Sports
Island Scene
Softball team takes league lead, Bolger notches hole-in-one
Stage Left brings awardwinning play to town page 19
Guest Column
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research presses feds for answers in death of 3-year-old orca page 7
page 10
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 14
of the San Juan Islands
Power rates rise 3 percent
www.sanjuanjournal.com
PC puts gardens back in buffers By Scott Rasmussen
Rate hike goes into effect with March billings
See OPALCO, Page 4
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
Left, Barbara Thomas of Lopez and Planning Comission Chairman Brian Ehrmantraut wrestle with the wetland section of the county critical areas ordinance at the commission’s March 30 meeting in Friday Harbor.
Liquor license draws 12 bids
San Juan Islands’
Home Garden Spring 2012
By Steve Wehrly
The times, they are a-changin’ when it comes to liquor sales. But in the San Juans, maybe not so much. Because of the passage of Initiative 1183, Washington state is getting out of the liquor business, but many of the current stores, including liquor stores on Orcas and Lopez, plan to stay in business. Others, such as King’s Market and the Marketplace in Friday Harbor, as well as Island Market on Orcas, will be getting into the business of selling liquor for the first time and preparations are already under way.
Featured Inside:
At last. Spring has sprung. It’s time to get outside and get ready for summer. Our Home & Garden section includes stories by local experts and a preview of upcoming events. We hope it will help you make the most out of the spring season.
Photos Contributed by The Journal
The board of directors of Orcas Power and Light Cooperative approved an across-the-board rate increase of approximately 3 percent March 15, as well as some changes to the deposits and fees schedule, in order to meet operating expenses of the power cooperative current budget. The rate increase is effective with March billings. A nonprofit, member-owned cooperative, OPALCO delivers electricity at cost to 20 islands in the San Juans. OPALCO’s board is involved in an indepth review of the co-op’s rate structure (see It’s Electrifying archives at www.opalco.com). This rate increase is the first step, in order to meet operating expenses. In addition, the board has commissioned a cost-of-service study that will assist it in examining all tariffs and the overall rate structure as it compares with the billing determinants in our current contract with Bonneville Power Administration. OPALCO conducts cost-of-service studies every four to five years. OPALCO’s current contract with BPA includes a tiered rate structure that guarantees the co-op a certain amount of (mostly) hydro power up to a measured ceiling of demand, known as the high-water mark. When power loads grow beyond
Gardens are a go. At least as far as the San Juan County Planning Commission is concerned. The commission last week included gardens on the list of “allowed activities” within wetland buffers and, according to long-time commissioner Barbara Thomas, made significant changes to a series of proposed regulations that will dictate the future use and protection of local wetlands. Thomas, a commission member since the early 90s, said rules approved by the commission on Friday differs substantially from those proposed by the planning department. Gardens are one example. “It’s still a site-specific ordinance for wetlands and for buffers,” she said. “But it’s not the same ordinance that came to us.” The commission meets Thursday, in Friday Harbor, to determine the “facts and findings” to back its approval of wetland section of the county critical areas ordinance. The commission’s recommended wetland rules will then go to the County Council for a final decision. Up next for the planning commission is the Fish and Wildlife section of the CAO, which, according to Chairman Brian Ehrmantraut, will get under way sometime in May.
• Ridding the home of hazardous waste — Helen Venada/Brian Radar, HG 2 • Master your garden — Jody Burns, HG 3 • Maintenance tips, for the home — David Mieland, HG 5 • Arbor Day & edible trees — Roger Ellison/Shann Weston, HG 6 • Selling this spring? — Gary Franklin, HG 7
Inside: the Home & Garden Section, Spring 2012 Starting on page 11.
Journal file photo
As Washington state gets out of the business of selling liquor, island groSee Liquor, Page 4 cers prepare to enter the market.
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association