Lopez benefits from an abundance of groups and volunteers that provide many of the services upon which we all depend. The Lopez Island Chamber of Commerce is one such entitiy. It is, however, unique among

community groups both in terms of its mission and the variety of activities and events it presents. Through its annual membership drive, now in progress, the Chamber is looking for more people to help with its numerous projects.

The Chamber is best known for producing the Lopez map and guide that is available to tourists and villagers alike. The annual Tour de Lopez is a chamber event coordinated by Chamber officers Daren Holscher and Becky Smith. The Winter Village Lighting and Gathering is another of the organization’s big events. The Chamber also supports the fireworks event as well as the important salmon barbecue picnic after the Lopez Fourth of July Parade.

The Tour de Lopez serves an important financial need. Not only does the Tour bring commerce to the island, it also provides the funds for supporting and maintaining the public bathrooms, the public shower, and the Village Park, all of which are located in the village.

The Chamber of Commerce works with a contractor who does ground maintenance as well as restroom and shower cleanup and upkeep. The community might be surprised to know that it cost roughly $19,000.00 in 2008 for the upkeep of the park, bathrooms, and showers. Becky Smith said, “We do take in some money from donations from people who use the facilities. Before the Tour de Lopez, the maintenace costs came from the Chamber membership fees. There’s no way we could afford to keep the restrooms and showers open on the donations alone. The Tour is always the last Saturday in April. It’s the shoulder season and it’s a slow time of year, and it brings a weekend to the island where the accommodations, rental homes, restaurants, and grocery store are full, thus boosting businesses, as well as helping the Chamber acquire funds. Cyclists and their families are introduced to the island during the event, and they frequently return throughout the year, which brings more people and more commerce. This is a huge boost for the island.”

The membership drive is seeking Lopezians to help and be a part of their work. Membership supports the Chamber financially so that it can continue with its mission: supporting the community’s businesses. Smith commented, “The Chamber has a website which is very user-friendly and full of information. Anyone can post an event on our community calendar, non-profit or profit, which is found on our website, at the top bar of the Chamber homepage.” Please go to: www.lopezisland.com to view the Chamber’s website.

But the Chamber needs volunteers as well as members. Not all members have the time to volunteer; to help with this, the Chamber will frequently use its email newsletter, which it sends to both members and non-member subscribers, as a call for volunteers. The newsletter regularly serves to remind people of what’s going on and to provide members with a place for making announcements about their businesses, like a change in hours or specials available on specific dates.

The Chamber, 130 members strong today, not only distributes maps and guides but also helps visitors with information, and processes requests by email and correspondence. It also works closely with the San Juan Island Visitors’ Bureau and is Lopez’ designated point of contact for that organization. The advertising from the Visitor’s Bureau helps Lopez’ commerce and tourism. For the Fourth of July, the Chamber assisted with the fundraising during the parade for the fireworks and helped the fireworks committee by being the contact for the sales of the t-shirts. Many of the Tour de Lopez volunteers and chamber members helped set up the picnic grounds for the barbecue, helped serve and also broke down the area when the event was over.

The Village Lighting ceremony is also funded and hosted by the Chamber; the holiday lights are purchased and put up not only in the village but down at the ferry landing with funds by the Chamber. They promote shopping locally and gave out bags during the village lighting and encouraged businesses to stay open during this time. All in all, the Chamber offers many opportunities for involvement with the community. Contact Lia Noreen in the Chamber office at 468-4664 or visit www.lopezisland.com for further information on lending your creativity, enthusiasm, and ideas.

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History on the Bathrooms

Roughly 20 years ago, the bathrooms and the park ground itself was desginated as a green space for the development of the village when the business lots were divided up. At one time, the park and bathrooms were part of the Lopez Village Association. At that time, the county built the bathrooms, but there was no money set aside for upkeep. A few years ago the Lopez Village Association opted out of their interest in the land and their obligations to the park. The Chamber’s members always did the maintenance of the restrooms. So several years ago, the Chamber began talks with other organizations who might consider taking over the responsibility of maintaining the park and the bathrooms/showers. After two and a half years negotiating, the county parks purchased the area for $1.00. The parks own the land and the county owns the buildings. Part of the agreement was that the county parks would put no funds into the maintenance of the area. At the same time, the Chamber negotiated a contract for a 10 year commitment to pay for all maintenance and operations to keep the bathrooms open. The Chamber’s point of view on this issue is that the bathrooms are critical because there are no other village facilities for tourists or villagers to use. Smith commented, “It is an odd job for the Chamber to have, but the board believes the bathrooms and showers are crucial in order to support the business owners in the village. But also we were running ourselves financially into the hole trying to pay for it. Darren and I dreamed up the Tour de Lopez to fund this need.”