State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders will speak on property rights and the Constitution at the next meeting of the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights San Juan, today at 5:30 p.m. in the San Juan Island Grange.
Islanders could pay an annual parcel fee of $50 per developed lot and $25 per undeveloped lot, as well as a $5 fee each time they deposit refuse at the solid waste transfer station, to help fund solid waste services in San Juan County. Those fees, unanimously endorsed Thursday by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, are intended to provide a reliable revenue stream for capital improvements and other system investments. Currently, the solid waste transfer stations are funded by tipping fees, which fluctuate based on use.
Saturday morning, the sea began to give back some of what it took from the crew of the Anna J the night before. The front of the pilot house. A varnished wood hatch. A storage bin. Dry suits. A ball cap. Coffee mugs. Photographs. A clock, half filled with water, its hands stopped at 6 hours, 33 minutes, 53 seconds. Of course, the first thing the sea surrendered was the crew. All hands survived the sinking of the venerable purse seiner off South Beach Friday night.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Ecology and Islands’ Oil Spill Association are responding to the sheen created by the sinking of the fishing vessel Anna J, about a half-mile south of Eagle Cove, Friday.
Agencies are conducting over-flights to determine the extent of the sheen and possible environmental impact, as well as coordinating with oil recovery specialists.
Veteran island fisherman Charles Chevalier nearly drowned and a family member was injured when his purse seiner, the Anna J, rolled and sank while taking on a load of humpies off South Beach.
A purse seiner rolled and sank off South Beach early this evening. Six people were retrieved from the strait, reportedly by U.S. Coast Guard and nearby fishing vessels. Sheriff Bill Cumming said the boat was the Anna J. The skipper, Charles Chevalier, and a crew member, Nick Nash, were medflighted – one to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, the other to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.
The Town of Friday Harbor grew by four acres and a potential 11 homes Aug. 6. The Town Council finalized the annexation of the Country Village Estates neighborhood off Lampard Road. An adjacent part of the neighborhood – consisting of 25 lots – already receive town water, wastewater and stormwater service. Annexation clears the way for the 11 annexed lots to be connected to town utilities as well.
Richard Fulton Schmalz Jr., 25, and Michaela Lynda Bennett, 23, will marry Sept. 12, 3 p.m., at 77 Little Road, Friday Harbor. A reception will follow. They are registered at Bed Bath & Beyond.
At its meeting today, the San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee expects to finalize its recommendations on a long-term sustainable rate structure for the county’s Solid Waste Utility.
The Friday Harbor Town Council will have two special meetings — one today and one on Tuesday. Both meetings are open to the public. Today’s meeting begins at noon in the Town Council Chambers in Town Hall. The council will hear a presentation by URS Corporation regarding structural stability analysis of the Trout Lake Dam.
The new school year begins Sept. 2, with some noticeable changes in the San Juan Island School District. The most visible structural changes are at the elementary and middle schools. The sixth grade is being moved to the elementary school, leaving seventh and eighth grades at the middle school.
San Juan County Council Chairman Rich Peterson came away encouraged from the council-sponsored workshop on possible changes to the county’s critical areas and shoreline regulations, Tuesday in the San Juan Community Theatre. Peterson, North San Juan, said that before the workshop — which spanned nearly four hours — he was discouraged that the county appeared to be “boxed in” by state and federal guidelines that call for bigger buffers between development, shorelines and wetlands. He believes a set of locally tailored regulations on development near critical areas and shorelines may now have a chance.
The Islands Village Faire is Friday through Sunday at Missing Mountain Farm. “For those who were there last year, thank you so much. For those who are thinking about attending this one, we welcome you,” host Kels Boreen said.
