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Dear Ken. Seven years ago you chose to purchase the La Conner Weekly News after the opportunity to lead the paper in Hardwick, Vermont, vanished and fortunate for our community that was. For you too, spared black flies and deep winter’s frost for maritime climes, tulips and snow geese. You dove in, a cold plunge in many ways. Your exhaustive presence at seemingly every municipal event and otherwise, was impressive. Your walk with the printed paper to the stand on Wednesdays, even with injured leg, a folksy message of commitment. No doubt you t...
A detailed presentation, insightful questions and dreams of the future for La Conner's south waterfront and long underutilized former industrial area marked a nearly two-hour Dec. 11 public forum at Maple Hall. A large audience – at one point requiring Town Administrator Scott Thomas to set up additional chairs – attended the workshop, which explored potential zoning and code revisions and design concepts for the four-acre site commonly known as the old Moore-Clark property. Consultants Tom Bec...
for battery energy storage system The Skagit County hearing examiner will hold a public hearing 9 a.m. Dec. 20 to consider a special use permit application from NextEra Energy to develop a battery energy storage system near the Port of Skagit. The project would be located on 22.6 acres, on property zoned Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial in the Bayview Ridge Urban Growth Area and would be capable of storing up to 200 megawatt hours of energy for a 4-hour duration. The BESS would provide increased power capacity and grid resiliency for Skagit...
It was a La Conner Town Council meeting that nearly wasn’t. The Nov. 26 session at Maple Hall was almost scuttled due to lack of a quorum among the five-members. Councilmembers Ivan Carlson, Mary Wohleb and Annie Taylor were absent as the 6 p.m. start time approached. Fortunately, Taylor – who Mayor Marna Hanneman said was under the weather – shook off the effects of fatigue and illness and arrived to save the day 10 minutes later. “We’ll try to make this as short as possible,” the mayor stressed, as Taylor took her seat, “so that Annie ca...
Like parents or counselors for a 900-member family, Mayor Marna Hanneman, the La Conner Town Council and staff, primarily Town Administrator Scott Thomas and Finance Director Maria DeGoede, are wrestling with short, medium and long term funding needs as they advance the town’s 2025 $8.4 million draft budget. Hanneman reflected on the challenges of the past five years in her Nov. 12 budget message: the COVID-19 “pandemic, flooding, extreme weather events and the highest inflation in half a century.” Hanneman, Thomas and DeGoede discussed the p...
The shorthanded La Conner Emergency Management Commission, which this year has juggled flood mitigation, neighborhood mapping and the crafting of a community disaster preparedness plan, received a much needed shot in the arm last week. Brianna Wilson, owner of Thrive Direct Health Care, was appointed by town council at its Nov. 12 Maple Hall meeting. A commission vacancy remains, said Mayor Marna Hanneman, who nominated Wilson. The Council unanimously approved Wilson, noting that her medical...
The Port of Skagit Commission has appointed Melanie Mankamyer as port commissioner for District 2. The position became vacant after the sudden passing of longtime Port Commissioner Steve Omdal on Sept. 28. Mankamyer is a newly retired professional engineer and former partner in Wilson Engineering. Her 28 years of experience as a civil engineer provided her with vast experience in public works projects, developing long-term capital improvement plans, conceptual project plans and budgets, all of which are relevant and significant to the work of...
Food for thought took on added meaning during the “Meet the Mayor” session at La Conner Swinomish Library Saturday. La Conner Sunrise Food Bank Board President John Petrich and Director Arin Magill updated attendees on the probable move from the ground floor of the historic Garfield Masonic Lodge Building at Third and Benton. Area Masons are consolidating operations in Sedro-Woolley and selling their La Conner and Mount Vernon properties. Petrich, a retired Swinomish Indian Tribal Community staffer, said the food bank’s lease for the 19th...
A 48-foot sailboat at the Skagit Valley College Marine Technology Center in Anacortes is making a world of difference for SVC students. Soon it will make a difference in the world as well. The One Ocean, on display at an open house last Friday, will embark with a five-member crew next spring on a 14-month voyage around North and South America to spread awareness about oceanic health through education and the collaboration of crucial scientific research. "It's like a Jacques Cousteau floating sci...
Port of Skagit Commissioner Steve Omdal died unexpectedly Sept. 28. Omdal was first elected as a Port of Skagit Commissioner representing District 2 in 2012. His motivation for seeking the position was to bring new ideas and a “for profit” business background to enhance the ability of the port to improve economic development opportunities for all Skagit County residents, Port Communications Director Linda Tyler said in a news release announcing Omdal’s death. Omdal grew up on a dairy and crop farm in Bow. The experience helped him embra...
A Louisiana-style dinner served in La Conner last Thursday boasted a distinctly Skagit Valley flavor. The second annual Genuine Skagit Valley Tidewater Boil at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina featured many of the area's favorite farm and sea-based foods and beverages in a setting akin to a Gulf Coast shindig. Held under a large tent on a damp and chilly late September night, the event served as a celebration of Skagit cuisine and formally honored the valley's food producers. The Tidewater...
Sunday, Sept. 22 5:04 p.m.: Shots fired? – Caller reported hearing gunshots from the area west of the Port of Skagit trail system at the airport. A deputy checked the area but did not locate any problems. No other calls came in on this issue. 6:43 p.m.: What’s the celebration? – Reports of fireworks being set off by the river. Caller confirmed this had happened earlier and was not currently happening. No response as it was not in progress. Best Rd., greater La Conner. Wednesday, Sept. 25 5:48 a.m.: Vehicle prowl – A vehicle was broken into th...
