As the year draws to a close, it’s time to look back at the events that made 2008 a year to remember. There were many notable stories to choose from, but the following nine were felt to be of particular importance to the community.
Border Patrol conducts spot checks at ferry terminal
In January, the U.S. Border Patrol began regular citizenship checks of people getting off the ferry in Anacortes, presumably as an anti-smuggling and anti-terrorism tactic.
Some islanders questioned the legality of checks without probable cause, while others protested that Border Patrol was targeting Mexicans on the islands. A total of eight people were taken into custody for possible immigration violations. All eight waived the right to contest their detention before a federal judge and voluntarily agreed to return to Mexico, the home country of each. Among those sent to Mexico was a family of four from Friday Harbor and a long-term resident of Orcas Island.
In March, more than 200 people attended a special San Juan County Council meeting at which U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Joe Giuliano talked about the reasons behind the citizenship inspections. Giuliano said there’s no specific law allowing such inspections inside the border. However, he said, there’s no law prohibiting them either and that such inspections have been upheld by the courts. Despite that, council members questioned the fairness of the inspections and whether it was worth it, given how few ferry riders were found in violation.
In a strange twist, on Oct. 24, Giuliano pleaded innocent to child rape charges in Whatcom County Superior Court. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 28.
Fire Department Battalion Chief job shared
After Fire Commissioners promoted William Buddy Wright to the position of Battalion Chief, two petitions were circulated by fire department volunteers and concerned community members. The volunteers requested the process of selection for the position be reopened and the public questioned the salary and benefit package for the position.
In March, Wright resigned, citing the stress of a personal attack against him and his family. Chief Mike Harris opened the position to the three current paramedics. They proposed that the battlaion chief job be split between the three of them with one working as operation chief, one as training chief and one as the human resource or health and fitness chief; all three would continue to serve as paramedics. In the course of negotiations, it was decided to develop separate contracts for their work as division chief and paramedics. The fire department also decided to hire a fourth paramedic to lower overtime expense. As union fire-medics, the three existing fire-medics would be paid $63,488 per year. A fourth paramedic position was budgeted for $55,000 plus benefits. The total amount budgeted for the four fire-medic positions were $287,742, including benefits and a cost-of-living increase from last year.
Progress was made on the building of the Deer Harbor Station, including putting into motion permits and having the premises vacated by the current tenant. As part of the strategic plan the department purchased four WASP or Darley mini pumpers for $851,000, the Darley rescue rig for $57,000 and a new ambulance for $125,000.
Orca whale population declines
Six Southern resident orcas – including K7, believed to be 98 years old — failed to return with their pods this year and were presumed dead. In addition, an apparently aborted whale fetus was found on a Henry Island beach.
The loss dropped the local orca population to 83, the lowest since 2003. One of the orcas showed signs of malnourishment. That fact, along with low salmon runs, prompted fears that depleted salmon runs are leading to the orcas’ starvation.
Orcas School District balances a difficult budget and receives top awards
When Orcas Island School District began planning its 08-09 budget, it faced program and staffing cuts due to a significant budget deficit.
The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) and the business manager went over the numbers carefully, and found cuts could be made in travel and capital outlay and salaries, among other items. These cuts, coupled with nearly $200,000 donated by the community, spared teacher positions. The community and the school breathed a sigh of relief.
After the resignation of Superintendent Glenn Harris this summer, the school board voted to have High School/Middle School and Waldron Principal Barbara Kline’s job changed to a .5 Superintendent and .5 School Principal position. Elementary School Principal Tom Gobeske was appointed to full-time kindergarten through 8th grade principal.
Orcas High School earned both state and national recognition this year. Improvement in all WASL scores over time garnered the high school a state Learning Improvement Award and recognition as a “School of Distinction” in October. U.S. News and World Report released its “America’s Best High Schools 2008” results in December. The top schools were placed into gold, silver, bronze, or honorable mention categories. Orcas High School received a silver medal. Of the more than 21,000 schools surveyed in the country, only 504 received silver. In Washington state, four schools ranked gold, 12 received silver, and 30 were awarded bronze. Orcas Island High school was the only San Juan County school ranked.
