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Sorted by date Results 203 - 227 of 2069
Some 13 people shared their views on the Town of La Conner's half-acre Jenson field property with Mayor Marna Hanneman Saturday at the La Conner Swinomish Library. Most had started the discussion nine days earlier at a town-organized community mingle April 25. This time Channel Drive residents Dave Buchan and Susan Macek and Pull and Be Damned resident Dana Heald came and added their perspectives. Buchan shared his concern over the dramatically declining enrollment in the local school district,...
Last Saturday some 13 people – mostly La Conner residents, along with Channel Drive and Pull and Be Damned neighbors and the Home Trust of Skagit executive director – met Mayor Marna Hanneman at the La Conner Swinomish Library for her monthly community check-in. There were mostly familiar faces around the conference room table. These residents have attended Hanneman’s earlier library gatherings, as many of them joined in town-organized community mingles on short-term rentals, First Street parking and the town-acquired Jenson property. That...
I have been living here just a year now, but my neighbors and the community as a whole have been so open, friendly and inviting that I feel totally at home here. One of the things I truly love about our town is its “walkability.” The beautiful new Swinomish La Conner Library is just a few blocks away, with a steep hill to get my heart rate up on the return trip. And what a wonderful place it is to visit. Not only do they offer a lifetime of fiction and non-fiction books to read, but magazines, DVDs, events and programs for all ages. A new exp...
I was sorry to read in last week’s Weekly News concerning the Jenson property (“Residents engage,” May 1) that there was only minimal interest in housing. What worries me is that without diversity La Conner wouldn’t be the rich connection community it is today. People who have received a hand up from supporters of the arts and the appreciation of that diversity. Creative, brilliant people that gave La Conner its diversity and flavor. La Conner is built on the history of our heroes: People who lived on Pull and Be Damned, Fishtown, the marsh....
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF APPLICATION / NOTICE OF HEARING The Town of La Conner is processing multiple permit applications that may be of public interest. Date: April 30, 2024 Application File #: LU24-16CU-IV/LU24-17CU-IV/LU24-19HDR Applicant: Jeff Latham / Randy Billings and Rod Mennegar / Linda Banaszak Town Contact Person: Michael Davolio AICP, Planning Director; P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257; 360-466-3125 Project Location: 318 Morris Street, P20890 / 110 N. First Street, P74118 / 619 S. First Street, P74077 Project Description: Use...
Turnout was low but engagement high at a one-hour community mingle April 25 addressing possible future uses of the Jenson property. About two dozen people gathered at the Civic Garden Club to suggest how the town could best use the half-acre field on La Conner's south end, acquired in 2022 for $60,000, about one-third its assessed value. Participants reviewed maps of the property, a fact sheet and an informational pamphlet provided by La Conner artist Maggie Wilder outlining features that would...
La Conner's iconic fish slide is temporarily closed and awaiting repairs, but visible progress has been made on another key feature of Conner Waterfront Park. The Town Public Works Department has installed column foundation posts and construction has resumed on a long-sought pavilion at the shoreline park below Rainbow Bridge. Work on the project was suspended for a few weeks due to wet weather and other department priorities, some of which were carried out while crews were shorthanded. Town...
Town Administrator Scott Thomas is known for his occasional use of dry humor, but there wasn’t anything funny about his report to Town Council members last week regarding drought conditions this year. “We’re already in a state of drought,” Thomas told the council during its April 23 meeting at Maple Hall. “So, we may be looking at water restrictions down the road.” Thomas reported that Washington’s snowpack, based on state Department of Ecology statistics, stands at just 68% of its average levels. “With chances for significant additions to the...
SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR SKAGIT COUNTY No. 24-4-00189-29 PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS (RCW 11.40.030) In the Matter of the Estate of Lyle R. Wesen, Deceased The co-personal representatives named below have been appointed as co-personal representatives of this estate. Any person having claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the co-personal representatives or the...
Some dozen residents, primarily community elders, responded to an open invitation to walk the former Jensen property last Thursday, April 18, ahead of tomorrow's community mingle seeking discernment on its future use. Town of La Conner Planning Director Michael Davolio organized the tour. Also attending were Mayor Marna Hanneman, Planning Commissioners Cynthia Elliot and John Leaver and Assistant Planner Ajah Eillis for the 45 minute tour and discussion. "We invited you here to give you a sense...
At 1 p.m. Sunday, April 21, fields of red and yellow tulip flowers were being photographed by tourists in the field on Best Road north of the McLean Road roundabout. The Best Road field south of and across from Christianson's Nursery was flowerless, having been topped. The other field near La Conner, on Calhoun Road near Beaver Marsh Road, was topped Saturday, April 20. The show fields at RoozenGarde, Tulip Town and Tulip Valley Farms remain in bloom....
Because of its desirability and geographic constraints limiting growth, La Conner has long dealt with a housing crunch, especially with affordable housing. Those conditions have now contributed to a pressing side effect: homelessness. In his written report delivered in advance of the April 23 Town Council meeting at Maple Hall, Town Administrator Scott Thomas noted that homeless people have begun camping overnight at Pioneer Park. “The town has experienced ongoing issues stemming from homeless individuals camping in the park, primarily r...
