With a request on the table, the Friday Harbor Town Council has agreed to enter into negotiations with the county on a possible sale or long-term lease of a portion of its property on Sutton Road. In a 4-0 decision, the council May 7 authorized town staff and its attorney to begin negotiations which may lead to a possible change in ownership of a 6.7-acre slice of the property, which includes the area the town currently leases to the county for its solid-waste transfer station.
Learn basic hands-on trail planning, construction and maintenance skills at a free workshop offered by the San Juan Island Trials Committee on May 29 and 30. The workshop will consist of a three-hour classroom session from 6-9 p.m. on May 29, and a field session from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 30.
Six educators who want to be interim superintendent of San Juan Island’s public schools will be interviewed by the school board Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. in the Friday Harbor High School library. Two finalists will be selected; they will meet the public Monday and Tuesday, 5-6 p.m., in a forum in the Friday Harbor Middle School Commons. The final selection will be made by the school board in an open public meeting, the time and day to be announced.
David Lee Spurgeon of San Juan Island died May 13 of complications from a chronic respiratory condition, the San Juan Island Yacht Club announced Thursday.
Arielle Mancuso, Friday Harbor High School Class of 2005, graduates this month from McGill University in Montreal with an honors degree in International Development and a minor in Biochemistry. She is a candidate for the Peace Corps and hopes to work in French-speaking Africa.
Washington state’s Superior Court judges elected Judge John O. Linde secretary of the Superior Court Judges’ Association at the annual spring conference this month. As treasurer, Linde will serve on the Board of Trustees, which represents 188 Superior Court judges through the state who are members of the state organization.
Arlene Rhonwen Forgie passed away May 8, 2009 in Friday Harbor, Wash., with her daughters and granddaughters by her side. Arlene was born to Leslie and Alice Cannon and raised in Victoria, B.C. Canada. In 1959, Arlene married Hugh Douglas Forgie. They were married until 1991. They raised three children together.
By all accounts, Sam Banry’s a natural. But now he has a license and state-issued certification to back it up. And he could have a corner on the market as well. On May 2, the 18-year-old Friday Harbor student became certified as an animal massage practitioner after passing a hands-on final exam — the culmination of a six-month online course with the Redmond-based Northwest School of Animal Massage — with flying colors.
Of the basic necessities, putting food on the table easily trumps the lot. And Dorothy Lawson has been on a mission for more than a quarter of a century to ensure the Friday Harbor Food Bank has the resources to fulfill that basic need for anyone on San Juan Island, regardless of their income.
Yellow Island, a preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy, is awash in color from the 50 species of wildflowers now in bloom. It is accessible only by kayak or skiff. Camping is not allowed.
President Obama’s budget includes $6 million to purchase Mitchell Hill and transfer it to the San Juan Island National Historical Park, according to Rep. Rick Larsen’s office. “Today’s announcement is great news for San Juan County, Northwest Washington and the over 250,000 people who visit the San Juan Island National Historical Park each year,” said Larsen, who has worked for more than six years to transfer ownership of Mitchell Hill to the National Park from the state Department of Natural Resources.
The state County Road Administration Board has awarded San Juan County the largest grant it has ever given the county. The board’s $2.5 million grant will fund the reconstruction of Mount Baker Road on Orcas Island, between mile posts 0 and 1.1, the county communications office reported.
San Juan County Fire Marshal Bob Low said Thursday he will run for mayor of Friday Harbor in November. Low, a former town fire chief, said he expected to make a formal announcement Friday. His candidacy means that for the first time since 1997, voters will have a choice of more than one candidate for mayor: Gary Boothman ran unopposed in 2001; David Jones ran unopposed in 2005.