for accurate reporting. I especially hope the information they receive is accurate.