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WEDNESDAY, September 12, 2012 • VOL. 45, NO. 37 • 75¢
County council to submit state, federal legislative priorities by Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
The San Juan County Council has drafted state and federal legislative priorities bound for Olympia and Washington DC. Councilwoman Lovel Pratt is spearheading the priorities effort. The priorities have undergone several drafts in response to council discussions and public testimony at council hearings. Final council action on the recommendations will probably occur in October.
Federal
Colleen Smith Armstrong/staff photo
Fall sports preview
See our fall sports preview on pages 7-10. Pictured above is soccer captain Lana Bronn during a Sept. 8 home game. Viking Kirsten Fowler is pictured in back.
Not alone
Orcas Island support group started for parents of children with special needs by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor and Publisher
Raising a child comes with its ups and downs. Add developmental delays or behavioral problems, and the road gets rockier. Now island parents have a place to share their struggles – and stories of joy – with others. The Island Parent Collaboration support group has been meeting since May and has a core group of moms and dads who meet on a monthly basis. “I wanted a place for parents who are raising
The council’s first federal legislative priority for 2013 is directed at oil spill prevention and response, partly in reaction to present and future increases in shipments from British Columbia ports of “bitumen” derived from the oil sands of Alberta. Shipments are expected to grow every
kiddos with special needs to share and talk,” said facilitator Tess White. “Down the line, I want it to be a group that can do some advocacy in the community as well.” Tess and her husband Greg are parents to Grayson, 13, Erin, 11, and nine-year-old Willow. Erin was diagnosed with autism when she was four. As the Whites faced a new challenge, Tess craved a support group close to home. “The difficult years were between the ages of two and seven. Erin is developmentally delayed and communicates differently than most kids,” said Tess, who is a pre-school teacher at Kaleidoscope and is completing a master’s program in teaching and early childhood special education. “We face unique challenges in terms of little things like huge breakdowns and major tantrums. It made it difficult for us to travel or go places.” The nearest support group she found was on the mainland. She attended sessions and even trained as a “helping parent” for that program. But the ferry trips were a hassle. Now she is offer-
year for many years, and the heavy, tarry bitumen is especially problematic in the Salish Sea because it sinks – a potential disaster should a spill occur. The issue of bitumen transportation through local waters dovetails with future coal shipments from the proposed Gateway Pacific terminal near Bellingham, but the significant attention these issues will receive from the federal Environmental Impact Statement process suggest that little congressional action can be expected. Other proposed federal priority issues: funding for the Cattle Point Road realignment project in the San Juan Island National Historical Park; designation of San Juan County BLM lands as a National Monument (by presidential proclamation) or as a National Conservation Area (by congressional action); funding for Orca protec-
ing something to island parents. “This is open to all different kinds of families,” Tess said. “It’s not about labeling your kid. It’s about supporting parents, even for those who are experiencing challenges and don’t know why.” Island Parent Collaboration meets once a month in Greg’s office at 531 Fern Street in Eastsound. Upcoming sessions are on Wednesday, Sept. 12 and Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Greg makes cookies and snacks and the atmosphere is informal. Stories shared at the meetings are entirely anonymous. Tess says her biggest hope is the secure funding for child care so single parents or both moms and dads can attend. For more information, call Tess at 376-4991 or visit the group’s Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/IslandParentCollaboration. Erin just started the sixth grade at the public school, where she has had the same aide for years. Tess says that while life has become easier for the family, things like the first day of school
See SUPPORT, Page 6
tion enforcement; updating flood insurance rate maps in the county; and funding for the Deer Harbor bridge project. Because of Sen. Patty Murray’s chairmanship of the Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Cattle Point Road project and the Deer Harbor bridge project are the likely to be successful.
Washington state Because the county is represented in Olympia by a state senator and two state representatives, the 2013 state legislative priorities will receive substantial attention from the Legislature, according to Pratt.
See PRIORITIES, Page 6
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