The
INSIDE Wildlife Myths
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Land Bank Commissioners
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Girls’ Baseball Champs
George Willis photo
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VOLUME 38, NUMBER 23 • JUNE 9, 2015
Islanders: Meth not welcome on Lopez By Georgeana M. Cook
Lopez Island Prevention Coalition
That is the message more than 40 people want to send into their community. Meth is not welcome on Lopez. Meth also known as stove top, ice, speed, crystal, crank and poor man’s cocaine, are nicknames for a substance known as methamphetamine. Those who participated in meetings held on May 1 and May 29 were clear on two things; first, to find help for those who suffer from addiction and second, to send a strong message to dealers they are not welcome on Lopez. Meth usually comes in the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder, which can be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed. Chemically similar to amphetamine, this
drug is highly addictive. When used, this substance causes a rapid release and increase in the levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a “feel good” chemical which affects the “reward, motivation, pleasure and motor function” part of the brain. Meth is usually manufactured or “cooked” in illegal, hidden labs. Common pills for cold remedies are often used as the basis for the production of the drug. The meth “cook” extracts ingredients from those pills, and to increase its strength combines the substance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze. For one pound of meth that is cooked five to seven pounds of solid and liquid chemical waste is produced. These toxins often find their way into ground water and landfills.
Consider participating in efforts to remove this highly addictive and toxic substance from Lopez. Ideas are being gathered and a plan will be organized and implemented at a meeting on Saturday, June 20 at Woodmen Hall from 6 – 8 p.m. All community members are invited to participate. A discussion forum has also been created by one of the attendees, Norm Messer, for all those who wish to talk on-line. For more information, visit sjcmethdiscussion. freeforums.net/. Local law enforcement officials would like to remind everyone of three important numbers: Anonymous Tip Line 370-7629, San Juan County dispatch 378-4151 and for emergencies call 911.
Shortfall prompts OPALCO electrical rate hike Weekly staff report
Orcas Power and Light
Cooperative will add a surcharge onto electrical bills
beginning in July, a financial tool that is expected to help the co-op make up ground on a shortfall in projected revenue of $600,000 so far this year. The amount of the pending surcharge, approved in concept last week by the OPALCO board of directors, has yet to be determined and could fluctuate monthly, according to a press release circulated by the co-op following a May 28 meeting of the board and co-op management. Record-warm temperatures in 2015 and a resulting lower than anticipated rate of electrical consumption by co-op members were cited for the shortfall. “The revenue shortfall is due to lower than project-
ed sales of kilowatt hours because of record warm temperatures this year,” the co-op said in the press release. The surcharge follows on the heels of a $10.30 increase in the co-op “base rate,” aka facility charge, that went into effect in February. Individual utility bills were expected to rise by 9-12 percent as a result. That increase was instituted by the co-op, in part to help make up for a $1.4 million shortfall in revenue in 2014. It has also cited a need to generate additional revenue to pay for infrastructure improvements, like the pending $15 million replacement of the underwater power cable connecting Lopez and San Juan islands.
5 1 0 & 2 s k Par ils Tra de! Gui
AVAILABLE YEAR ROUND
Publishes the week of July 1st in the Journal, Sounder & Weekly
Sales Deadline: Tuesday, June 16, 2015
For more information call Cali at the Weekly 376-4500
The co-op 2015 budget called for a 12-percent increase in revenue over last year’s mark. OPALCO’s financial forecast calls for a similar facility charge increase in each of the next five years. “The board has a fiscal responsibility to keep the co-op in the black,” Board President Jim Lett said in the press release. “The surcharge will meet that need as we further evaluate and research longer-term rate solutions to address the changing landscape.” At co-op headquarters, warmer than normal temperatures are only part of the changing landscape. The member-owned power cooperative recently acquired Friday Harbor-based Rock Island Communications, a
LOPEZ CENTER 7PM FRI/SAT JUNE 12 & 13 2PM SUN JUNE 14 DOORS OPEN AT 6:30/1:30PM. TICKETS $10. SOLD IN ADVANCE JUNE 8, 9, 10 & 11 FROM 3-6PM AT LOPEZ CENTER. REMAINING TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR.
long-established local provider of internet services, under a partnership intended to help provide local residents and property owners greater access to broadband services. The new internet entity, known as “NewCo,” is forecasted to receive $7.5 million in seed money and loans from OPALCO over the next three years, and become self-sustaining after that. It is also anticipated to be a future money-maker for the co-op, according to OPALCO. As for the surcharge, OPALCO spokeswoman Suzanne Olson said members of the board and management discussed a suggested multiplier of $0.0175 per kilowatt hour as a starting point. At that rate, the monthly surcharge for a household or business that consumed 1,000 kilowatts would equal $17.50. The board is expected to make a final decision on the surcharge when it meets June 18. The surcharge is described by the co-op as a “corrective action” required to remain compliant with its federal lender, the Rural Utilities Service branch of the USDA, and as an “interim” measure as future rates and charges remain under discussion. Another “rate structure” shift is expected in 2016.