Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Sep. 30, 2022.
Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 39th week of 2022.
Regular Agenda
You can watch this week’s Tuesday meeting at this link.
Resolutions Approved
| Resolution C-59-22 (consent agenda), Cancellation of Warrants as allowed under RCW 39.56.040 |
| Resolution C-60-22 (consent agenda), Approving Plans and Specifications and Authorizing Call for Bids for Camano Island Snow Gate |
| Resolution C-56-22, a Public Hearing regarding the adoption of Island County’s Six-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the years 2023-2028. We approved the TIP; much of the conversation including the public comment was around road access to and near Whidbey Airpark, in South Whidbey. Commissioner St. Clair also talked about the resolution we approved regarding Camano Island Snow Gates. You can hear this Public Hearing at mark 00:04:02 in the above link. |
| We received an update from the County Administrator on permits. The Board has been concerned for some time over how long it often takes citizens to receive county permits, so we have been receiving monthly updates on the issues and data. This conversation begins at mark 00:27:19. |
| Commissioner St. Clair will be holding a Town Hall focused on internet and broadband next week on Thursday evening October 6. It will be important for people in all three districts to participate, because we need to gather information from people all over the County who lack internet coverage despite what the FCC maps say. You can hear Commissioner St. Clair talk about this at 00:50:00, and when she releases her Zoom information for her Town Hall early next week I will forward it to you. Please, if you live in an area where coverage is spotty, consider attending this town hall. |
| Here is the agenda for our October 4 meeting, including how to attend virtually. |
Upcoming Public Hearings
Tuesday, October 4, at 10 am:
| 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. |
Tuesday, October 18, 10 am:
| Resolution C-57-22 – Expanding the Boundaries of the W & B Waterworks 1 Water System, and Incorporating the Service Area Boundaries into the Coordinated Water System Plan. |
Tuesday, October 25, 10 am:
| Franchise Renewal PW2022-0013 – Beverly Beach Improvement Club for water distribution line (Whidbey Island). |
This was the 4th week of the month, so there was no work session. Instead, the COG and IRTPO met on Wednesday.
| At the COG (Council of Governments) meeting, we had a presentation by representatives from the WA State Department of Health on the new EPA and State regulations on PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which became increasingly measurable in ground water over the last 50 years due to their use in fire-fighting foam). I talked about this in a newsletter a month or two ago (basically, the scientists now say that any discernible level of PFAS is unacceptable). You will hear a lot more about this over the coming months, as more opportunities and requirements for testing, as well as (hopefully) grant dollars for cleanup, become available. |
| At the IRTPO (Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization) meeting, we talked about updates we’re working on to the Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) and the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)). We are really concerned about the lack of public comment we’ve received on the HSTP, which is nearing final adoption. If you have a chance, please take a look and send your comments to Ben Jones, Benjamin.jones@islandcountywa.gov. You can find the draft document here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/PublicWorks/Roads/Planning/Documents/IRTPO%20Draft-INDD-v2.pdf. |
I attended a great meeting this week with WhidbeyHealth leadership, about their upcoming reopening of the Freeland Clinic in a couple of months. They will provide both Primary Care and Behavioral Health & Addiction Treatment services. This is in addition to the Primary Care and Walk-In services provided at the Clinton Clinic. I am very excited about this new health service in South Whidbey—and about the enormous contribution this new Behavioral Health clinic will make to our Whidbey residents who need mental health care. I’m sure you will hear much more about this in the coming weeks, from WhidbeyHealth itself and from the local media. They intend to open part-time, 3 days per week, on December 6, and will expand the hours in January as their staffing allows. They anticipate hiring about 25 people for this new clinic.
The Board intends to award Affordable and Workforce Housing grants totaling approximately $9.5 million to establish more affordable housing in the county. The funding source is American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars received from the federal government for COVID-19 response and recovery. These projects for Affordable Housing can consist of both rental and home ownership strategies. Applications will be accepted online starting October 3, 2022 at this link. More information can be found at this link.
Reminder: The County is transitioning our virtual platform from Starleaf to Microsoft Teams. I attended 10 virtual or hybrid meetings this week (and a few in-person); only the regular Board meeting used Starleaf since most of the County departments have moved already to Teams and our associated agencies are all using Zoom. So if you always just use the same Starleaf link to attend our Board meetings, you should pay attention for the day that link no longer works.
The Tourism Board is exploring thoughtful ways for tourism to improve the lives of residents, enrich visitors’ experiences, and benefit the natural environment of the islands. Local input is essential to this. They are asking that you please complete this brief 13-question survey.
Next week the Kettles Trail in Ebey’s Reserve will be closed for maintenance. For more information, see this link.
The Island County Marine Resource Committee (MRC) has the issue of derelict vessels at the top of their list of priorities, and needs you to report abandoned boats found on our beaches. For more information, see the article “Make A Difference” by Kelly Zupich on page 3 of last week’s Whidbey Weekly:
If you are interesting in sharing your ideas for Clinton’s future, Island County Planning invites you to the Clinton Community Hall on October 25th from 3 pm – 7 pm. There will be visuals and information—and you will have a chance to let us know which ideas you support and which you think would not be in the best interest of the community. I hope you will put this on your calendar. If you have questions, call John Lanier at 360-678-7811.
Once again this week, the County saw two more COVID deaths. It hurts to write that same sentence every week. And our hospitalizations for COVID are going up. This thing is not over. Please, if you are an immunocompromised individual, please get the new Bivalent Booster. This week’s Health Matters talks about the expected fall surge in cases and the potential impact on our health services.
Last night I attended the Community Open House ice cream social at Good Cheer in Bayview, celebrating the new addition and Community Connection Program. A beautiful night to enjoy ice cream with friends and neighbors. Congratulations, Good Cheer, on your new space—and thank you for all the great work you do! Tomorrow night I’ll be at the Mr. South Whidbey pageant at the Freeland Hall, benefiting Friends of Friends Medical Support, which assists around 200 South Whidbey residents each year who need help with medical transportation and covering medical costs. As I type this, it looks like pageant tickets are still available to purchase online!
Monday Tea with Melanie: 3 p.m. at Crabby Coffee in the WiFire Community Space, 1651 E Main St, Freeland. Tea is on me.
Thanks,
Melanie
“What the light looks like in the pear trees, in October, is a hundred teardrops of gold, the whole orchard weeping.”
~ Carole Maso, The Art Lover
