Islands' Sounder, February 03, 2016

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Sounder The Islands’

Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County

WEDNESDAY, February 3, 2016 n VOL. 49, NO. 5 n 75¢ n islandssounder.com

Aleph Geddis « artist profile

What’s next for Dolphin Bay Rd? by Colleen Smith Armstrong Editor/Publisher

To the county, it’s a necessary upgrade to a problematic road. To a group of islanders, it’s part of a treasured rural landscape that shouldn’t be touched. Chipsealing Dolphin Bay Road is on the 2016 docket for public works projects. It is slated to happen this spring, but a petition to stop the upgrade has been launched by Orcas residents Amanda Sparks, Andrew Youngren, Ken Katz, Lili Hein, Arthur de Haan and Timothy Blanchard. For Sparks, the road represents the past, which holds memories like learning to drive on it. “It was a magical spot for me growing up,” she said. “I learned to drive on that road. For future generations, I want to preserve what it’s like to live on a rural

Dolphin Bay Road is currently gravel. The county is considering chipsealing it. island. Anytime I feel detached from where I am living, I drive down roads like that one to reconnect to my reasons for living in a rural location. And having lived down that road before, I can say that if it’s paved, there would be massive speed issues.” Organizers of the “Save Dolphin Bay Road” campaign at www. change.org are aiming for 500 signatures. So far, the number is at 370 and includes people from all over the country. The petition ref-

erences a Sept. 18, 2015 planning commission statement that asked public works to preserve Dolphin Bay Road: “The additional cost of the maintenance of the gravel section of Dolphin Bay Road is well justified by the preservation of a spectacular example of old island character. Let us not pave over the very sort of place that defines us. Dolphin Bay Road should remain in existing condition until a scenic road plan for this road can be completed and traffic volumes can

Peter Fisher/contributed photo

be documented.” County councilman Rick Hughes is open to hearing feedback from the Orcas Island community, but says he is not convinced the $265,000 project shouldn’t move forward. “It will ultimately be a safer road – especially for pedestrians and bike traffic,” he said. “All we are doing is changing the surface with chipseal. We are not making the road wider or adding stripes or fog lines. It’s one of the lon-

Farewell to San Juan Fire Chief Marler by Courtney Oldwyn Special to the Sounder

Last Tuesday, 10 emergency vehicles, lights flashing, and more than 30 people came out to honor San Juan Island Fire Chief Steve Marler upon his final return to the island he so loved. He was met on the taxi way by fellow firefighters, both volunteer and retired, ancillary personnel, EMS staff, Paramedics, Sheriff Ron Krebs and members of the San Juan County Police Department, airport personnel, friends and neighbors. San Juan Island Fire & Rescue administrative assistant Carolyn Hudson presented him with his white duty helmet before the entire procession of emergency vehicles followed his ambulance to Peace Island Hospital in Friday Harbor. Chief Marler passed away Thursday, Jan. 28, just two days after returning home. “Whenever he had to leave the island he couldn’t wait to return to the life he loved,” said Sheila Harley, Public Information Officer for San Juan Fire and Rescue. Chief Marler came to Friday Harbor in Aug. 2007 with his wife Karen after competing for and winning the position of Fire Chief for San Juan County Fire Protection District 3 which includes all of San Juan Island, Brown and Pearl Islands. Marler had previously been the assistant chief at the Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority in Contributed photo/ Ken Clark

Above: San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Marler passed away on Thursday, Jan. 28.

SEE MARLER, PAGE 6

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gest stretches of gravel road in the county and it gets a lot of traffic … I trust public works when they say that this needs to be done.” Chipsealing is an asphalt emulsion with a layer of rock chips, and those in favor of the upgrade say the surface improvements will eliminate giant potholes, mud and dust. “Dolphin Bay Road is gravel and it costs the county a lot of money to repair it,” said Hughes. The annual cost to maintain it in its current condition is $19,160. This price tag includes replenishing (laying down new gravel, regrading shoulders, trimming vegetation) the road every seven years. The yearly cost of maintaining the road once it is chipsealed is $13,468; this includes a chipseal refresher coat every 12 years. Cost recovery will occur after 18 years. In a Dec. 30, 2015 document about the project, Public Works Director Brian Vincent wrote that it has not been proven that drivers are more likely to speed on chipsealed roads. “Comparison of other converted roads does not support this claim. This road is posted for 25 mph and will remain posted at 25 mph,” he wrote. According to Vincent, chipsealing the road is in accordance with the San Juan County “Scenic Roads Manual,” as it will not change the landscape or alter the road in any way other than hard-

SEE ROAD, PAGE 6

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