Regarding the letter to the editor last week bemoaning the “apparent disrepair” of the mini-park at the corner of North Beach and School Road, there are a couple of things that need to be pointed out.

Each April the Kiwanis Club of Orcas Island has a work party to do the cleanup and pruning.  Students from the Key Club work with us.  Robin Kucklick volunteers his time, equipment and expertise to help out.  This year the Kiwanis Club donated and installed a new bench. One more bench is needed. We leave the park in good shape.  After that, weeds tend to make the park look untended. Expecting anybody to continually pull weeds is a long shot. The organic weed killer that the county allows to be applied is not very effective.

I doubt that our hard working county employees have time to pull weeds, and there is probably enough public sentiment against using Roundup to eliminate that as a solution.

More volunteer time and one more new bench will be welcomed.  Contact San Juan County Public Works with your ideas.

Bill Westlake

Kiwanis Club Member