For a long time, San Juan County has worked to provide parking on Orcas Island for Waldron Island residents when they come to Orcas to make transportation connections. The current parking area is along Upper Deer Harbor Road south of Jack and Jill Place. While other alternatives have been considered in the past, the current location is a site which provides the best opportunity for parking. Presently, this parking area is limited to 15 vehicles, is narrow, and needs to be widened to facilitate access.

Late in 2008, the Public Works Department developed a preliminary plan to improve parking at this location. The proposed plan utilizes both the existing county road and unused right-of-way directly to the east. The roadway is proposed to be widened to 40 feet and to provide 25 diagonal parking spaces. The preliminary plan is available for viewing at:

http://www.sanjuanco.com/docs/news/2009-03-31_Marine_Access_Parking_Preliminary.pdf

San Juan County Public Works is hosting a public informational meeting at the Deer Harbor Community Club on Friday, April 17. Sign-in will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 1 and ending at 3:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to provide background information, present the preliminary plan, tdiscuss the issues, advantages and disadvantages of the preliminary plan, and to listen to public comments.

Members of the Deer Harbor and Waldron communities are encouraged to attend this meeting, which will be conducted in “The World Café” style. It is a meeting format which allows all participants to actively participate and to share their experiences and ideas.

For additional information, contact Shannon Wilbur at 370-0522 or John Van Lund at 370-0510.