Former Roche Harbor Resort General Manager Brent Snow was presented with the Sam Buck Community Service Award during the Friday Harbor Chamber luncheon on Jan. 28, and new Friday Harbor Mayor Evan Perrollaz gave an update on his first 28 days in office. First, Chamber Executive Director Becki Day welcomed members and introduced the board, and provided chamber updates.

Sam Buck Community Service Award

“I worked with Brent for a lot of years, and I’ve always admired him,” Day told the crowd. “He upheld the island’s friendly spirit and practiced the highest business ethics. He exemplified a passion for creating a model that will help people.”

Steve Buck spoke about the history of the award and his father, Sam Buck Sr., before presenting the award to Snow.

“For those who have not heard [about the award or Sam Buck Sr], dad was a highly accomplished visionary. He could look at land and visualize a community as well as how to create that community.”

He was also an environmentalist, Steve explained, saving Brown Island from being sold to a logging company that planned to clear-cut it. False Bay was nearly dredged and turned into a marina, but Sam stepped in again, convincing the University of Washington to purchase and preserve it. A bridge was proposed to go from the south end of San Juan Island to Lopez, via Goose Island, yet Sam bought Goose Island and donated it to the Nature Conservancy. He was also part of the original group that formulated the San Juan County Land Bank. Sam was also involved in a variety of community activities, becoming Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge, president of the Lions Club, and supporter of music in schools and the community theater.

After Sam passed away in 2016, the award was formed to honor similar visionaries and civic-minded islanders.

Snow, Steve explained, began at Roche Harbor as an accountant. He was hired as general manager temporarily, after the manager at the time was let go.

“He was temporarily general manager for 32 years, until they hired a new manager last year when Brent decided he wanted to retire,” Steve said. “Brent took his new job very seriously when he became manager. He worked very hard and got things done … He connected with everyone who worked there, as well as many who visited and lived at Roche Harbor. Brent was involved with the vision of Roche Harbor, oversaw its growth from a small boating resort to a world-class resort.”

While forming the Roche Harbor Resort Master Plan in the late ‘90s, Snow held a number of public meetings to gather input from Roche Harbor residents as well as islanders in general. He traveled to small towns and resort areas near and far to see how Roche Harbor could maintain its walkability and charm as it developed. He also listened to community feedback, attempted to incorporate those ideas, as well as addressed concerns in the final master plan.

Snow’s connection with islanders extends well beyond the resort. For years, he was Master of Ceremonies for the High School Knowledge Bowl, a fundraiser for the San Juan Island Public Schools Foundation. Snow knew how to engage the crowd and rally the audience and participants into hysterics.

“Brent had a lot of fun. I especially like thinking about him running the Fourth of July log jam contest [at Roche Harbor]; you could tell he was happily in his element,” Steve closed.

Snow gave a brief thank you to the Chamber, Steve and the cheering crowd as he accepted the award.

Mayoral updates

Perrollaz began by introducing himself. For those who are not familiar, he is the deputy superintendent of the San Juan County Public Hospital District, as well as president of the San Juan Islands Healthcare Foundation, a relatively new nonprofit organization that works to assist vulnerable adults on the island.

During his first six months, Perrollaz said, he and the Town Council will be working collaboratively with the County Council to strengthen the relationship between the Town and the County.

“We will be holding a joint meeting April 1. I’m very much looking forward to that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a lot of continued discussions with council members from the county as we look into the future and how we can work together and make this place the best it can possibly be.”

There is a lot of overlap between the Town and the Port, so a meeting is set for May 21 to discuss ways to work together and support one another.

The Town will be doing some strategic sessions as well, to set the course for the next few years, Perrollaz told attendees, to see “what we can do to really listen, and how we can be better for the people who live here.”

While no times and dates are set yet, Perrollaz said, the Town will be holding a series of business forums. The Town will invite between six to eight business owners to meet with Town administration and Council members. The goal is for the Town to gain a better understanding of what the challenges businesses are facing and how the Town can support them.

Inviting citizens into the Town Hall, where community members could meet staff and get a glimpse of the interworkings of local government, is also being discussed.

During a Council meeting, an islander had asked a question that, it turned out, needed to be directed to a staff member. This type of question is not usually necessary or allowed during Council meetings, so they were asked to connect with a staff person when the meeting was over. Later, according to Perrollaz, several staff members wanted to make sure that someone had gotten back to the person and that their question was answered. The situation highlighted the fact that Town employees are happy to answer any questions residents may have and help in any way they can.

He also talked about connecting with people more on the Town’s socials and website. “I just want to make sure that everybody gets the right information. And really, that’s it, that is my first 28 days,” Perrollaz said in closing.