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Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
Wednesday, May 9, 2018 VOL. 51, NO. 19 75¢ islandssounder.com
Viking sports update – page 2
April’s Grove affordable housing project 85 percent funded by Colleen Smith Armstrong
Judy Whiting/contributed photo
Editor/Publisher
It’s been a momentous few weeks for staff at OPAL Community Land Trust. The nonprofit has been awarded more than $6 million in state and federal funding to build April’s Grove, a neighborhood of 45 rental units in Eastsound. “This would not have been possible without the strong support demonstrated by the Orcas community and San Juan County for this project,” said Executive Director Lisa Byers in a press release. An award of $4,312,702 in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits was officially confirmed in late April. This is the first time in nearly 30 years that a project in San Juan County has received funding from the LIHTC. The tax credit program is the largest source of equity funding for rental housing in the nation. OPAL’s Lavender Hollow was built in 1990 with it. OPAL was also notified that it will receive grants of $1,576,843
OPAL’s fundraising team left to right: President Tim Fuller, trustees Rusty Diggs and Margaret Mills, Executive Director Lisa Byers and trustee and fundraising chair Pegi Groundwater.
from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund and $200,000 from the federal Community Development Block Grant program. After an in-depth assessment and board discussion, Orcas Island
Community Foundation chose to pledge $250,000 to April’s Grove. The money is from a legacy gift left by the late Bob Henigson and is contingent upon all other funds for the project being in place. In addition, OPAL has raised $2
million in private donations and received $217,000 from San Juan County. The total cost of the project is $12.5 million. “When combined with donations from individuals in the community, plus funding already
Parker charged with misconduct by the Criminal Justice Training Commission by Cali Bagby
Journal General Manager
A former county detective, who allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a sex crime victim, is facing the loss of his police credentials. On April 18, the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission charged former San Juan County Detective Stephen Parker with one count of official misconduct and/ or failure of duty and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant and/or false swearing. Parker has until June 22 to ask for a hearing. If he fails to make this request, his officer certification will be revoked, according to Tisha Jones, certification manager for the commission. According to the charging documents, Parker is facing a misconduct charge because he wilfully neglected to perform his duty as an officer and his actions involved dishonesty
and/or a false statement. Parker made a false or misleading statement when “he voluntarily submitted a signed statement under penalty of perjury to Deputy Lori Sigman of the Skagit County Sheriff ’s Office [the third party who investigated Parker’s relationship with the victim]. Parker’s sworn statement contained a materially false account of his relationship with [the victim],” according to the charging documents. On Aug. 8, Parker wrote in that statement, “I have never had any type of relationship whether physical, sexual or emotional with [the victim].” The Sigman investigation concluded this was not the case. A look at Parker’s history In June 2016, former Orcas Island teacher Gerald Grellet-Tinner was found guilty of two counts of sexual misconduct in the first degree. In the state of Washington a teacher and student both have to be 21 or older to have
consensual sex. The victim was 19 at the time. Later that summer, a new trial was granted based on lead detective Parker’s alleged relationship with the student. In December 2016, Parker resigned. A few weeks later he sold his island home and moved with his family to Florida. In 2017, the independent investigation was finalized. The final report alleged that Parker had an inappropriate relationship with the crime victim, showed disrespectful conduct toward her, used aliases to hide communication with her and shared details of other cases. In April 2017, San Juan Superior Court Judge Donald Eaton dismissed the misconduct charge against Grellet-Tinner. A few days later, Grellet-Tinner’s attorney sent a press release stating they would be seeking $10 million in compensation for damages stemming from the alleged violation of his constitutional rights by the county.
SEE PARKER, PAGE 4
committed from San Juan County, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, other foundations and two loans, April’s Grove now has 85 percent of the money needed to build,” said Byers. OPAL also received $204,000 from the Housing Trust Fund to purchase four scattered-site homes on Orcas and convert them to the community land trust model, making them permanently affordable to qualifying low-income homebuyers. “You cannot imagine how joyful we all feel,” said OPAL Outreach Manager Judy Whiting. “It’s very sad and difficult to have people come in looking for housing and we have to say all of our apartments are full.” One young woman, who has special needs, comes into the office every week to check on housing availability. Other locals currently in need of a home include a single man living in the woods, a young
SEE OPAL, PAGE 4
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