Top ten stories of 2011 – Part One

Published 12:30 pm Tuesday, December 20, 2011

It’s time for our annual round-up of the stories that made headlines throughout the year. From the touching to the sad, it was a busy 12 months for the San Juan Islands. This week features our stories ranked 10 through six. Check out the final five next week.

No. 10: Orcas Fire brings piece of World Trade Center to Orcas

This August Orcas Island Fire and Rescue welcomed to the island a 750-pound chunk of steel I-beam from the World Trade Center. Fire chief Mike Harris requested the relic in 2009. When it was finally ready for pickup, firefighter and EMT Ted McKey hopped in his biodiesel F-250 with his dog Merry to tote it cross-country back to Orcas.

Harris said the artifact is a way to remember those in the brotherhood of firefighters nationwide who died in the line of duty on 9-11.

“The true value of this World Trade Center relic wasn’t so much as a gravestone or memorial so much as it is a light-house or a beacon,” McKey said. “It honors not just what the 343 firefighters [and paramedics] were attempting, but what we all attempt –whether as parents, kindergarten teachers, or civil servants dressed in a uniform – when we offer a hand in service to another person.”

The beam was displayed inside the fire station on Sept. 11 during a memorial ceremony commemorating the day.

The trip was paid for by donations. The department plans to have the relic incorporated into a fitting sculpture by a local artist as soon as donations are sufficient.

No. 9: Orcas wins Island Cup again

With just 18 seconds left on the clock, the Vikings pulled out a win against Friday Harbor, bringing home the Island Cup trophy for the second year running this September.

“This was a game for the ages,” said coach Mark Padbury.

After winning the Island Cup last year, Orcas hosted the annual face-off on its own turf. It was a closely matched game from start to finish.

With just 2:23 remaining, a 32-yard touchdown pass on 4th and 10 to C.J. Woods over tight coverage by the Orcas secondary gave the Wolverines a seemingly insurmountable 15-13 lead.

The Vikings gathered on the sideline before the final drive. The boys were 70 yards from the end zone when quarterback Robbie Padbury completed a 25-yard pass to Devon Stanzione. An incomplete pass was followed by a pass interference call that gave the Vikings 15 precious yards and a first down. A bad exchange left the Vikings in dire straights facing a second and 30.

A 10-yard pass to Keenan Phalan stopped the clock with 45 seconds left. Another pass interference negated what would have been a game-clinching interception for Friday Harbor. Instead the penalty moved the ball to the 23-yard line and a first down with 32 seconds left. The Vikings stunned the Wolverine defense with a 21-yard pass completion to Stanzione to the 2-yard line. As the clock ran down below 20 seconds, Jake Zier, playing in his first game as a fullback, ran into Island Cup history with the game-winning touchdown as the clock ticked its final seconds.

No. 8: Community saves sports

The campaign started in October.

By November, the community had donated enough money to keep winter sports in the school’s budget.

Orcas High School has winter basketball this year, thanks to fundraising efforts by the Orcas Booster Club. It raised $11,000 after the school board eliminated winter sports due to state budget reductions. Private donors stepped up to answer a $5,000 matching grant from the Orcas Island Education Foundation, just in time for the basketball season.

The Booster Club is also hoping to raise an additional $63,000 by fall of 2012 to ensure all sports will be fully funded programs outside the budgeting process of the school and work with the Orcas Island School District, Orcas Island Park and Recreation and the community to create sustainable funding for scholastic athletics.

No. 7: Discover Pass implemented

At the end of June, Washington state’s new “Discover Pass” became a requirement for vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands.

The pass is intended to help generate sufficient funding to keep those lands open following deep state budget cuts. An annual pass is $30 and a one-day pass is $10.

Citizens’ primary complaint was its lack of transferability. Many felt that one pass should be good for  multiple cars in one household.

In December, Sen. Kevin Ranker, who sponsored the original bill, announced he was pushing through new legislation that would allow transferability between two vehicles. Current pass holders would be allowed a second vehicle as well.

Not only would it satisfy the consumer, Ranker hoped it would bring a boost in sales. The pass was projected to bring in $17 million by the end of the year; so far, it has raised around $10 million. It needs to bring in $72 million in a full year to maintain the current levels of parks.

No. 6: Rec District Levy passes

This February islanders voted in a levy supporting the Orcas Island Park and Recreation District.

The district was created by popular vote in November 2009, after the county withdrew financial support from the previous Orcas Recreation Program, but the new district was not funded at the time.

The levy is for 9 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. At 56 percent voter turnout, the levy received 61 percent approval.

The Orcas Park and Recreation District will begin receiving levy funds in May 2012.

To begin setting up the district’s infrastructure in the meantime, the district borrowed $65,000 from the Port of Orcas this July.

To date, OIPRD has used half of those funds to set up operationally; secure insurance for sponsored activities; negotiate for the transfer of Buck Park; resurface the Buck Park tennis courts and train 25 community volunteers in Quick Start tennis; repair the Buck Park fields; refurbish the irrigation system; and negotiate for an online registration and payment system called ActiveNet that will greatly reduce the time and expense of coordinating group activities.

During this transition time between Orcas Recreation Program and the new Orcas Island Park and Recreation District, many local organizations and volunteers have stepped up to continue to provide recreational activities on the island. The district has not hired any staff, but contracted with Orcas resident Leslie Schmitz to help set up required accounting, auditing and legal document management systems for OIPRD.

The borrowed funds must be repaid out of levy funds received in May 2012.

Numbers five through one will be posted next week.