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 Releases Public Comment Analysis Report for the Draft Destination Management Plan
San Juan County published a report that concludes the County’s current tourism planning efforts and analyzes the public comments submitted for the Preliminary Draft Destination Management Plan. The draft received over 900 comments that spanned a variety of topics including defining island capacity, addressing affordability and transportation, reconsidering destination marketing efforts, protecting property rights, and many more.
One area almost all commentors supported was the need to protect the island environment and quality of life. After reviewing the report, the County Council did not take any action to move destination management planning efforts forward at this time. You can view the report on the County’s ‘Engage’ website here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/destination-management-plan
The San Juan County Fair is Just Around the Corner; Register Your Exhibits TODAY!
The San Juan County Parks & Fair Department continues to streamline ways to help you participate in the County Fair. With online pre-registration for entries and a new pick-up and drop-off service on Orcas, Lopez and Shaw, it’s never been easier to be part of the Fair!
You can enter your exhibits into the Fair early and online. Visit https://fairentry.com/Fair/SignIn/20138 to begin entry and registration.
Do you live on Orcas, Shaw, or Lopez Island? This year, the San Juan County’s Parks & Fair Department will pick-up and drop-off non-perishable Fair entries from your island!
- Pick-Up: Saturday, August 10th, 10:00AM – 6:00PM
- Lopez Island Grange (452 Richardson Rd.)
- Orcas Island Grange (3252 Orcas Rd)
- Shaw Community Center (42 Reef Net Bay Rd)
- Drop-Off: Saturday, August 24th, 10:00AM – 6:00PM (same locations as pick-up)
County Council Conducts Mid-Year Review of Priorities
At the beginning of every year, the San Juan County Council attends a multi-day retreat where they review programs and services, bring forth goals and ideas, and set priorities for the year. The 2024 Council retreat was held on January 22 and 23 and can be viewed online in the Civic Clerk Portal. During the Tuesday, July 9 meeting, the Council conducted a mid-year review of the priorities established at the beginning of the year.
This mid-year review does not capture the breadth of services and programs delivered by the County – only the initiatives discussed during the Council retreat. San Juan County provides everything from dog licenses to vaccines, camping reservations to burn permits, law enforcement services to chip sealing roads, and much more.
Led by Interim County Manager Mark Tompkins, the mid-year review focused on a variety of topics including the biennial budget, facility improvements and updates, communications initiatives, contracts of note, Comprehensive Plan updates, and other key initiatives and projects.
August 6, 2024, Primary Election: Vote! Sign! Send!
It’s not too late to take part in the upcoming elections! You can register to vote online or by mail up until July 29. After that, you can register to vote in-person at a county election office up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The August 6, 2024 Primary includes races for Governor, Lt. Governor, State Senator, State Representative, additional Washington State government offices, United States Senator, United States Representative, and other local offices including two County Council positions. Ballot measures for the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Island School District are also before voters. The top two vote getters in each primary race will move on to the November 5 General Election ballot.
Find a list of key dates, where to register, and more on the County’s website.
San Juan County Launches New Ferry Information Resource
San Juan County is pleased to launch an informational page to help assist residents and visitors navigate the Washington State Ferry System (WSF) by consolidating timely information, links to useful sites, answers to FAQs, and opportunities for feedback into a single, user-friendly location and all geared towards San Juan riders.
Visit the page on the County’s ‘Engage’ website here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-ferry-information
Learn more about the County’s recent news by visiting: sanjuancountywa.gov/1930/San-Juan-County-Newsroom
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