LOCAL
The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 — 3
Morris plan for third new ferry clears committee The state ferry system would gain a much-needed new boat to modernize its aging fleet under a measure approved Friday, Jan. 31, by a House committee today. “Our state ferry system—the largest in the United States—plays a critical role in the economic and recreational life of the Puget Sound region,” said Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, who sponsored the proposal. “We need to make sure ferry travel is safe, Rep. Jeff Morris reliable and efficient. That means replacing the system’s outdated boats, some of which date back to the Eisenhower Administration.” Morris said improvements to the ferry system are especially important to residents of the 40th Legislative District, which he represents in the House and which includes the San Juan
Islands and the mainland coast from Anacortes to Bellingham. The measure, House Bill 1129, would set fees of $5 for each new or renewed vehicle registration, and of $12 for each vehicle title transaction processed by country auditors or the state Department of Licensing, with that money going to the financing of a new, 144-vehicle ferry in the system’s Issaquah class. Those charges are now assessed and pocketed by the private licensing agents that many car and truck owners go to for registrations and title paperwork—but the transactions currently are exempt from the fees when they are performed by county auditors or the DOL. The state Department of Transportation has already contracted with Vigor Industrial to build two new 144-vehicle ferries at its Puget Sound shipyards. Construction of the third boat would take advantage of the worker skills, expertise and efficiency developed by Vigor, reducing the vessel’s cost. The approval by the House Transportation Committee routes the bill to the full House for consideration.
A New Romantic Ballet and more…
La Danse et La Musique Sat, February 8 7:30 pm • San Juan Community Theatre
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News briefs
David St. George is the new Lopez Island Park Manager, the county parks department announced. David is a career Wildlife Biologist/Land Manager who has worked for public and private nonprofit organizations for over 20 years. T h e David St. George p osit ion oversees regular operations of the seven county parks on Lopez. The new park manager will begin work on Lopez in early February. Dona Wuthnow, Parks & Fair Director, said about St. George: “He brings a whole new level of skills and abilities to the Parks Department. His combination of talents will help us not only in the management of the newly renovated Odlin Park, but in developing a management plan for Odlin South, and improving management and operations at all the county parks on Lopez.” St. George has extensive experience as a biologist in conducting wildlife and vegetation surveys, habitat restoration, and weed management. As a Nature Conservancy land manager for the past eight years, he ran the daily operations of five preserves totaling 30,000 acres. “Lopez is a very special place to me and my wife with its rural life style and beautiful environment,” he said. “I am looking forward to living on the island and contributing to the preservation and management of the San Juan county parks for both residents and visitors.”
David and Beth will relocate to Lopez from Wenatchee, Washington. He is a graduate of Evergreen State College and likes to fish and hunt, watch birds and be in the outdoors.
CAO changes slated to take effect March 1
The San Juan County Critical Areas Ordinances will take effect on March 1, 2014. All permit applications submitted on or after that date will have to meet the new standards. Permits submitted prior to March 1 will be reviewed in line with regulations in effect when the application was submitted. The County Council will put final touches on the Critical Areas regulations in February to bring the updates into compliance with the latest Growth Management Hearings Board rulings on legal challenges to the proposed updates. The final public hearing on the CAO is scheduled for the February 4th County Council Meeting. The CAO updates were produced under a Growth Management Act mandate requiring periodic reviews of the regulations protecting the county’s most essential assets. The process was required to consider whether CAO regulations make sense in light of current conditions and the best scientific information that is available. Appeals and petitions are still pending. More information about the CAO, and helpful links to resources are contained in an information bulletin by the Community Development and Planning Department, available on the County website at http:// sanjuanco.com/cdp/CAO_ ImplemenationDocs.aspx. People planning construction or development
projects can contact the San Juan County Community Development & Planning Department at (360) 3782354 for additional information or to arrange a preapplication meeting and site inspection.
Telecom Co.’s on hook for outages under Ranker bill
Telecommunication companies would be required to credit customers for service outages for which they are responsible and that exceed more than 12 hours in a monthly billing cycle as part of a bill under consideration in Olympia. Sponsored by state Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 24 fellow lawmakers, the bill, known as the Telecommunications Consumer Fairness Act, is intended to bring a little more fairness to the relationship between consumers and their telecommunications providers, Ranker said. “If a person is late paying their bill, you can bet their cable, Internet, cell phone or landline provider will let you know about it,” he said. “Isn’t
it only fair that if those same providers fail to provide a service consumers have paid for that the consumers are compensated when that service isn’t provided? I think so and that’s what this bill is about.” Under the bill, the amount of credit a consumer receives is based on monthly billing and is prorated based on the number of days or portions of days of the outage. Failure to provide the billing credit will be a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
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County Parks picks new chief for Lopez parks
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This levy provides for maintenance and operation, staffing support, and educational programming to support vital K-12 education. Ballots must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Elections Office by Tuesday, February 11th. www.sjlevy.org Committee for San Juan School District Levies & Bonds PO Box 2452, Friday Harbor, WA 98250