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Just months after stepping down as transportation director at La Conner Schools, Kim Pedroza is back, the newest member of the district’s board of directors. Pedroza was selected by board members last Thursday to fill the unexpired term of Lynette Cram, who the Town of La Conner director district seat when her husband, David Cram, became deputy superintendent of finance, human resources and operations. This director position is on the ballot for a full four-year term in November. Retired Dunlap Towing tugboat skipper and former La Conner F...
The officers of the Shelter Bay Community board of directors are called back to Skagit County Superior Court March 31 on a civil complaint that accuses them of breach of fiduciary duty. It alleges malfeasance and failure in their actions and conduct as directors for passing the “invalid budget in violation of both the bylaws of SBC Inc. and the Revised Code of Washington” for 2023. It also alleges that the board "failed to mail the budget to its members as required," so it was never properly ratified and that the board’s following of this...
A rare positive impact of the severe saltwater flooding that swamped La Conner in December was the flood of well qualified applicants seeking appointment to the Town’s new emergency management commission. Mayor Ramon Hayes last week nominated five applicants. The Town Council confirmed them during the panel’s March 14 session. They bring extensive histories of public service, meteorology, climatology and engineering. “What a great lineup, this is exciting,” Councilmember Mary Wohleb said following a unanimous vote that empaneled Bill Stokes,...
There were two sure signs at last week's La Conner Town Council meeting that spring is in the offing. The first was the presentation by Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Executive Director Cindy Verge of the official poster, a depiction by artist Kerry Clavadetscher of a Savannah sparrow perched on a favorite tulip. The second was an announce-ment by Town Public Works Director Brian Lease that king tide winter flood protection sandbags will be picked up at the end of the month. The bags have been in...
It seems that the efforts to enshrine reproductive access in the state constitution have been aborted, as the proposed amendments from the House and Senate failed to receive a Floor vote before our most recent cutoff. As I’ve said in other media outlets and during committee proceedings on the Senate’s version, I believe the issue of abortion access is settled in Washington state. In no uncertain terms, voters told us via initiative their policy preference on the matter. My job is to rep...
What is the difference between last week and this week? Answer: Last week everyone was at the end of the third year of the coronavirus pandemic. This week we all step into, no not its fourth year but the first year of what the World Health Organization in January termed a global health emergency. When the United Nations' backed World Health Organization declares a global health emergency, pay attention. We can breathe a sigh of relief that we are out of the three-year grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemics are defined as everywhere, able to...
Too many neighbors are experiencing the trauma of homelessness and that affects our entire community’s quality of life and economic prosperity. Did you know that underhoused students are 25% less likely to graduate than their housed peers? And 300+ households in Skagit County currently have no home, with many more struggling every day to find or keep housing. Many are working hard to make it better, including Community Action and the 16 service providers that participate in Skagit County government’s Coordinated Entry homeless response sys...
OLYMPIA — The Washington state Department of Commerce released its final housing needs projections March 2. They show the state needs to add 1.1 million homes over the next 20 years, and more than half of them need to be affordable for residents at the lowest income levels. Based on census data and the Office of Financial Management’s population projections, these final housing projections illustrate that Washington needs more than 50,000 new units annually to keep pace with expected population growth. In 2021, the Growth Management Act fra...
Few in La Conner can remember saltwater flooding as severe as Dec. 27’s, causing nearly $2 million in damages and directly impacting two dozen residences and six businesses. Yet it was not dire enough to merit a formal Federal Emergency Management Agency declaration of emergency. And that means federal reimbursement will not be made available to those in La Conner and elsewhere in Skagit County who suffered flood damage caused by a “perfect storm” of events – seasonal king tides, low atmospheric pressure and strong westerly winds. Unfortu...
About 100 Shelter Bay residents attended the latest in a series of monthly one-hour town hall forums at the community’s clubhouse Sunday night, where a wide range of topics – including recent sanctions imposed on two board members – were addressed. Other subjects covered in prior meetings, including perhaps the sorest of subjects – the unauthorized tree-cutting at Rainbow Park in 2020 that resulted in a stiff fine imposed by the Swinomish Tribal Community Planning Department – were discussed as well. So, too, was the status of Shelter B...
The La Conner Town Council met on Valentine’s Day, then its leaders looked for some love from state lawmakers in Olympia later in the week. A Town delegation met with state Reps. Dave Paul and Clyde Shavers and the staff of Sen. Ron Muzzall to discuss flood management measures and other key local issues, including increased funding for law enforcement. By all accounts, it was a positive dialogue with the District 10 legislators. It left Town officials hopeful yet more productive talks will take place. “I think it went well,” Town Admin...
Faced with future major fire protection costs – including purchase of a fire boat and replacement of a 30-year-old fire truck – plus pending necessary upgrades to La Conner’s wastewater treatment plant and aging water lines at Skagit Beach, Town officials are weighing the merits of hiring a municipal grant writer. Town Councilmember Ivan Carlson, noting the fire department’s pressing equipment needs, raised the prospect of a professional grant writer during the panel’s Feb. 14 hybrid session at Maple Hall. “The fire department will have more ex...
