By SCOTT RASMUSSEN County reporter The Housing and Land-use elements of San Juan County’s Comprehensive Plan will need to be…
Border agent to meet with Council on March 18
Although alternative learning education programs have been regulated by the state since 1985, incorporating “home-based education” into the Orcas Island School District (OISD) is still in the formative stages. OASIS High School, the alternative high school on Orcas, was formally established just last year. Internet learning has been part of the official school credit program since 2004.
County government and agencies are working together to ensure that the environment of the county’s islands and waters is protected. On April 19, on Lopez Island, a “Conservation Summit” will show all islanders what is happening to their environment, what has been done to protect it, and what they can do to be a part of local efforts to preserve the environment.
RideShare has come to Orcas Island. Owen Cheevers and Andrew Youngren of Orcas Island have taken the lead from Liza Michaelson, of San Juan Island, who created San Juan RideShare. Orcas RideShare is creating and supporting alternatives to driving around the islands for simple errands.
According to witnesses, a Honda Accord driven by an older Orcas Island woman, accelerated out of the Key Bank drive-up lane into the Island Market parking lot Monday, April 7 at about 12:20 p.m. crashing head-on into a Subaru Legacy driven by a 67 year-old woman who was pulling out of a parking space. After hitting the Subaru, the Honda Accord bounced off of a Honda Odyssey parked on the opposite side of the lot.
The issue of “Climate Change in the San Juans” was the subject of a lecture on April 5 at Benson Hall presented by Doug Myers, the chief scientist of People For Puget Sound. Climate change is hot news right now.
Classroom teachers at the primary level assess students using a measurement called DIBLES, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. In recent K -2 testing of Orcas Island School District primary grade students, the kindergarten scored the highest.
Issues of commercial growth and affordable housing dominated public testimony at the April 4 hearing of the Eastsound land supply analysis, presented by Colin Maycock, Senior Planner for the County’s Development and Planning Department (CDPD) to the county Planning Commission.
In a press release sent by the Ferries Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on April 3, it was announced that WSDOT is rejecting a $26 million bid from Todd Pacific Shipyards to build a 50-car ferry. At the March 27 bid opening, Todd was the sole project bidder. Its bid was higher than the WSDOT engineer’s estimate of $16.8 million.
It looks like frisky but well mannered dogs will soon have a new location where they can run, romp, and play.
At the regularly scheduled public Board meeting of March 26, the Lopez Island School District Board of Directors conducted an annual performance evaluation of Superintendent Bill Evans and renewed his contract for school year 2008-09. The Board declared Evans to be performing satisfactorily and then renewed his contract unanimously with no changes. The no-frills contract presented by Evans includes vacation days, a cell-phone allowance, medical benefits, and no pay increase.
Orcas Fire responded to a reported wild land fire near the Westsound Fire Station on Saturday, March 22. Despite winter weather conditions and the fact the fire was burning on a wet marsh, over three-quarters of an acre was scorched before firefighters were able to knock it down. The fire moved quickly through dead grass and brush, briefly threatening a boat barn and debris next to the structure. There were no injuries or structural damage.
