DISTRICT 1 NEWS

April 2014

Spring is here! There are many reasons to

be excited about it. The whales have returned, the flowers are blooming and our community is hopping with activity. This newsletter covers a wide range of topics. Please read it and then plan to join me to talk about it all at my gathering later this month.

Marijuana Policy Moves Forward

The Planning Commission has forwarded their recommendation to the Board for new policies allowing the production, processing and retail sales of recreational marijuana in our County. Here is a link to the draft documents. Public hearings are being scheduled for April 21st at 10:15 am and 6 pm. Your comments are encouraged at all times. Please send me an email with your thoughts.

Puget Sound Action Agenda Update

Island County is one of the state leaders in adopting near term actions to aid in the recovery of Puget Sound. If you are interested in learning more about the process, please visit our website. This is part of a larger strategy by the State of Washington to restore the health of Puget Sound.

These local actions are coordinated across the region by the Puget Sound Partnership and are designed to forward the goals of the Action Agenda. Two public meetings will be held for public review and comment on the Action Agenda 2014 Update. The meetings will be an open house format, with Puget Sound

Partnership staff available for one-on-one discussions regarding the Action Agenda Update. Additionally, a short overview presentation will be made beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Action Agenda 2014 Update Public Meetings

Edmonds

April 8, 2014

5 - 7 p.m.

City Hall, Brackett Room

(3rd Floor)

121 5th Avenue North

Edmonds, WA 98020

Tacoma

April 15, 2014

5 - 7 p.m.

Center for Urban Waters

Commencement Bay Room

326 East D Street

Tacoma, WA 98421

Documents are available online for review. For more information or to comment email: actionagenda@psp.wa.gov

Farm Support & Planning

Last week's Farm Forum, sponsored by the Whidbey Conservation District, was a great event full of information and inspiration. Farmers from across the island met to learn about all the exciting developments and opportunities in our area.

The new commercial kitchen at the Fairgrounds is now available for use. Island County built it with help from a USDA grant and has partnered with the Northwest Ag Business Center(NABC) to provide support for this small business incubator facility. It can be scheduled for as little as an hour. For more information about the kitchen rental contact David Bauermeister david@agbizcenter.org .

Some other great projects of the NABC include a mobile poultry processing unit which is now available for local producers and the successful Whidbey Grown branding effort. If you like local food, be sure to watch for the Whidbey Grown stickers while shopping in your island grocery store. I am honored to serve as Island County's ex-officio member of the NABC board.

At the forum I made a request for participation in the Comprehensive Plan Update process. Over the next couple years our community will be weighing in on the vision we wish to see over next 20 years in Island County. Agriculture is an important and growing segment of our local economy. As an example, the Coupeville Farmer's Market alone garnered over $350,000 last year and it is only one of five such markets on Whidbey. The nature of agriculture is changing on both islands with more small farms, a focus on value-added products, off-season activities and culinary-tourism promotion. Here is a link to the comp plan materials available so far. The process is scheduled to be completed June 2016. Please send all comments to Compplan@co.island.wa.us.

Watch this space for more information as this unfolds.

Anniversaries Remembered

On April 3, 2009 the Glendale Road culvert failed, washing out the con

nection between the Bailey's Corner area and the Glendale community. A beaver dam upstream had created a huge pond of about 20 acres in size which broke releasing the water downstream. Residents were evacuated and County forces tried valiantly through the night to relieve the stress by pumping the creek, but despite their efforts by 7 am the road gave way and a torrent of mud and debris 10 feet high burst through. Up to a dozen properties were damaged by the flow. Fortunately all the damage was to property and not to people that day.

Similarly the landslide in Ledgewood had its first anniversary last week. Again a road was wiped out and property damage was extensive, but thankfully no one was injured. As I watch the tragedy unfold in Oso I pray for the families of the victims and have a deep appreciation for the rescue workers, county staff and neighbors who are responding. We live in a region prone to earth movement and water is often a factor, so it is good to stay mindful of that in our public policy making and conservation efforts.

Coffee with the Commissioner

Please join me for an informal discussion of County issues at the new Bayview Farm and Garden caf� on April 14th from 4 pm - 6 pm. I look forward to seeing you there.

Please share this newsletter with others. All are welcome to subscribe.

It is an honor to serve you,

Helen Price Johnson
Island County Commissioner, Dist. 1

district1@co.island.wa.us

(360)679-7354

PO Box 5000

Coupeville, WA 98239