Journal of the San Juans, November 06, 2013

Page 1

Island Scene

History in the making: Pioneer industries featured in new exhibit PAGE 11

Election Results

Visit SanJuanJournal.com for Tuesday’s election results WWW.SANJUANJOURNAL.COM

Guest Column

Dogfight? Are local officials playing favorites in the arena of medical air flights? PAGE 7

Journal

The 75¢ Wednesday, November 6, 2013 Vol. 106 Issue 45

of the San Juan Islands

County readies $53M budget

www.sanjuanjournal.com

New digs in town for US Customs By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter

By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter

Everything you want to know about San Juan County government and the proposed 2014 budget can be found in 153 pages of the county preliminary budget document prepared for the County Council by Auditor Milene Henley. These documents, which will be revised when the County Council approves the budget after a series of public hearings over the next several weeks, can be found at http:// sanjuanco.com/Budget2014/ docs/2014Preliminar y_ Budget_Book_Complete.pdf. Everything, that is, except the “Non-General Fund” budget, which totals $32,987,817 - more than half of the total county budget of $53,326,315. The “NonGeneral Fund” accounts apply to certain dedicated funds which have their own sources of revenue, including dedicated taxes, grants from various sources, intergovernmental transfers, fees and other sources. These receipts and expenditures will be included in the final budget documents. The preliminary budget summary, which will be presented to the council on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 4 and 5, by Auditor Henley and County Manager Mike Thomas, shows a General Fund total of $20.4 See BUDGET, Page 5

Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen

Ground floor space at Friday Harbor Center, located at the intersection of Spring and First streets, will be the new headquarters of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Dozen docks red-tagged for removal

See CUSTOMS, Page 4

Poorly maintained, illegally moored in Shipyard Cove, the dock at left is one of six floating structures, all in various states of disrepair, slated to seized and removed by state authorities.

By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

Unlicensed, illegally moored and poorly maintained, nearly a dozen smaller-sized docks and floats will be hauled out of Friday Harbor and out of Orcas Island’s Deer Harbor beginning in midNovember. The floating structures, in addition to being unauthorized, will be removed in an effort to improve navigation and ensure environmental protection, and before they

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol will move into office space in the heart of downtown Friday Harbor sometime next year. Gordy Petersen, owner of Friday Harbor Center, at the intersection of First and Spring streets, and CBP public information officer Chief Thomas Schreiber each confirmed that a lease has been signed and that CBP would relocate from its office at the Port of Friday Harbor “in 2014.” Petersen anticipates CBP will be operating in the street-level office space by “mid-summer.” The lease, which the General Services Administration says was awarded “after a full and open competition” in August, 2013, is for ten years, with an option for an additional five years. The 10-year total value for rentals, tenant improvements, building services and six parking spaces is $2,124,095.20, according to Stephanie Kenitzer of the U.S. General Services Administration. The details of the layout and materials was not publicly disclosed “for security reasons” by the GSA, which is the property management agency

Contributed photo / DNR

become damaged or unhinged by winter storms, according to Brenda Treadwell of the state Department of Natural Resources. “These floating docks are in various states of disrepair, and some are likely to break apart in a

significant storm,” said Treadwell, DNR aquatic resources manager for San Juan County. “In addition, many of these structures contain old tires, exposed foam and other hazards that can harm the aquatic See REMOVAL, Page 4

2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

‘Movember’ Clean shaven to best mustache on the island … a benefit for Prostate Cancer Awareness.


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