Submitted by the League of Women Voters.

The 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.

SJI School Board, April 26

Fred Woods announced that May 7-12 is Professional Educators Week and encouraged everyone to recognize the teaching team at all local schools.

Woods presented several students from Griffin Bay School, and they talked about the benefit of being able to continue their education through the school and the dedicated teachers. There are 41 students as well as others who may only take one class or two but are not considered full-time at the school.

Aaron Orozco, the high school student representative, said the Junior/Senior Prom was April 23. Attendees had a very good time and raised money for the senior graduation evening.

Woods reported construction work continues at the STEM building. The sprinkler system at the middle school will be inspected but the timing has not been determined. The 2023-24 budget should be ready for review by the May board meeting and adoption at the July board meeting.

April enrollment at all schools is 765 students. The incoming kindergarten class may be less than anticipated but will not be confirmed for some time.

There was disappointment that the state legislature failed to address various size school districts. Special education may have received a small increase in funding. Until everything is signed by Gov. Inslee and reconciled by the legislature it is not clear. T.J. Heller will review all the legislation that affects school districts at the May board meeting.

A SJISD special school board meeting will be held to discuss and vote on Resolution 23-006, Washington State School Directors Association, Amply Funded Staffing Levels Position Revision. Additional action on proposed WSSDA positions may be discussed and acted on.

Graduation for FHHS and Griffin Bay School will be on June 10. The elementary and middle school promotions will be on June 15.

Public Hospital District meeting of April 26

Linda McCarthy, Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood, briefed the Board on the 2022 Friday Harbor Office operations. Patients received family planning, cancer screening, and STI testing. Two-thirds of patients were below poverty level. With new director, Alisha Halverson ARNP in place, clinic and telemedicine visits have increased, with two days of telemedicine and one day of clinic services per week.

Jennifer Armstrong, Family Resource Center, requested funding for their Health and Wellness program focused on preventative care, primarily for the uninsured Latinx population. With two trained community health workers, they hold pop-up clinics, and provide health education services and wellness activities; for the infant/toddler Child Care Co-op and the Island Neighbors program help disabled and senior islanders age in place with non-medical support.

Pediatrician Dr. Mark Fishaut spoke on the fentanyl crisis’s effect on teens and young adults across all demographics. A minuscule amount is fatal. The community must: 1) recognize the problem; 2) educate key groups; 3) make Narcan widely available in homes and businesses. Dr. Fishaut requested funding from PHD to expand Narcan availability.

Jack Estrada, Peace Health, answered the board’s questions on statistics and metrics. The separate registrations required for clinic services and hospital lab work affect the statistics. Peace Health is looking into Saturday clinic hours but is stymied by staffing needs.

Evan Perrollaz, Village at the Harbor, expects the Medicaid license soon. Recently, there were six residents on hospice, prompting changes to accommodate hospice residents. Caregiver staff are cross-training as medical technicians. The remodel project is delayed two to three months. A rate change was effective on April 1, with another increase on Jan. 1.

Nathan Butler, San Juan Island EMS and PHD Supervisor attended public works training in Bellingham and is working to get local contractors on the MRSC Public Works Roster in anticipation of the Village remodel and expansion. EMS will undergo geriatric health training.

The seats held by Commissioners Anna Lisa Lindstrom and Kyle Loring are up for election, with a May filing deadline.

The Board approved the 2023 Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Agreement and a $27,500 funding request for Friday Harbor Planned Parenthood. While supportive of the FRC $50,000 two-year request, the Board deferred action pending a general review of funding priorities.

There was a public comment on a Washington DOH program that provides free Narcan by mail to individuals and to community organizations for distribution to the public.

County Council meeting of May 2

The Council approved letters of support for a UW Public Health study on the impact of military noise on human health and for the Northwest Straits Initiative Reauthorization.

A representative of the Hannah Heights HOA spoke on the impact of the discovery of PFAS in their water system. The state and county provided technical and informational support. The HOA is buying water and households face $72-96 cost per person per month. As the system is privately owned and the contaminant is reportable, but not regulated, there is no public financial support to cover potable water until a new system is in place. The HOA is applying for a state loan to pay for a new water system. The Environmental Health officer reported that on May 2-3 they were helping potentially affected class B and individual well owners take samples to be tested. Washington Department of Ecology now takes the lead to determine the cause, advise on clean-up, and possibly determine responsibility for the contamination. A state health official commended the HOA and the county for their work.

The Friends of San Juans spoke on the permitting process noting errors in the permit applications were often caught too late in the process, contributing to delays and unnecessary costs and urged fully staffing and training department personnel to address the issue. A citizen from Lopez said permitting was a significant driver of increased costs and called for more leadership and pre-development access to permitting staff.

San Juan Community Development Director, David Williams, gave an overview of the permitting process. Permits issued were 428 in 2022 vs. 222 in 2019. Eight weeks ago, they introduced a new process to speed up the process, improve communication, and strengthen consistency. The Department is launching a customer satisfaction survey and setting up training with contractors on new codes coming into effect in July. He acknowledged that there are challenges; they have three vacant positions, half the staff have been in their jobs less than 18 months and are still training, conflicts among state and county codes are confusing both for consumers and staff, and most county plots have critical areas requiring more complex permitting.