Sandy Playa stepped down from her position as a San Juan County Parks and Rec Commissioner last month, leaving a current vacancy for an Orcas island representative.

“I’ve got lots of irons in the fire,” said Playa. “I was tired. It takes a fair amount of time and energy to travel to San Juan Island, and I just didn’t feel like I had enough time to continue to do the job right.”

Playa and her husband, musician Carl Burger, own the Cabin on Spring Bay and two golden retrievers, Stretch and Ulma (aka, “Princess Halo-head”). Playa said her parents are both needing a lot of care at present. Groundskeeping and maintenance keep them busy, as well.

“I had to cut back somewhere; this was the only thing left that I could cut out,” she said.

The seven member volunteer commission is made up of two members each from San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands and one member from Shaw Island.

Current members are: Gilbert Blinn, Orcas Island, Kyle Davies (Chair), San Juan Island, Cy Field, Shaw Island, Barbara Keller, Lopez Island, Johannes Krieger, San Juan Island, and Ann Palmer, Lopez Island.

Commission members are appointed by the County Council and asked to serve a six-year term on the basis of their interest and experience and promoting park activities in San Juan County.

“The people on the commission are very dedicated for the good of all,” said Playa. “It was really a delightful commission to spend time on. I hope they find somebody that has some passion for parks and keeps them going.”

Playa still serves on the 12-member San Juan County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, which meets via videoconferencing, greatly reducing travel time.

For more information, see the San Juan County Parks and Recreation Commission website.