Last month, I wrote about the workforce shortage, which is holding back our economy and critical services like healthcare. The housing crisis is intertwined with our workforce shortage. Even if a local business or hospital recruits a great candidate for a job, no one can take that position without a place to live. Sometimes, the only home they can find or afford isn't anywhere near their work. That means they either can't take the job – or they suffer through long commutes every day, adding t...
There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented public health, economic, and mental health challenges for individuals and the community at large. While COVID transmission still remains in Skagit County, Public Health is now able to respond within general operating capacity and is no longer in emergency response mode. To gather information about the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement of our local pandemic response, Skagit County Public Health is requesting public comment about COVID-19 emergency...
What laws govern billboards in Skagit County? Exactly what kind of billboard is being proposed by the 76 gas station owners east of the Conway exit? The answers to those questions are one reason the county revised its “Notice of Development Application” for a proposed billboard east of Conway and extended the comment period to Feb. 24. Residents of La Conner will not be surprised that one person probing these questions is Linda Talman. “There was so much misinformation about the proposed sign,” she told the Weekly News. “A lot of it was contr...
J. J. Wilbur will remain a busy man. Wilbur, who serves on the La Conner school board and as a Skagit County Fire District 13 commissioner and chairs the Swinomish Tribal Community Port Commission, was re-elected to the 11-member Swinomish Senate in Sunday balloting. Wilbur survived a strong challenge from Cathi Bassford, a tribal housing and utility board member and elder programs supporter who has served as Swinomish kitchen manager for nearly 20 years, serving special event meals for...
Patience is about to be rewarded at Fire District 13. The long-planned modular residential unit for firefighters and emergency medical technicians was scheduled to be delivered to the Snee-Oosh Road station this week and is expected to be ready for use in March, commissioner John Doyle said during the panel’s Feb. 9 hybrid meeting. The unit’s ramping and decking, required for permit approval – plus utility hookups – should be completed within three weeks, he reported. Doyle and commission chair Bruce Shellhamer voted to approve payment...
Skagit County will host a community meeting for Samish Island residents Monday, Feb 27, 6-8 p.m. at the Samish Island Community Center, 11292 Blue Heron Road, Bow. Topics include community flood preparedness and flood and emergency response. The county commissioners and staff from Planning & Development Services, Public Health, Public Works, the Department of Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office will respond to community questions. Source: Skagit County...
UPDATE AND CORRECTION: Skagit County Planning & Development Services updated its “notice of development application with optional SEPA DNS” for Pacific Outdoor Advertising erecting a sign at the I-5 Conway intersection Feb. 7. The notice now states construction of “a 2-sided static (not digital) billboard” has been applied for. That changes the original Jan. 31 application’s a “2-sided/faced Static electronic billboard sign” was applied for. The deadline for written public comments is now 4:30 p.m. Feb. 24, advanced from Feb. 17. Only environm...
A fire in a 50 ft. cabin cruiser on a rack at Latitude Marine Services south of La Conner Thursday afternoon was readily extinguished by crews from Fire District 13, with assistance from multiple area fire departments. Assistant Fire Chief Jami Jurdi arrived first to the 12:42 p.m. call, in Engine 1321 from Station 2, Snee Oosh. Fire Chief Wood Weiss came from La Conner. Weiss reported “flames burst out from a cabin window” as his crew was suiting up. They then “began hitting the fire from the outside.” There was concern of “the high exposure...
In the first three weeks of January, 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow fell on California. I was there for an awful lot of them. Usually, when I make my holiday sojourn to Sacramento, I enjoy slightly warmer temperatures and a whole lot more sun than I get in Skagit County in the winter. Not this year. Rain began just a few days after I pulled up to my mom's house on Dec. 19. At first, it was refreshing and from what I saw on my drive south, badly needed. But one storm turned into one atmosph...
OLYMPIA — A federal appeals court reversed a last-minute Trump Administration decision to deny Medicaid funding for dental health aide therapists in Washington tribal communities, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Washington Health Care Authority announced Jan. 19. These dental aides help fill a void in tribal communities, which have a significant shortage of dentists and dental services. The state and Swinomish jointly filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after P...
Skagit County is seeking applicants for a seat in District 2 for a Citizens Advisory Committee, the Agricultural Advisory Board that makes recommendations to the county commissioners on land use, planning, programs and policy decisions relating to agriculture. Applicants need a demonstrated knowledge, experience and interest in one or more of the following areas: soil and water conservation, farming practices, food and feed processing, wholesale and retail marketing, produce buying, direct marketing, supply, agricultural real estate/land...
More than once during a lifetime that spanned nearly a century the late Fred Mesman was referred to as a Renaissance Man – a person with wide interests and expertise in numerous areas. So it was only fitting that Mesman, who died in December at age 98, would be remembered as such during graveside services Saturday afternoon at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery attended by a wide cross-section of the La Conner community. Gathering on a picture-perfect sunlit day – one in which Mesman, an outdoors ent...
In my 16th and final year as mayor, I would like to thank the La Conner community for the opportunity to serve as your representative. Although our resources are limited, La Conner has been fortunate to attract and retain staff who are dedicated to the community and whose work ethic, in many cases, far exceeds a 40-hour work week. La Conner is also blessed with a plethora of volunteers who participate in everything from our town council, planning commission, arts and parks commissions and, with 23 active volunteers, our fire department. Its...
