SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
Real Estate in the San Juans
Inside this edition www.islandssounder.com
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2013 VOL. 46, NO. 20 75¢
Animal love
Orcas couple goes to Thailand to work with elephants, returns home with new puppy by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Publisher
Packs of dogs roam freely and happily among the elderly elephants. Most of these canines are owned by the sanctuary’s staff and are part of the family. Nearby, hundreds of dogs are contained in outdoor runs. Some are sweet, some are aggressive. All of them were rescued from the streets of Bangkok after floods left them homeless and injured. “Many had rotted limbs and needed amputations,” said Tracy Harachi, who traveled to the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand last December with her husband Nate Yoffa. “One dog gave birth while clinging to a cement wall, submerged in water ... her tail rotted off.” Harachi, a professor at the University of Washington and Yoffa, who works for a software company, went to the park to lend care to elephants who were rescued from inhumane and abusive work conditions. But they encountered something unexpect-
ed: hundreds of dogs and cats who survived Thailand’s devastating floods in 2011. The founders of Elephant Nature Park gathered up the animals and brought them to the 150-acre park via small boats. At one point, they had 500 dogs. There are around 40 dogs per run. “It was completely overwhelming,” Yoffa said. In addition to feeding and caring for the animals, the nonprofit provides free vet care and spay/ neuter services to the nearby villages. Yoffa and Harachi spent time with many of the dogs, including a shepherd mix named Steel. She was hit by a car and put in a metal cage to die, as euthanasia is not permitted in Thailand. Steel lost both of her hind legs, and now gets around with a set of wheels and a specially built tile floor. One dog in particular caught their attention: a young, sweet pup named Bua Kao, which means “White Lotus.” She had been at the
SEE RESCUED, PAGE 5
Colleen Smith Armstrong/Staff Photo
Lek Chailert photos
Top: Tracy Harachi and Nate Yoffa with (l-r) Jasmine, B.K. and Joey at their home on Orcas Island. Above: Some of the dogs that were rescued in Bangkok. Right: A new baby elephant at the park in Thailand.
Contention over aerial photos contract by STEVE WEHRLY Journal reporter
Controversy over a contract for high-tech aerial photographs of San Juan County clouded the final meeting of the six-person county council on May 7. The council approved a $122,000 threeyear contract with Pictometry International on March 12 to update a set of comprehensive photographs first obtained six years ago. The photos are used for road and land use planning by the Public Works and Community Development and Planning departments, and for various purposes by other government and private agencies. Councilmen Marc Florenza and Bob Jarman previously voted against the contract and renewed their objections at the May 7 hearing. When originally approved, the council required Stan Matthews, interim information services manager, who brought the proposal to the council, to obtain one-third of the cost from non-county sources, such as the Port of Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Fire Department and Eastsound Sewer and Water District. Several of the original targets refused, but Matthews convinced other contributors,
such as Roche Harbor Resort, to contribute. After citizens expressed opposition to the plan (especially the “oblique” photographs that provide side views of properties), council members rethought their support for the project and expressed those second thoughts at the council meeting. They questioned Matthews for an hour, ending the hearing by passing a motion “to contact Pictometry to see what it would cost to get out of the contract.” Matthews testified he was “gobsmacked by the controversy” over the contract, recounting that when Pictometry approached the county proposing to photograph San Juan County in conjunction with their current photo project for Whatcom and Skagit Counties, he and other county department heads thought it an opportunity to update the county photo portfolio and save money both the county and local residents. The contract was negotiated by Matthews, approved by Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord’s office and signed by Bob Jean, interim county manager, on April 9. The first $16,000 payment was sent to Pictometry a few days later, before Pictometry reportedly signed
the contract on April 26. The council on May 7 questioned Matthews on both the process and substance of the contract. Forlenza said it was “surprising that $110,000 was suddenly freed up” to spend on the photography; Matthews countered that most of the money was “grant money” that was available to departments such as Public Works and Community Development and Planning for projects related to their general responsibilities. Forlenza concluded the project was a “snafu.” Councilman Rich Peterson was troubled by disclaimers in the contract fine print that said the photographs were “not suitable for hydrographic planning” and were “not intended to substitute for a professional survey.” Matthews explained that these were “standard contractual provisions” to protect Pictometry from lawsuits. Peterson ended his questions clearly troubled, saying, “I fault myself for not asking a lot of different questions” about the proposal. Council members Rick Hughes, Jamie Stevens and Patty Miller expressed similar
SEE AERIAL, PAGE 6
EARLY
Sounder deadlines for May 29 edition Display advertising: Thursday at noon Classified advertising: Friday at noon Legal advertising: Wednesday at noon Press releases, Letters: Wednesday at 3 p.m.
How to reach us Office: 376-4500 Fax: 376-4501 Advertising: advertising@ islandssounder.com Classified: 1-800-388-2527, classifieds@ soundpublishing.com Editor: editor@ islandssounder.com