The
INSIDE
Q&A about Tech Levy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 Anne and George Willis photo
Toxic Creosote Removal
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
LIFD Volunteers Needed
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8
www.islandsweekly.com 360-376-4500
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 36, NUMBER 3 • JANUARY 19, 2016
Q&A with county councilman Rick Hughes by Heather Spaulding Journal reporter
The Weekly sat down with San Juan County Councilman Rick Hughes to discuss last year’s successes and tribulations as well as goals for the future. The Orcas councilman is beginning his forth year. Weekly: What were at least three major accomplishments of the San Juan County Council this year? Rick Hughes: 1. Roads and infrastructure. San Juan County Councilman Jamie Stephens was able to bring in a bunch of money from the state. I think it was roughly $3 for road projects. Any time you can get money from the state that is important. We have five road projects on the list for next year, getting prepped for that. We were able to get a bill passed through Olympia that allows San Juan County to use road funds for marine facility projects. That was a fun project to work on. The Cattle Point Road project was finished. This was where a county road ran
through the national park and there was a great deal of concern about erosion on the roads coastal side, so it was rerouted to higher elevation. It (the project) took about 10 years from start to finish. 2. Legislation and budgeting. We passed the Eastsound Subarea Plan (Three ordinances were adopted by the council approving the Eastsound Subarea Plan updates late last year. To view the documents go to http://www.co.sanjuan.wa.us/council/ordinances. aspx) and we are really close to passing the Shoreline Master Program (The San Juan County Council has most recently expanded the public participation time for the SMP. For more information, http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/364456331. html, or read the January 12 issue of the Journal.). I’m hoping we will have that completed by Jan. 31, 2016, at the latest. Once we pass the SMP we will have passed, in the last three years, every staterequired legislation. That is a pretty
great accomplishment. One of the most important things we did last year was passing the budget for a third year in a row. We continue to put away money in our rainy day fund. We have paid off the Solid Waste Excise Bond, and at the end of the year we reduced the tax by 1.5 percent. We are doing a lot of the things we promised to do, be efficient in government and provide good services. 3. Inter-Governmental Cohesion. We have worked really hard to coexist and work together with the Town of Friday Harbor. Wherever the town goes, the county has to be a part of that, so we need to work together. I am really proud of our county employees too. I’ve noticed over the last few years, not that people haven’t worked hard in the past, but since I’ve been here, I feel like people are really working incredibly hard. I just saw a number from
SEE HUGHES, PAGE 2
What is in the future for island broadband?
by Leslie Kelly Sounder contributor
Living on an island has its advantages. But sometimes there are disadvantages. And internet connection and speed are among them. Rock Island Communications, a division of OPALCO, Orcas Power & Light Cooperative, has plans to deal with that. Rock Island Communications is bringing fiber optic internet to the islands and that will allow businesses and residents to have high speed internet, according to Dan Burke, spokesman for Rock Island Communications. “People who don’t live on an island don’t understand what it’s like to not have high speed internet available when you need it or want it,” Burke said. “So the county and OPALCO and Rock
FREE to ALL Community Members Youth Mental Health Training February 13th 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Lopez School Library (pre-registration is required)
Hannah Fisk, Instructor
Contact Georgeana at the Prevention Coalition
468.3770 / lopez.prevention@gmail.com
Island Communications have made this a priority for island residents and business owners.” It’s a real task to bring internet to rural areas, and in cases like the islands, where the population isn’t large, companies like Comcast find that it’s not worth the investment, he said. Thus, OPALCO committed to making it happen and set aside $4.5 million to help fund the project. Currently, Rock Island is working with businesses in the Eastsound area of Orcas Island, hoping to get enough of them interested so that the fiber optic network can be laid. As Burke explained, fiber optic is the platinum standard of telecommunications service. Fiber optic allows communication to move at the speed of light. Fiber optic refers to tiny strains of glass fiber that are bundled together in cables. These fibers transmit light pulses which allow communication data to be
Community Conversations presents
Immigration Policy and How it Affects our Neighbors with guest speaker Jorge Barón Saturday, January 23rd 7:00PM at Grace Church Hall Refreshments &childcare provided. There is no charge; suggested donations will benefit the Northwest Immigration Rights Project. Community Conversations is a collective project of several community partners, including Lopez Island Family Resource Center, the Lopez Community Land Trust, Leadership San Juan and Transitions Lopez
transmitted and read. In the project Rock Island is offering, the internet connection speed is 100 times faster than the basic DSL offered in the county today, Burke said. The cables will be buried 18 inches deep and every home or business that signs on will get a dedicated strain. In order to make the system affordable to the 12,000 residents of the San Juan Islands, Rock Island is suggesting that neighbors ban together and share in the costs. Burke said typical construction costs are from $1,500 to $6,000 depending on the density, topography and distance to the “backbone” which is the main source of the fiber optic network. In most case, he said there will be a middle and a last mile that will need to be placed. The middle mile brings the service from the backbone to the street. The last mile brings the service from the street to individual businesses or homes. “In most cases, the cost of that is about $2,500 for each step,” Burke said. “Or about $5,000 to get connected.” But he said that pays off in that property values expected to increase about 3.1 percent with the high speed internet connection. So for the typical island home valved at $425,000, the increase in value is $12,000 to $13,000 or double what the investment is. And to help with the cost, Rock Island has an incentive of $1,500 per home investment toward the overall building cost. This can be applied to either the middle mile or the last mile costs. The company suggests getting the neighborhood to come together and commit to the middle mile and then applying the $1,500 to each individual home that is participating for the last mile connection. Participants can also decide to get a $20 a month discount to their services, rather than a lump sum. But, Burke said, this is only available if each property owner signs on now, not at a later date. He also said Islanders Bank has created a loan program to help local residents afford the start up costs. Burke stressed how important it is for business owners to be a part of the program.
SEE BROADBAND, PAGE 4