Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Apr. 22, 2022.
Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 16th week of 2022.
- Wednesday’s work sessions can sometimes be long, but they’re always interesting. This was a fairly short one—just over two hours. You can find the agenda here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/worksessions/2022/0420202 and listen to the audio here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/worksessions/2022/04202022WS%20Audio.mp3. The “other” folder for April 20 can be found here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/Pages/WorkSessions.aspx.
- I spent the first 3 minutes of this work session ranting about a bad public service experience I had on Wednesday. You might find it entertaining to hear that even Commissioners receive poor service from county employees from time to time—and be glad to learn that in our opinion such treatment toward any member of the public is never okay. Starts immediately, ends at the 00.03:30 mark.
- The county is considering purchase of a couple of properties in response to our constricted office space in Coupeville and to provide additional service in the Oak Harbor area. This was an add-on to our agenda. You can hear our discussion on these properties and the direction we gave to Facilities Director Ryan Beach to pursue due diligence with the owners of the properties at the 00.03:30 mark, immediately after the end of my rant. If you would like to review the documents, please contact my office.
- One of the county’s favorite partners is Island Senior Resources. On Wednesday, outgoing Executive Director Cheryn Weiser brought Finance Director Leigh Anderson and new managers Michele Cato (incoming Executive Director) and Kathryn Howell (Director of Programs) to meet the Island County Board of Commissioners and update us on 2020-2021 services delivered to seniors, adults with disabilities, and caregivers. It was an eye-opening presentation—for example, we learned that they provided over 4000 trips to medical appointments in the last two years. This is the 50th Anniversary of this incredibly important agency. Thanks not only to the staff who manage the programs but also to the hundreds of volunteers who work to keep the myriad of programs and support groups strong and available to everyone who needs them. The audio begins at the 00:10:45 mark; the presentation slides are available in the “other” folder for April 20. If you or anyone you know could benefit from the assistance provided by Island Senior Services (such as Meals on Wheels and caregiver support groups), I encourage you to contact them at 360-321-1600, or 360-678-3373, or email them at reception@islandseniorservices.org. Their website is here: https://senior-resources.org/.
- In 2019, the state legislature appropriated $1,000,000 for a historic preservation grant program within Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. The historic Coupeville Wharf, Fort Casey’s “Big Guns,” the Alexander Blockhouse, and the Haller House are among the 12 significant properties selected to receive the state funded Ebey’s Reserve Historic Preservation Grant. Due to COVID there had not yet been any public celebration recognizing the huge benefit to the Reserve of these grants. On Thursday I attended a tour in Coupeville of a few of the grantees, the Coupeville Cash Store (now Sea Bre’s Yarn), Terry’s Dryer (now Vail Wine Shop), Benson Confectionary (now Kingfisher Bookstore), the Whidbey Mercantile (now Toby’s), and the Haller House. Along with Representative Dave Paul, Representative Greg Gilday, Coupeville Mayor Molly Hughes, and Coupeville Port Commissioner David Day, I learned about the history of these buildings and the incredible work and dedication it takes to preserve them. My thanks to Ebey’s Preserve Executive Director Marie Shimada and her staff, and to all the volunteers, business owners, and others who spent their time Thursday providing the tour and educating us. Congratulations and thank you to all the preservation-minded people who applied for and received these grants to keep their buildings vital for upcoming generations to enjoy. And thanks to Rep. Paul and the other legislators who pushed for and passed this appropriation.
- Resolutions & Proclamations passed this week.
- Resolution No. C-26-22 (Consent Agenda): Proclaiming April 22, 2022 Deception Pass State Park Manager Day in Island County
- Resolution No. C-27-22 (Regular Agenda): Proclaiming April 22, 2022 Earth Day in Island County
- Upcoming Public Hearings. All these meetings will be open to the public at our regular 10 am Tuesday Board meeting, both in person and virtually at https://meet.starleaf.com/4919878603/app
- April 26th: Public Hearing to amend the 2021 Island County Budget to fund unforeseen expenditures and recognize unanticipated revenue related to COVID-19.
- May 3rd: Public Hearing CONTINUED on a revision of the Planning Code regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). At the public hearing on April 19th , in response to a comment from a member of the public, the Board discussed making an additional change to the code. Since this change had not been part of the documents made available to the public previously, we continued the public hearing to May 3rd so interested members of the public will have an opportunity to review this change along with the other changes prior to a decision being made by the Board. Public comment during the public hearing has been closed—but the Board will review written comments and hear comments made during the regular public comment part of this meeting.
- COVID. We are seeing the increase in cases we expected with the elimination of mask mandates and increased socialization. Unfortunately, we saw another death from COVID this week. This week’s COVID response newsletter can be found here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Health/Pages/COVID-Report.aspx
- The county has put in place a temporary fix of the Freeland Dock which allows it to be used while the full repair is in the permitting process. As part of this temporary fix, each float was attached on both sides with rubber matting in order to compensate for the wind and wave oscillation. The mats have been secured with stainless steel wood screws and fender washers, and the floats were cleaned of accumulated debris. The County Parks Department will monitor the repair and fix as needed. They feel that this offers a safe alternative until the dock can be repaired properly. My thanks to Parks Supervisor Jan Van Muyden for his continuing work on this.
Happy Earth Day, everyone! This weekend I plan to go out and enjoy the rhododendrons.
Thanks,
Melanie
“To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.”
—Bill Nye
