Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Aug. 19, 2022.
Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 34th week of 2022.
- Regular Agenda: You can watch Tuesday’s meeting at this link.
- Resolution C-51-22: Initiating County Road Project designated as East Camano Drive and Cross Island Road Intersection Improvements, Camano Island.
- Resolutions C-52-22 and C-53-22: Recording Liens Against 2 Properties for violations of the Island County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and Notice of County Code Enforcement Liens. In both of these cases, the BOICC had to take action against shoreline property owners who had not worked with the Planning Department to bring their properties into alignment with code nor had they appealed the County’s code enforcement decisions to the Hearing Examiner. If the County had not taken these lien actions against these 2 families, FEMA had threatened to pull all Flood Insurance from all shoreline properties in Island County. To watch this discussion, go to mark 00:02:07 in the recording above.
- Opioid Settlement No. 1: Island County is a Plaintiff in numerous opioid lawsuits. On Tuesday we approved documents associated with the first one, a global settlement to abate and rectify the County’s opioid nuisance against the 3 major distributors. You can watch this discussion at 00:25:56 in the above recording.
- We awarded $650,000 in Conservation Futures Funding to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust for the Lagoon Point Community Forest Acquisition. The contract for this award will come back to a future Board meeting, due to a few administrative questions we had. This discussion starts at 01:16:19 in the recording above.
- There is NO Board of Island County Commissioners meeting next week, because it will be the 5thweek of the month. The agenda for our September 6thmeeting, including how to attend virtually, will be posted here next Friday, September 2:
- Upcoming Public Hearings, September 20, 10:00 a.m.:
- Franchise PW2022-0009 – Kerry M. and Susan M. Wenthin for sewer collection line; (Whidbey Island); Section 31, Township 30N, Range 2E.
- Franchise PW2022-0008 – Double View Community Club for water distribution line; (Whidbey Island); Section 3, Township 31N, Range 2E.
- Franchise 447 – Faranda Community Water Association for water distribution line; Plat of Faranda Division #1; (Whidbey Island); Section 19, Township 33N, Range 2E.
- Franchise PW2022-0037 – City of Oak Harbor – within Urban Growth area; water distribution line; (Whidbey Island); Section 31, Township 30N, Range 2E.
- Franchise PW2022-0038 – City of Oak Harbor – outside Urban Growth area; Balda Road water distribution line; (Whidbey Island); Section 10, Township 32N, Range 1E.
- There was no work session this week, nor will there be one next week. The agenda for the work session on Wednesday, September 7, including how to attend virtually, will be posted here next Friday, September 2.
- Island County is beginning a program to promote equity in the workplace and the community, and to be more inclusive. We are pleased to announce that Kenesha Lewin has joined us as our new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager. Welcome, Kenesha!
- Info on the swimming advisory posted at Double Bluff Beach: This year Island County Public Health added Double Bluff as one of their seasonal beach monitoring sites. They sampled in two separate locations at the beach: one in open water and one in the backwater pool that collects just below the park entrance. The pool tested positive for bacteria in excess of the swim beach standard and they posted an advisory, after confirming the water quality, based upon the sampling. They are discussing internally if they will sample this pool in the future because it represents a stagnant pool of water with no natural inlet or outlet, is used by seabirds, and will likely always test positive for bacteria. If you have any questions, contact Public Health.
- Update on the dike mowing at Deer Lagoon: After Public Works staff visited the site they found that the gravel trail on the dike has a 9′ cleared area. Based on that information, they do not plan to mow it this year after all. They will go in and clear back the weeds on the gravel road from Deer Lagoon Road to the dike. That will likely keep that road at about 12’ wide.
- This week’s COVID Report: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Health/Pages/COVID-Report.aspx
- County Offices will be closed on Monday, September 5, for Labor Day.
- I am going on vacation after I finish this newsletter. I will not respond to emails next week, and will not publish a newsletter next Friday. The next Monday Tea with Melanie will occur on September 12.
- Happy Birthday to me—I turned 67 yesterday. I mention this only so that you have context for today’s quote.
Thanks,
Melanie
“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.”
~ David Bowie
