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May 2, 2024: WA State Governor and Assistant Secretary of WSF Talk Ferry Service & Solar Power with SJC Officials
Apr 11, 2024: Community Meeting: Sea Level Rise Adaptation for Outer Bay and Agate Beach Areas on Lopez Island
Mar 11, 2024: Queers in Unexpected Places: Searching for (and Finding) Gender and Sexual Non-Conformity in the Rural and Early PNW
Mar 7, 2024: DRAFT Richardson Marsh Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Dec 5, 2023: County Council Member Jane Fuller and Senator Liz Lovelett to Host Public Meeting on Lopez
Nov 3, 2023: County and Town Send Open Letter to State Officials Regarding Impacts of Poor Ferry Service
Sep 29, 2023: Conservation Land Bank Announces Special Meeting to Discuss Watmough Bay Preserve Addition
Sep 14, 2023: The mobile dental van is coming to Lopez! // ¡La camioneta dental móvil ya llega a López!
Aug 22, 2023: San Juan County Adopts 32-Hour Work Week in the Name of Fiscal Health, Recruitment, and Islander Wellness
May 25, 2023: Recap of Lopez Neighborhood Meeting Regarding the Relocation of Public Works Facilities
May 23, 2023: District 3 Councilmember Jane Fuller Opens Office on Lopez and Hosts Community Conversation
Apr 17, 2023: Give Lopez Starts April 17th - A two week fundraiser benefiting 15 Lopez Island Non-Profits
Sep 22, 2022: Interim Watmough Preserve Addition Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
County Council Meeting July 23, 2024 on Shaw
Jul 26, 2024
By League of Women Voters of the San Juans
San Juan County Council Meeting July 23, 2024
The meeting was on Shaw Island and began with county staff members introducing themselves. The chair said several Shaw residents had requested Item #2 on a Shaw Island sub-area plan standing committee be removed from the agenda, but it would remain as an information item, with no action taken. During public access ten Shaw residents spoke. Eight said Shaw islanders were happy with the current sub-area plan and did not want it changed, and thus saw no point in having a standing committee. Two members thanked the county for their attention to Shaw issues including public works and the post office and expressed support for possibly reviewing the 25-year-old area plan to ensure it reflected current needs.
The public works director said the council had approved the purchase of land on Shaw, for which they are submitting a request for it to be rezoned so it could be used to store material and waste for Shaw public works projects. Such projects would include road regrading, ditch repairs and culvert replacement to prepare for eventual chip sealing. Looking forward a marine facility was planned for Neck Point in 5 years. They will evaluate options to preserve and rehabilitate Blind Bay Road, which is affected by sea level rise, and is sometimes inundated during king tides.
The Council explained that the Shaw Island sub-area plan itself, which is part of county code, calls for a Shaw Island sub-area standing committee with a responsibility to review the subarea plan every 5 years. The committee also potentially could review and make recommendations to the Planning Committee on building proposals on Shaw, as do subarea committees on Orcas and Lopez, giving the community an official input. A Shaw resident recently asked why a committee had never been created. Members must be Shaw Island residents who volunteer and fill out an application. Shaw residents as a community need to decide if they want such a committee, and if not, the code could be amended to say “may” instead of “shall.”
Residents heard about recent repairs at Shaw Island parks. For the upcoming Fair, residents can enter non-perishable items in the fair on their home island--August 10th for the case of Shaw. The emergency manager reviewed risks of wildfire in the county, which peaks in summer though risk of severe fire is low. He outlined steps to reduce risk and offered information on programs that help property owners reduce risk.
Chair Fuller reviewed the steps the council had approved the day before to ask the governor’s office to declare an emergency regarding ferry disruptions in the county and to create an informal local transportation working group.
League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
The public works director said the council had approved the purchase of land on Shaw, for which they are submitting a request for it to be rezoned so it could be used to store material and waste for Shaw public works projects. Such projects would include road regrading, ditch repairs and culvert replacement to prepare for eventual chip sealing. Looking forward a marine facility was planned for Neck Point in 5 years. They will evaluate options to preserve and rehabilitate Blind Bay Road, which is affected by sea level rise, and is sometimes inundated during king tides.
The Council explained that the Shaw Island sub-area plan itself, which is part of county code, calls for a Shaw Island sub-area standing committee with a responsibility to review the subarea plan every 5 years. The committee also potentially could review and make recommendations to the Planning Committee on building proposals on Shaw, as do subarea committees on Orcas and Lopez, giving the community an official input. A Shaw resident recently asked why a committee had never been created. Members must be Shaw Island residents who volunteer and fill out an application. Shaw residents as a community need to decide if they want such a committee, and if not, the code could be amended to say “may” instead of “shall.”
Residents heard about recent repairs at Shaw Island parks. For the upcoming Fair, residents can enter non-perishable items in the fair on their home island--August 10th for the case of Shaw. The emergency manager reviewed risks of wildfire in the county, which peaks in summer though risk of severe fire is low. He outlined steps to reduce risk and offered information on programs that help property owners reduce risk.
Chair Fuller reviewed the steps the council had approved the day before to ask the governor’s office to declare an emergency regarding ferry disruptions in the county and to create an informal local transportation working group.
League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.