Traffic Advisory: OPAL House Move

Traffic Advisory for Tuesday Morning, June 16

— from Judy Whiting —

Two Houses to be Moved from Eastsound Airport to Mountain View and Blanchard Road in Eastsound.

Tuesday morning, June 16, two OPAL recycled houses will be moved through the Eastsound Airport and west on Mt. Baker Road before arriving at their destinations on Mountain View Street and Pooh Place (off Blanchard Road). They will complete the route in the early morning hours, hopefully by 6:00 a.m.

The barge bringing the houses to Orcas will arrive at the North Beach area on Monday, with one house offloading about 6 p.m. and the other coming off around midnight in order to take advantage of the tides, according to a spokesperson for Nickel Bros. House Moving. Nickel Bros. will transport the houses for OPAL Community Land Trust.

Jeanne Beck, OPAL project manager, reminds all islanders, “The greatest opportunity for impact on traffic will be at about 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. Tuesday on Mt. Baker Road, Mountain View Street, Blanchard Road or Pooh Place for a short time. Blanchard may be blocked for 30 minutes while the house is being maneuvered into its destination.”

The house moves may cause temporary traffic slow downs. If there are cars waiting to pass on the route, Nickel Bros. will stop in places where it is possible to let people go around. Please remember these travel times are approximate.

“We are hoping to get the word out to as many as possible that these moves will happen Tuesday morning,” said Lisa Byers, OPAL executive director. “We want to be especially sensitive to people who may be on their way to early ferries or the airport.”

The residences will be renovated to provide permanently affordable homes for the island community. OPAL is delighted to recycle two more houses, bringing the total moved and renovated by OPAL to date to 10.

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 132 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.