This column is part of a series detailing San Juan County’s recent news. Follow along each month to learn about important County projects, Council initiatives, department updates, and more.
County Council’s Request to Governor for Relief from Ferry Service Disruptions Not Fulfilled
San Juan County Council issued a request to the Washington State Governor’s Office for a ‘State of Emergency’ and ‘executive relief’ from ferry service disruptions. The 180-day interim proposal outlined a plan for financing local marine transportation alternatives that would attempt to mitigate the significant impacts on the County’s economy and its ability to deliver essential public services, as well as significant transportation challenges experienced by residents and visitors.
The County requested $995,670.00 in financial support from the State in three areas:
- Interisland passenger only water taxi service $ 279,450.00
- Anacortes / San Juan Islands passenger only ferry service $ 659,295.00
- On-call essential/critical services barge transportation $ 56,925.00
Due to a variety of factors, the State did not issue a State of Emergency or grant Council’s funding requests. Several key pieces of local data helped inform an ask to the governor’s office, including:
- An internal County Government ferry impacts review regarding effects ferry service disruptions have upon the delivery of essential public services
- Statistics from the Community Water Taxi Survey – both the 2024 survey and their year-to-date ridership data
- Survey results from Transition Lopez that explore the establishment of a fossil-free local shuttle service on Lopez Island.
See the data and learn more about the County’s ferry advocacy efforts on the Engage page: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-ferry-information.
San Juan County Certifies Primary Election Results & Celebrates Highest Primary Turnout in Years
The San Juan County Elections Office certified the results of the August 6, 2024 Primary Election. San Juan County had the second highest voter turnout in the State of Washington with 56.28% of registered voters casting a ballot. The average voter turnout was 40% statewide. This was the highest turnout in San Juan County for an August primary since 2020. The certified results of the August 2024 primary election can be found on the County’s website: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20240806/sanjuan/.
Recreational Shellfish Harvesting Remains Closed
On June 18, 2024, all San Juan County beaches closed to recreational shellfish harvesting. This county-wide beach closure does not mean that commercial shellfish operations are closed. You can see which commercial areas are currently “closed” at Shellfish Growing Areas Closures (wa.gov) or sign up for alerts here: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOH/subscriber/new?topic_id=WADOH_269.
Wildfire Smoke Safety Tips
Wildfire smoke is common this time of year and it’s a good reminder to brush up on smoke safety tips. Here are a few tips to keep you and your loved ones safe in the event the islands experience unsafe smoke levels.
- Check Air Quality: You can check local air quality online or even on an app for your smartphone. Use the WA Smoke Blog online or download the EPA’s AirNow or EPA’s Smoke Sense apps.
- Keep Indoor Air Clean: Improve the air quality of your indoor air by changing filters regularly in your HVAC system, using a HEPA portable air cleaner, and limiting activities that produce smoke indoors like burning candles or incense.
- Limit Time Outdoors: When air quality is bad, stay indoors! Breathing wildfire smoke can worsen many health problems and cause minor to serious symptoms like headaches, stinging eyes, coughing, trouble breathing, asthma attacks and chest pain. If you must go outdoors, avoid strenuous activity and wear a properly fitted particle respirator, like a N95 mask.
Learn more about the County’s recent news by visiting: sanjuancountywa.gov/1930/San-Juan-County-Newsroom
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