Members of the Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board launched their whirlwind two-day tour of Skagit County businesses last Wednesday at Mavrik Marine in La Conner. CERB, whose membership includes Island County Commissioner and 10th District State Senate candidate Janet St. Clair, spent an hour visiting Mavrik facilities at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina, where the aluminum boat manufacturer is building the third in a series of 137-foot, 325-passenger ferries serving t...
Last week I reread an article in the Weekly News from Sept. 4 regarding various news in town including First Street going one-way (about time) and the town working with the fire department to obtain a new fire boat and a new ladder truck. The one that really got my attention was news of burglaries in the north end of town and LATE arrival by the sheriff’s office. My view: Fire boat and ladder truck: Absolutely agree the fire department should have the right equipment to fight fires in or near our town. However, as I stated at a council m...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. Get out your bibs, it’s the Skagit Tidewater Boil! Celebrate the food, farming and fishing communities of Skagit Valley with fine food, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the La Conner Marina. Tickets on sale at genuineskagitvalley.com. Joseph Gregory Rossano Artist Talk: “Portraits of the Divine” at MoNA, a 30-minute guided walkthrough of the exhibition followed by 15 minutes of Q&A with the artist. 12-12:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 121 S. First St. La Conner. Skagi...
A cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind new food waste prevention facility will be unveiled at the Washington State University Skagit County Extension Office next Wednesday, Sept. 25. It’s a Worm Chalet – the brain child of Extension staff committed to preventing food waste. In 2023, staff offered programs and a social media campaign, “Use Food Well,” to begin helping Skagit county residents learn how to keep food waste out of landfills. But this year, as they prepped another season of food waste prevention activities, Diane Smith of the Extensi...
At Saturday’s Meet the Mayor session at the La Conner Swinomish Library, Mayor Marna Hanneman ended the hour upbeat, telling the seven assembled they were awesome and that she was encouraged. “I keep saying it takes a village,” she said, suggesting, “let’s take it on the road,” to Shelter Bay and other communities, in a collaborative effort to tackle greater La Conner’s problems. And while she noted, “It’s all of us, farmers, merchants, the Tribe, Shelter Bay,” everyone at the table had faithfully attended most of these near monthly meetin...
Sunday, Sept. 1 2:23 p.m.: Animal problem – Report of a dog left in a vehicle. Owner arrived and left before a deputy arrived. N. Third Street, La Conner. Monday, Sept. 2 7:07 a.m.: You don’t park it there – A deputy on patrol spotted a car in a field that had taken out a large section of barbed wire fencing. There was nobody around and unknown when the accident occurred. The vehicle was towed. Best Road, greater La Conner. 6:56 p.m.: Missing batteries – Caller could not locate two rechargeable batteries for his yard equipment. He believe...
The countdown is on for 10-9-1 – as in Oct. 9, First Street shifts to one-way southbound traffic. The official deadline for changing the downtown traffic pattern, which includes the block of Commercial Street in front of Maple Hall, was announced at the Aug. 27 La Conner Town Council meeting. "We don't want this date to be a surprise," Town Assistant Planner Ajah Eills said. "We're going to do a big information campaign in September, getting the word out on kiosks, at the library, and h...
Dredging in the Swinomish Channel will begin Sept. 9 and continue until mid-February, says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Last dredged in 2018, the 11-mile long, 100-feet wide, 12-feet deep federal navigation channel is dredged every four to six years because “navigation through the channel is essential for commerce in the area,” said Sara Young, executive director of the Port of Skagit. Most of the work during the round-the-clock, six-days-a-week project will take place at the entrances of the channel. At the south end, the Skagit Rive...
12 issues printed since July 5, 2017. 17 weeks to paper’s final issue Yesterday afternoon, at a hearing before the Town of La Conner ‘s hearing examiner, the case of granting a conditional use permit for a health club to open at the former COA restaurant on Maple Avenue was heard. The land is zoned residential. The restaurant operated with a conditional permit. Once the building was vacant for six months the zoning reverted to residential. Several residents oppose the permit application, saying workforce housing is needed in La Conner and an...
A state-managed program to help prevent vessels from becoming derelict or abandoned in Puget Sound waterways and along sensitive shoreline areas was unveiled in La Conner last Thursday. By all accounts it was a smashing success. Partners engaged in the free vessel turn-in and recycle day event gathered at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina for a 90-minute program including a demonstration dismantling a boats no longer in service and which otherwise could pose threats to the state's marine...
La Conner’s town government – elected officials and staff – created a long task list for the second year of implementing the five-year strategic plan they adopted last September. Credit them for being ambitious: 31 tasks came out of their June retreat, with over half of them placed on Mayor Marna Hanneman and Administrator Scott Thomas’ shoulders. The fire department, with five tasks, has made progress, getting a $150,000 commitment from the town council to buy a fire boat. Public works and finance staff are assigned these tasks: improving inte...
La Conner Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra has for years sounded the alarm about his department’s inability to fight downtown blazes from Swinomish Channel or make timely water rescues. The simple answer, he and Assistant Fire Chief Adam Avery have said, is to purchase a fire boat. What has not been so simple is finding a way to pay for it, even though the original estimated price of $600,000 has fallen to about $425,000. With necessity being the mother of invention, La Conner Hook and Ladder and town officials agreed in principle last week on a p...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. The 24th annual La Conner Classic Boat & Car Show will fill the La Conner Marina from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3. Check out lovingly cared for classic cars, motorcycles and boats on display in the parking lot, then wander to the dock to see a variety of vintage pleasure craft and working boats. Award winners will be announced at 3 p.m. Sponsored by Port of Skagit, La Conner Chamber of Commerce, La Conner Retirement Inn and Frontier Ford. Anacortes Arts Festival,...
