ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [June 28, 2024]

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., June 28, 2024.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 27^th week of 2024.

The County offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5 in celebration of Independence Day. Because of that, I will not publish a newsletter next Friday.

BURN BAN NOTICE: A TYPE 1 BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT AS OF MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024. NO OUTDOOR BURNING OF NATURAL DEBRIS – EVEN WITH A PERMIT. For more information, see the Sheriff’s Office page on the County website.

• Regular Session.  The agenda and video recording for the Tuesday June 25^th Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners is here.
  • There was no public comment on Tuesday.
  • On the consent agenda, we passed Resolution C-33-24: revising the membership of the Northwest Clean Air Agency by adding San Juan County to the Agency,
  • We held a public hearing on the County’s Six-year Capital Improvement Program for 2024 – 2029 (mark 0:01:55 in the recording). No members of the public commented; we approved the CIP as presented.
  • During Commissioners’ Comments I spoke in support of adding fireworks to the restricted items list for a Type 1 Burn Ban, mark 0:06:06 in the recording.
  • The agenda for the July 2^nd regular meeting is here. On that agenda: adoption of the Island County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and an application from the Whidbey Camano Land Trust for $10,000 in Conservation Futures Funds for an accessible trail and educational pavilion easement at the Keystone Preserve.

• Upcoming BOCC Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):
  • July 9: Polnell Shores Franchise
  • July 9:  PBRS Freedom Park
  • July 16:  Port of Coupeville
  • July 16:  WAVE Broadband
  • July 23:  Crescent Acres Franchise
  • Sept 17 (pending BOCC approval of date):  Budget Amendment
• Work Session. The next work session of the Board of Island County Commissioners will be held on Wednesday, July 10^th. The agenda for that work session will be available by Friday, July 5^th here. Since it will have been 3 weeks since the last work session, I would expect July 10^th to be a long one.
• The Council of Governments met Wednesday, June 26. (Both the IRTPO and the ILIO meetings were cancelled). The COG listened to an interesting presentation from Kitsap Transit on their Fast Ferry Service and how they’ve implemented electric passenger-only ferries. The recording is here.
• Island Transit. The next meeting of the Island Transit Board will occur on Friday, July 12,
  • Effective Sunday, July 7: Due to a staffing shortage, we will be cancelling the seasonal park route in Central Whidbey Island for the remainder of the summer.
  • Effective Sunday, July 7: the Clinton Commuter route will be cancelled. But no worries! The Route 1 Northbound bus will be taking over, following the same times and same bus stops/route as the Clinton Commuter.
  • Route 6 will have a new schedule that returns the route to the Coupeville Ferry Terminal.
  • Due to the arrival of new drivers and other changes, there were ZERO cancellations of our core fixed route services this week.
  • A new class of drivers just started training that includes drivers for both our Whidbey and Camano services.
  • Island Transit recently ordered 6 new Chrysler Pacifica minivans for our Rideshare program. All six minivans are plug-in electric hybrids which will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. So not only does our Rideshare program reduce emissions by encouraging carpooling by commuters, but the vehicles they drive will have very low emissions compared to our older vehicles.
• Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan Update: This is a link to the Planning Commission page. You can find details on their meetings and minutes, including Zoom info, here. The Planning Commission meets at 6 pm on the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of each month; the agendas are published at least a week in advance. The next meeting of the Planning Commission will be held Wednesday, July 17^th, at 6 pm.
• I encourage you to join and participate in the Comprehensive Plan Update public engagement website: https://www.islandcounty2045.com/.

Clinton Sub Area Plan Outreach

• June 29, 10-4, Clinton Summer Market at the Clinton Community Hall – we will be hosting an information booth to promote our July workshop
• July 24, 4:30-6 pm, Clinton Sub Area Plan Workshop at the Clinton Community Hall – this will be the first workshop we’re holding to do some visioning with the community to inform the plan

Summer Festivals

• July 25 & 26, all day, Whidbey Island Fair – we are tabling with Health to share comp plan information
• July 13 & 14, all day, Hydro’s for Hero’s – we are tabling with Oak Harbor staff to share comp plan information
• Sept. 7, time TBD, NASWI Base Open House
• On Tuesday night, the Clinton Community Council, Sno-Isle Libraries, and the Friends of the Clinton Library sponsored a very successful candidate forum featuring the four people running for Island County Commissioner for District 1. Not only was the room packed, people were crowded into the kitchen and stood in the doors and outside the windows. When the recording of the forum is posted, I will include a link in this newsletter. Coming up on at 6:30 pm Tuesday evening July 9^th: these same three groups are sponsoring another candidate forum at the Clinton Community Hall, featuring the candidates for the 10^th Legislative District seats: the three candidates for State Representative position 1, the two candidates for State Representative position 2, and the three candidates for State Senator.
• Cama Beach State Park – Special Commission Meeting. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a special meeting to hear a staff report and public comments on whether to reopen the cabins where they currently sit at Cama Beach. No action will be taken during the special meeting.
  • Winter storms damaged the seawall, and significant portions of the septic system failed. Repairs will require extensive ground disturbance in the park, which has known environmental and cultural complexities. Please refer to the Cama Beach Project Webpage for more information. 
  • The meeting will begin promptly at 6 p.m. on Mon., July 15, at Stanwood High School Commons, 7400 272nd St NW, Stanwood, WA 98292. The meeting is expected to last until about 9 p.m. Public comment will be limited to two minutes per speaker. This will be the only opportunity for oral comment on this item.
• The Island County Historical Society is featuring free Porch Stories on Wednesday afternoons through the summer, on the porch of the Island County Museum in Coupeville. Check out this link to see which ones most interest you.
• August 8, 2024, 2 pm, Coupeville High School: 50^th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War. If you are a US veteran of any branch of the military who was on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, Representative Rick Larsen wants to honor your service as a Vietnam Era veteran by providing you with the Vietnam Veteran lapel pin and a copy of the President’s proclamation. We hope that all qualified veterans will join us in this recognition event, scheduled to last from 2 – 3 pm on August 8 in the Coupeville High School auditorium. To join our mailing list or ask questions, reach us at info@whidbeyvet.org.
• You can find all of my newsletters since January 2023 here.
• I am hoping to be able to return to my normal “Mondays with Melanie” schedule in Coupeville and Freeland by mid-July. Thanks for your patience.

Melanie

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

–The Declaration of Independence

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