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Geology talk
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Veteran firefighters
George Willis photo
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VOLUME 38, NUMBER 28 • JULY 14, 2015
State funds Lopez, Orcas public works projects By Meredith M. Griffith Sounder contributor
Lopez will receive more than a quarter of a million dollars for projects as part of budget packages recently passed by the Washington state legislature. “I think we did pretty well for this session,” said San Juan County Council member Jamie Stephens. “I worked hard, Rick [Hughes] worked hard, and Bob [Jarman], to get some of these things done,
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• lopezcenter.com •
and our legislators really worked well with us to get this much. We’ve had years where we get absolutely nothing.” Funding includes $1.4 million for the Orcas Island library; $760,000 for the Orcas Village Park and Ride at the ferry landing, $350,000 for a feasibility study to determine the best way to repair or reroute Lopez Island’s failing MacKaye Harbor Road; $243,000 from the Department of Ecology to install rain gardens and curb-gutter sidewalks along Prune Alley and $115,000 from the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) to replace the dock at Odlin Park on Lopez. On Lopez, the MacKaye Harbor Rd. is built on a sand bluff and having significant erosion problems. “The current road is falling into the water,” said Stephens. He said the best strategy may be to reroute
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the road to avoid the alternative, which is “major armoring,” a strategy that can be problematic on an environmental level. He expects the project to provide better parking and access from the county park down to the beach. The allocated $350,000 will not include any construction, just preliminary feasibility work to determine the best route and to calculate costs. Not specific to San Juan County but also included in the state’s transportation package is $300 million in new operating funds to guarantee ferry service levels for over six years, and an additional $40 million to build a fourth 144-car Olympic class ferry.
This is good news for the San Juan Islands regardless of where the ferry ends up serving, since a more functional fleet should result in fewer service interruptions due to local boats being “borrowed” to serve other routes. “We also got a bill passed for Island and San Juan counties that will allow us to use the road budget to put mooring buoys and other facilities at our road ends,” said Stephens. He said there are quite a few road ends in the county that could offer public access to the shoreline. Most road ends are about 40 to 60 feet wide, and county public works would create signage to let the public know exactly where
those access points are. County Engineer Rachel Dietzman said the plan for the Orcas Park and Ride is to use the five-acre parcel belonging to Washington State Ferries above the newly installed ferry tollbooth. San Juan County would lease this parcel from WSF and develop it to include 72-hour and possibly two-week parking, but probably not longer-term parking. Dietzman said that while public works has ideas for the project, the county expects to initiate an “extensive public process” before creating an actual plan. “The goal of the park and ride is to get cars off of Orcas Road,” she added. “I
think it’s going to be a huge benefit for Orcas Islanders; it’s going to improve safety on Orcas Road.” The lot will serve daily commuters and short vacation visits. While parking is clearly needed at the landing, Dietzman said that road funds cannot be used to create “parking” but can be used to create a park and ride viewed as a traffic reduction project. Charging stations for electric vehicles will be included, and parking is expected to be at no charge. Construction may begin in 2016 or 2017. For San Juan Island, the council had requested funding to construct a connector between Pear Point Road and Turn Point Road, but the request was denied.
Magic show comes to Lopez Center by Colleen Smith Armstrong Publisher
Orcas Island magician Matthew Laslo is flying high after launching his first two shows of his summer tour of the San Juans. It was standing room only for two nights at the 250-seat Sea View Theatre on Orcas with audiences lining up to see his amazing feats. “I’m overwhelmed by the response to this show,” Laslo said. “It’s my dream come true. I’m doing what I love, and I just hope the audience will too.” He will perform at Lopez Center on Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (12 and under) at Lopez Bookshop or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006
or online at www.brownpapertickets. com. Tickets are also at the door. It’s fun for the entire family. Laslo is an award-winning magician and illusionist who fell in love with the art of magic at seven years of age. Now seven years later at 14 years old, he’s created this full-length illusion show that includes different styles of magic from card miracles to grand illusions. His assistants are Maria Bullock and Virginia Sides, who will amaze and mesmerize you with their aerial acrobatics on silks and hoop. “Blending these two art forms (magic and aerials) are a natural,” says Bullock, who is a choreographer and instructor at her Aerial Acrobatic Studio on Orcas. Laslo is best known in the islands as
“Matthew the Magician.” He started performing at the San Juan County Fair at 10 years old. In 2012 he was a medal winner at the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians’ convention for stage competition in Seattle. The same year he was awarded highest honors in an all-ages magic competition in Oregon, taking home the coveted award for outstanding creativity and showmanship. A recent reviewer wrote: “Laslo was a sensation on stage. Every moment of his act was pure entertainment.” Laslo and the girls have been working hard to get the show up to this level and on the road. He is especially excited to be able to share this show with his friends and fans on Lopez Island.
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