By Anna Haefele
Special to the Weekly
On March 7 at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts, current members of the San Juan County Council, as well as prospective council candidates hosted the second “Community Conversation” on Lopez.
This discussion was intended to invite ideas and comments from community members in an effort to direct the future of public services in the county and address strategies for optimizing San Juan County’s resources.
The meeting drew a varied crowd of Lopezians, each bringing creative solutions and a passionate desire to improve life in the San Juans.
Councilman Jamie Stephens was quick to reassure participants that their wisdom would indeed guide the county’s budget and structure in upcoming years, saying “We will act on what comes out of the Community Conversations.”
Members at each of the discussion tables came together to discuss what aspects of local government contribute the most to an excellent quality of life in the San Juans. Each group was given the opportunity to present their ideas, and concerns about transportation, parks and trails, community health, and environmental protection.
Several presenters floated the possibility of a greater partnership between local government and nonprofits, as well as increased cooperation between different governmental organizations. One example of this would be improving the public transit link between San Juan County and Skagit and Whatcom counties.
“One simple thing we could do to improve this is to have bus schedules at island ferry terminals, and currently, that’s not something we have,” said Neil Hanson, of the Lopez Solid Waste District.
Participants were also asked to list aspects of the county with which they were satisfied, and ways in which they would like to see the county improve. The Planning Department, specifically permitting, and the Assessor’s Office were subjects of concern. There was also discussion that the county could benefit from increased outreach to Lopez, Shaw, and Orcas.
“One of the things I find really interesting is that as we get further from the core of the government, there’s less feeling of a presence of government,” said Councilman Rick Hughes.
The series of Community Conversations found its genesis in the council’s desire to seek citizens’ views on the budget, and more explicitly, gain an understanding of which services or resources citizens would prefer to spend money on as the county enters a period of unusual budget stability. The event is the second in a series of four.
The council hopes the series of meetings will play a significant role in directing the county as data is compiled and utilized, ideally allowing the county’s goals to align more closely with the public’s than in years past.
“There will be an end result. I think you’ll all be pleased with it,” said Councilman Marc Forlenza.
