Wednesday, July 30, 2014 • The Islands’ Sounder
LETTERS FROM 4 all these daily rentals must have a permit for being short-term rental and yet there is apparently no way to know. According to one county official, monitoring the lodging industry falls to the treasurer, but that same official reported that, “the treasurer says she doesn’t have the resources to do it.” I’m not opposed to individual commerce, but the community should ask if the consequences of ignoring this underground economy are acceptable or desired. Some consequences are positive, like distributing revenue and permitting enterprise to benefit not just those that win the lottery for a short-term rental or can work the bureaucracy to get their property zoned correctly or get a CUP. On the other hand, there is probably severe leakage or non-payment of lodging tax, sales tax and property tax (which support public services and our schools), and our island absorbs a higher influx of transient visitors that stress our services while displacing residents and workers from housing or making it unaffordable by driving up rents. This is an issue that needs to be addressed now, not in months or years. Perhaps creating a searchable county database of approved shortterm rentals and lodging would permit concerned citizens to monitor the websites and report possible violators to the prosecuting attorney. I’m sure there is a better solution. I look forward to our community and government taking this on. If you share my concern, please contact your councilman, the treasurer’s office and the EPRC to voice your concern. Tony Simpson Olga
Victoria Parker to retire from OICMF At our Board meeting on Tuesday, July 15, Victoria Parker, the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s Executive Director since 2006, announced her upcoming retirement, sometime within the next year. Victoria has been the organization’s third executive director in its 17 year history and has taken the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival to a remarkable level of stature and recognition. Her leadership
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as Executive Director has been exemplary, both as the voice of experience in a non-profit organization that has become an important part of island life and in her personal interactions with so many of us. Over the years Victoria has created a streamlined office flow with Joyce Stone, Festival Office and Marketing Manager, and Laura Gibbons, Festival Production Manager. Our Festival office has a beautiful atmosphere, and Victoria continues to welcome all who visit. (There’s a good chance that she already knows your favorite variety of tea!) Also, her passion for impacting the lives of younger island residents is evident in our greatly expanded Music Education Program. This past year we passed the torch of Board President from Valerie Anders to Sam Coleman. That this transition has happened so smoothly is largely due to the fundamental stability of our organization as manifested in Victoria’s fine work. The Executive Directorship and Board leadership continue to support Aloysia Friedmann’s Artistic vision. A Search Committee
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has been assembled to move towards finding a new Executive Director. We have a long established Succession Plan protocol, and we all look forward to a challenging task ahead and the very thoughtful process involved. In the meantime, we embrace Victoria and her decision to step down with confidence in the knowledge that the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival is in a very good and strong place. We also look forward to many opportunities to thank Victoria for her dedication to the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. Thank you, Victoria. We will celebrate you with music throughout the coming year! Aloysia Friedmann Founder, Artistic Director Sam Coleman Board President
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Lambiel Museum is special We recently had the opportunity to re-visit the Lambiel Museum on Orcas. We moved here more than 16 years ago. It was one of our first local experiences. How special to see art work, sculptures and pottery by so many local familiar artists again. Living in the Rosario area we have been watching the graceful Greek folly slowly emerge when we drove by. To walk into it, have pointed out the design of the ceiling, the aging technique to make the columns seem truly of ancient origin, is to experience just an incredible work of art. Thank you Mr. Lambiel for placing such a treasure on our beautiful island for locals and visitors to enjoy. Jackie and Dick Rudd Orcas Island
Net is missing An 80-foot seine net used by the Indian Island Marine Health Observatory has disappeared from its storage site at Eastsound’s county park. The large white net and its olive green plastic tub or raft has been used for six years to monitor the health of fish populations around Indian Island, and has been a popular element of public outreach and education.
While the net is old and patched, the cost of replacing it and its raft is more than $900, a heavy burden for a local volunteer program. Return of the net, or information leading to its return or recovery, would be greatly appreciated by this community science program, which cannot complete this summer’s fish monitoring without it. Contact kwiaht@gmail.com Indian Island Marine Health Observatory
Did You Know
IMC ISLANDS MARINE CENTER, INC.
Has a Service Department? Ph. 360.468-3377
IslandsMarineCenter.com
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Across 1. "Naughty you!" 6. ___ carotene 10. Fink 14. Muggy 15. Carbon compound 16. Reduce, as expenses 17. Getting on 18. Certain surgeon's "patient" 19. "O" in old radio lingo 20. Interventions 22. Alternative to steps 23. Cuban dance 24. Book of maps 25. Fungal spore sacs 29. Sightings 31. Plant material used as fuel 33. Direction the wind is blowing 37. Barrio resident 38. Lack of vigor 39. Nauseant 41. "Way to go!" 42. Sideways 44. Decomposes 45. Batter's position 48. Nosegay 50. Woman's dress, in India 51. Sporatic popping sounds 56. BBs, e.g. 57. Apple's apple,
e.g. 58. Acoustic 59. Animal with a mane 60. Persia, now 61. Inclination 62. "The War of the Worlds" base 63. ___ bag 64. Perfect, e.g. Down 1. Bogus 2. Bigger than big 3. During 4. Peewee 5. First name in mystery
6. On occasion 7. Attire 8. ___ clipper 9. Brews 10. Exercise attire 11. Political clique 12. Bouquet 13. Attentiongetters 21. Tuft of grass 24. Bond, for one 25. ___-bodied 26. Thailand, once 27. Pigeon's home 28. Counterfeits 30. Extremely tidy 32. Biscotti flavoring 34. Early pulpit
35. Brawl 36. Quite a while 40. 1972 Winter Games site 41. Common solvent 43. Chewy candy 45. Church song 46. Female demon 47. Knight's "suit" 49. Bakery supply 51. Buttonhole, e.g. 52. Be a monarch 53. "Pumping ___" 54. Drops off 55. Delight Answers to today's puzzle on page 16