OPALCO gives away a million dollars
OPALCO co-op members received a surprise with their October bill: money back.
The rebate was a result of a Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) rate case settlement that reduced the amount of benefits paid to the Residential Exchange Program and caused BPA to return funds to consumer-owned utilities. BPA gave OPALCO a one-time rebate of approximately $1 million dollars this fiscal year. OPALCO’s Board of Directors unanimously decided the best use of the rebate was to pass it on to the membership, given the tough economic climate.
Members received a rebate for a portion of the kilowatt hours used during the October billing period. In the spirit of the cooperative principles, OPALCO encouraged members to use some the rebate as an opportunity to help the community through shopping locally, eating out, or donating to a non-profit.
Ranker wins state Senate seat; County Council has two new members
Election Day resulted in historic changes in San Juan County. County Councilman Kevin Ranker, San Juan South, was elected Nov. 4 to the 40th District state Senate, succeeding Harriet Spanel, who retired. Ranker became the first San Juan County resident elected to the state Senate in about 100 years, and his election is expected to give the San Juans a stronger voice on issues affecting the region.
In 2009, Ranker will serve as vice chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Committee; vice chairman of the Natural Resources, Ocean and Recreation Committee; and a member of the Transportation Committee, and the Environment, Water and Energy Committee.
The County Council got two new members: In West Orcas, former freeholder Richard Fralick succeeds Alan Lichter, who failed to get past the primary. In South San Juan, county planning commissioner Lovel Pratt succeeds Ranker.
The 2009 County Council is the first council comprised entirely of members elected under the county charter, and all receive $34,000 a year salaries set by the salary commission. Ranker and Lichter were receiving pre-charter salaries of $68,000 a year.
Rosario Resort is sold
Rosario Resort was sold to an Anacortes-based, family-owned investment and development group for $5.45 million during a public auction. The group took over the resort on November 17 from Olympus Real Estate Partners of Dallas, TX, who bought the resort in 1998 and closed the resort on October 20. The resort is still closed; nearly 100 full-time and 100 part-time employees lost their jobs. The new owners are expected to reopen the facility as a resort and marina, but a timeline is unknown.
“We are excited to be the owners and caretakers of Rosario,” said Jerrel Barto, who along with his son Craig Barto, are the principles in the new ownership group called Rosario Signal LLC.
“As Fidalgo Island residents and boaters in the San Juans, we’ve always loved the islands and understand Rosario’s importance to the region. We look forward to working with the Orcas Island community to help Rosario reach its potential under the Resort’s approved Master Plan. Restoring the Moran/Rosario legacy will be a project to be proud of.” As one of the single largest contributors to the county’s hotel/motel tax, the econmic impact of the closure may have ramifications beyond Orcas.
County Council approves ‘09 budget
The preliminary budget for the coming year was bleak. It proposed cuts in every county department and reduced or eliminated some highly visible government services. After public outcry of the potential loss of vital community services – such as senior transportation – the council worked on revising the budget.
In mid-December the council approved a $51.5 million revenue and spending plan for the year ahead. The council added back into the budget about $600,000 more in general-fund spending than the preliminary budget, penned by the administrator and the auditor, provided for.
The 2009 budget still calls for spending cuts, though slight in most cases, in a majority of county departments, funds and accounts, and modest gains for those earmarked for more. The ‘09 budget totals $51.5 million. But that amount includes roughly $7.3 million in so-called inter-departmental transfers and a end-of-the-year forecast of $1.27 million in “cash on hand.” In reality, the amount of revenue raised and money spent, as outlined in the next year’s financial blueprint, equals just over $42 million.
White Christmas
December was marked by several weeks of heavy snowfall and wind throughout western Washington, and the San Juans received their fair share of snow, some minor power outages, and fallen trees. Many homes suffered frozen pipes, schools either closed or opened late, local businesses had limited hours of operation, and the county warned residents to stay off the roads unless necessary. The ferries maintained their regular schedules.
While snow is (increasingly) not uncommon here, this storm was noteworthy because of its duration and its poor timing: the inclement weather kept people on their homes, resulting in a less-than-stellar shopping season for local merchants.