Town planning commissioners trod a familiar path at their April 16 public meeting. The five-member advisory panel, which is in the process of drafting updates to the transportation element of the La Conner Comprehensive Plan, revisited options for potential future traffic flow and parking on South First Street. Discussion didn’t end there. Commissioners will take up the topic one more time at their May 7 session, during which they could agree on recommendations to forward to the Town Council for consideration. Commissioners and residents h...
Sunday, April 14 1:59 p.m.: That was loud – There was a report of a possible gunshot heard in town. Town was very busy and there was only one call that came in on this. Area checked but no problems found. S. Fourth Street, La Conner. Monday, April 15 7:48 a.m.: On the loose – A reporting party called in that his neighbor’s dog was running loose. There is no leash law for the county and the reporting party did not want the neighbor contacted. McLean Road, greater La Conner. Tuesday, April 16 8:51 a.m.: Malicious mischief – Tulip Valley Farms h...
Tsunami is a Japanese word for what used to be more appropriately called a “tidal wave.” In movies and television dramas, tsunamis are portrayed as monster ocean waves cresting over the likes of New York City or Los Angeles. A bit misleading to say the least. Tsunamis are huge bursts of energy being transported in water. In reality, when a tsunami reaches land it’s much more like the tidal flood that invaded La Conner a few years ago, only bigger, much bigger. As most folks have seen in YouTube videos of Japan’s 2011 flooding, a tsunami...
Make housing a Jensen priority The population of La Conner is aged and aging. In-migration or family formation by families of low and moderate incomes hasn’t been the case for a decade or more. There is little to no housing available for young families who would like to live here and send their children to La Conner schools. This has led to frequent calls for “affordable” housing. The prior mayor and town council had a promising opportunity to turn those calls into action when it purchased (and immediately sold) two-thirds of the Maple Avenue b...
La Conner Town Council members and residents attending the April 9 meeting heard the down news: March's sales tax revenues are 15% below 2023. Year to date, sales tax revenue is down 15%, $124,353, from $146,681. All tourist-driven tax revenues are lower and considerably below projections, as reported to the town council in March by the state's Department of Revenue. The $33,930 collected in sales tax was 15.6% below 2023. The $3,382 for the fire department tax was 13.8% below last year and the...
A recent training exercise was so well-received that Skagit County Fire District 13 officials are considering another such drill in the La Conner area later this year. The March 30 windstorm scenario was so successful that the local fire district, which serves rural La Conner and the Swinomish Reservation, may stage a wildland fire training event during the peak of dry summer conditions here. “I suggest we have a similar drill for a wildland fire on the reservation,” Capt. Ted Taylor told fire district commissioners during their meeting at the...
Town council members last week paved the way to pay for future work on La Conner’s streets, sidewalks and trails. The panel during its April 9 public meeting unanimously approved a 0.1% sales tax to fund the town’s new Transportation Benefit District. The council action is tentatively set to take effect July 1. Council members opted for the sales tax rather than an increase in local vehicle license fees to provide revenue for the TBD. Town Administrator Scott Thomas said the sales tax will be paid in part by those who drive to La Conner to sho...
The Town of La Conner will show residents the Jensen property at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 18. Meet at the Channel Cove south end parking lot. A community mingle “regarding uses” of the Jensen property will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Civic Garden Club on South Second Street....
First Street isn't the only place in town with parking issues. The Whittaker Field parking lot on N. Sixth Street was jammed with vehicles April 10 when La Conner hosted the annual Skagit Showdown Track & Field Meet, drawing teams and fans from 2A Burlington-Edison and Sedro-Woolley and 1B Mount Vernon Christian. Some visitors thought their only parking option was inside an open gate leading to the school bus garage. One driver even parked in front of the gate, briefly causing heartburn for La...
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF ORDINANCE Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of La Conner, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 1245 at the April 9, 2024 Town Council meeting. A summary of Ordinance No. 1245 is as follows: An Ordinance establishing the Transportation Benefit District funding. Complete copies of Ordinance No. 1245 are available at La Conner Town Hall, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257 Dated this 10th Day of April, 2024 /s/________________ Maria DeGoede, Town Clerk Published in the La Conner Weekly News, April 17,...
It was an astounding Saturday afternoon in La Conner on several levels. That's thanks to the annual downtown Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Parade presented by Astound Broadband. A large crowd descended on First Street – cars were parked as far away as S. Fourth and Caledonia – to take in the now not-so-impromptu serpentine, which has evolved over four decades into a well-organized, half-hour, must-see event. The 2024 edition featured emergency vehicles entered by La Conner Hook & Ladder, Ska...
Brandon and Kate Atkinson, owners of the 306 Center Street La Conner property, got the letter they have long wanted: An administrative determination on April 4 from the Town of La Conner planning department approves their application for their three-story 20-unit building with “six first- floor motel-type units and 14 second and third floor long-term residential dwelling units that may be developed as apartments or condominiums.” Planning Director Michael Davolio’s letter lists 15 conditions under which the developers can proceed to apply...
A woman is elected the new mayor of a small town on the edge of the Pacific Ocean in November 2023. “I think Langley is a very sweet, quaint town. It is not homogenous. (That’s) my experience,” Mayor Kennedy Horstman told the Weekly News in a joint interview with Director of Community Planning Meredith Penny March 21. The city’s residents “are very different people passionate about a lot of things. They are not all in agreement. … We are all one community but there is a lot of diversity on views of the future,” Horstman believes. Langley, a ci...
