Read more about this year’s election results on page 9.
INSIDE Energy Matters
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Prepared for disaster?
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Jingle Bell Dinner
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www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 46 • NOVEMBER 13, 2012
A look at new era for solid waste on Lopez Submitted by Lopez Solid Waste District
Underscoring their commitment with a whopping 85 percent majority vote, Lopez voters on Tuesday ushered in a new era of community-based waste disposal with passage of the Lopez Solid Waste Levy. The one-year levy of 9.514 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation will help pay for waste disposal and recycling services at the former county transfer station, which – come January – will be operated by the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District. In strictly financial terms passing the levy means the Lopez disposal district will be able to carry out the goals of reducing waste disposal fees to $8 per can and offering free source-separated recycling. However, the broader implications of the
levy passage go far beyond the price of garbage disposal. “With 85 percent voting in favor of the levy, Lopezians have said loud and clear that they want to be stewards of their garbage and recycling future,” says Bruce Creps, a member of the five-person LSWDD Managing Board. “Passing the levy allows us to not only keep our dump and Take-It-Or-Leave-It open, but to work on viable alternatives to the unsustainable garbage system we have in this country.” The added revenue will allow the district to go forward with plans for a greatly expanded recycle program that could eventually include E-waste, construction waste, composting and more. “The opportunities for recycling will be
! now e l a ns ets o k c i T Fourth Annual
Jingle Bell Dinner Saturday, November 24, 6pm at the Lopez Community Center Dinner by The Bay
Tickets are $50, available at Paper Scissors on the Rock; LIHHS office, 178 Weeks Rd For more information call 468-4446
All proceeds to benefit Lopez Island Hospice & Home Support
Sunday, Nov. 18th 11am til 3pm Please Join Us!
Zero Waste. “Whereas most garbage systems plan for growth, our business plan calls for steadily reducing the amount of garbage that we ship off island each year,” says Creps. “As we Lopezians move down the path toward Zero Waste, the amount of garbage that we transport 350 miles to our regional landfill will be less and less. The good news is that the path to Zero Waste and the path to lowering our long-term cost for garbage are one and the same.” The strength of the levy vote underscores the strong sense of community among Lopezians and their commitment to protecting the facility they consider one of the island’s greatest treasures. SEE WASTE, PAGE 7
Great poetry presented at Lopez Library By Lorna Reese
Special to the Islands’ Weekly
When Kathleen Flenniken is on the road she feels lucky that she can present poetry to informed audiences and meet poets she admires. She learns of new
voices and often takes home a book or two. “Sometimes I get to speak to the poetry-averse or the poetry-afraid or the poetryuncomfortable and see them become more comfortable and even enjoy themselves,”
Thanks to everyone for another great Fall Festival of Shakespeare! Lopez Center
Paper Scissors on the Rock Holiday Open House
hugely expanded -- more comprehensive and unlike anything the county has seen,” agrees Facilities Manager Neil Hanson, who will continue in that position under LSWDD management. Past recycling efforts, Hanson says, have been limited to a short list of “mixed unlike materials,” which often destroys their value. Returning to a source-separated system for glass, paper, plastic and metal items will preserve the value of the recyclables and provide the greatest return. (Commingled recyclables will continue to be accepted, for a fee.) With an increase in the number of items that can be recycled will come a decrease in the volume of garbage that ultimately must be shipped off of Lopez, inching Lopez ever closer to the ultimate goal of
she said. “They’re very satisfying events.” Washington state Poet Laureate, Flenniken is talking about her experiences traveling around the state sharing poetry. Flenniken’s goal is to visit all 39 counties before her two-year term is up. She’ll read at the Lopez Library on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. Flenniken’s latest poetry collection, “Plume,” is a meditation on her hometown of Richland, Wash., and the
Community Performance Night
Saturday November 17th, 7:30pm Rock Night with:
and
Get ready to dance! By donation. Beer and wine for sale.
Annual Craft Fair Sat., Dec. 1 10 am-3 pm and Sun., Dec. 2 10 am-3 pm Come join us for a wide array of arts and crafts from all islands.
Any questions, call Kathy or Sydney 468-2233.
Islander
Resort
Family owned since 1997
Open Fri & Sat 7am-5pm Sun 7am to 4pm Thru Nov 25th Holly B's Cookbook, Holiday Stollen & Gingerbread People and Holly B's T-shirts and hats make great Holiday Gifts!!
Order Light Whole Wheat rolls for
Thanksgiving by Nov. 18
468-2133
Kathleen Flenniken nearby Hanford nuclear site. Her first book, “Famous,” won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She is an editor and president of Floating Bridge Press and president of the Jack Straw Foundation, an audio arts studio and cultural center. “Poetry is like music,” Flenniken continues. “You just need to find the voice that speaks to you. I’m going to be bringing Holly Hughes to read with me on Lopez, and local poet John Sangster will be joining us too. I like to bring a range of voices, a variety of styles; It’s that much more likely you’ll hear something that really grabs you.” Sangster is a popular Lopez poet whose work has appeared in several issues SEE POETRY, PAGE 12