Journal of the San Juans, April 11, 2012

Page 1

Scene

Great Island Cleanup II: the sequel page 9

Sports

Track team nets 2nd place with top finishes page 13

Guest Column

Opportunities abound with better broadband; we’re workin on that — by OPALCO’s Chris Thomerson page 7

Journal u

The 75¢ Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 15

of the San Juan Islands

‘Egg-static’ Easter

www.sanjuanjournal.com

Fresh wind in Field of Dreams FHAA sets sights on one field in fundraiser By Scott Rasmussen

Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen

And they’re off. With colorful bags and buckets aplenty, Easter egg enthusiasts of all ages gather at Jackson Beach for San Juan Island Firefighters’ 26th Annual Easter Egg hunt.

Self-haul on SJ in doubt Town and County at loggerheads over privatization of Sutton Road transfer station By Steve Wehrly

The level of service ordinance passed by the San Juan County Council on April 3 is another step in the process of privatizing solid waste disposal service following voter rejection of the Council’s “Plan A” ballot proposal in November. Still unaddressed are self-haul and recycling/reuse services at transfer stations on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands. While

progress has been made to continue operations at the Orcas transfer station and the Lopez drop box facility, an operating plan for the Friday Harbor-owned Sutton Road facility on San Juan Island is at risk, if not regressing. On Lopez, an active citizens group (the Solid Waste Alternatives Project) wants to established local control of garbage, recycling and reuse operations by creating a Lopez-only Solid Waste Disposal

Journal file photo

The future of self-haul at the San Juan Island transfer station appears bleak.

See WASTE, Page 4

The winds of change are blowing through the Field of Dreams, carrying with them a change in course and a new strategy in bringing the promise of a sports complex, and a public park and a playground, closer to reality. In stages, that is. Donny Galt, Jr., president of Friday Harbor Athletic Association believes that the key to getting the gates open and the fields, the park and plans for a playground up and running is two-fold. It means focusing on just one field, for starters, and, perhaps more importantly, raising awareness of what the 30-acre lot at the north end of Carter Avenue truly can be. “The biggest hurdle for us all has been getting people to know that (the park) is for them, and having the knowledge it’s there,” Galt said. “The biggest thing we want the community to know is this is there for them.” With publicity in mind, the Athletic Association decided to throw a party, and invite the public, and hope that the community might embrace and support, and come to know the project in a way that it hasn’t before. Featuring live music, a barbecue dinner, live and silent auctions, beer and wine garden, and plenty of dancing, the Field of Dreams fundraiser is April 21, beginning at 4 p.m., at the San Juan County Fairgrounds. Along with boosting public awareness, the association also has a goal of having one multipurpose complete by Sept.

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

1 and will need to raise about $220,000 to make that happen, according to Rob Cuomo, a member of FHHA’s community sports field steering committee. That’s roughly the amount required to complete a list of items on a conditional-use permit that’s subject to approval by the town of Friday Harbor, which includes completed restrooms, installing more sidewalks and fencing, obtaining water rights for use of the wells and repair of the retention ponds. Though the hurdles are many, Cuomo maintains that the goal of having a single multi-purpose field open by Sept. 1, which could be used by the girls high school soccer team and youth recreSee Fields, Page 4

Attention Dog Owners! See our Casting Call www.sanjuanjournal.com


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