Economy, islanders’ generosity, Viking football team dominated the headlines

Here are what we believe are the top 10 stories of 2001. We believe these 10 qualify because of the profound impact each of them had on our community. Here they are, in their order of importance:

Economic downturn

The world-wide economic downturn that began well before Sept. 11, and accelerated after the terrorist attacks, took its toll on of the San Juan Islands.

Three of the leading industries in the islands -- tourism, construction, and real estate -- declined after several boom years.

The drop in the number of tourists visiting the islands forced some employers to lay off staff. It also prompted some -- but not all -- to appeal to county commissioners to increase the hotel-motel tax by 2 percent and use the additional revenue, more than $300,000, to promote tourism. The commissioners had yet to decide on the request. If they support the proposal, it will mark the first time that county tax dollars will go to promote tourism.

Construction was also down. Figures furnished by the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative indicated that the number of new services dropped significantly from that of the past decade. OPALCO’s numbers are as follows:

Year Number

1992 385

1993 316

1994 398

1995 329

1996 332

1997 302

1998 365

1999 413

2000 368

2001 290 *through Dec. 26

The slumping economy had a big impact on county government. Sales tax revenues, an important source of funding for San Juan County, were down 5.7 percent for the first 11 months of the year, according to the county Treasurer’s office. San Juan County took in $2,588,040.05 during the period January - November 2001. That’s $159,123,76 less than the $2,747,163.81 collected for the first 11 months of 2000. The loss of revenues forced commissioners to make substantial cuts in the county’s general fund budget for 2002.

Real estate sales in 2000 for Orcas Island declined by 27 percent from that of a year ago, from 260 to 189. In terms of dollar volume, the decline was 36 percent, from $74 million to $47 million. The average price per sale on Orcas dropped from $285,000 to $249,000.

Countywide, sales were down from 834 to 668, a drop of 20 percent. The dollar volume also declined by 22 percent, from $223 million to $174 million.

One branch of county government that was especially hit hard was the San Juan County Land Bank, which receives 1 percent real estate excise tax funds on all transactions, and uses the money to preserve lands through purchases or conservation easements. The Land Bank collected $1,637,059 for the first 11 months of 2001. That’s a drop of 21 percent from the previous year.

Unemployment in San Juan County was also up, to 5.3 percent in November 2001. This compares to 4.3 percent one year earlier.

Orcas raises $100,000 for Rich Cardinell

When Orcas firefighter Max Jones approached The Sounder last September to help publicize a fundraising campaign to help local volunteer firefighter Rich Vinson Cardinell, she set a goal for the Orcas Island community to raise $30,000.

Cardinell, who was suffering from a rare form of leukemia, needed $100,000 to help pay for a stem cell transplant that would be provided by his sister, Bridget Magwood. But Jones figured that a community this small couldn’t possibly raise $100,000, so she set the goal at the smaller amount, hoping the rest of the money would come from other sources. “We don’t want to scare off the community by asking for $100,000,” Jones told The Sounder.

Well, the community surprised her. It raised the $100,000, and Cardinell now appears to be on the road to recovery.

Even the firefighters from nearby San Juan Island contributed by holding a benefit breakfast for Rich.

Jones wrote a letter to the editor which appeared in last week’s Sounder. It read, “Everyone cared so much that together we raised the $100,000 needed to forge the right weapon for this battle. I think the caring packs a powerful healing of its own. I’ve seen the amazing results for Rich and LeAnn.”

Vikings go back to the Tacoma Dome

This became more than a sports story. It became a community story, particularly after the Vikings defeated Onalaska 22-21 Nov. 18 in an overtime thriller in the state Class A quarterfinals.

The game will be remembered for years and years not only by the hundreds of Viking fans who made the trip to Lacy (near Olympia), but also by those who stayed home and listened to the game on the radio.

Gary Bauder remembers the scene in his Cinema Paradiso video store -- customers huddled around the radio, and cheering wildly when Orcas won the game on a two-point conversion pass from Cory Harrington to Josh Gage.

The players were reminded of their accomplishments everywhere they went. “It’s all over the place,” Harrington said. “People come to talk to you about it in the market. The fans are awesome. We have the best fans.”

Orcas bowed out of the tournament the next weekend in the state semi-finals, but islanders could only remember their accomplishments -- an undefeated season, a league championship and, yes, that incredible win against Onalaska.

Two planes crash

Fortunately, nobody got killed when two private planes crashed during 2001 just south of the Eastsound Airport.

Orcas Island pilot Don Tompkins and his friend Rick Davis survived a crash into a tree and some brush a few hundred feet south of the airport Jan. 6. Both were hospitalized, but made a full recovery.

A little over five months later, on June 9, another private plane went down, this time in a field off Enchanted Forest Road.. Injured were pilot J.C. Laursen, his wife Barbara, and young Merrick Parnell. The Laursens’ daughter Jessica was not harmed. The plane was so severely damaged that when Merrick’s dad Mike Parnell first spotted the wreck from the air, he thought that there couldn’t possibly have been any survivors.

The two crashes focused attention on whether development should be allowed in the vicinity of the Eastsound Airport. Residents of the Lavender Hollow Apartments, near the crash sites, expressed serious concern that their homes could be hit by a plane.

The problem is that the airport is located in Eastsound, which is defined as an Urban Growth Area in the county’s Comprehensive Plan. How to balance airport safety with urban growth remains a dilemma that has yet to be solved.

The San Juan County Long-Range Planning Department put forward a plan for an Eastsound Airport Overlay District that, if approved in its entirety, could halt virtually all development in and around the airport.

Ferry fare hike

Ferry fares to the San Juan Islands rose 28 percent last May, with additional fare hikes of around 17 and one-half percent expected to be imposed next spring.

Washington State Ferries was forced to raise fares in the aftermath of a state initiative which limited the cost for license tabs to $30 a year, seriously limiting the state’s ability to subsidize operations.

Prior to implementation of the fare hike, Washington State Ferries conducted three widely attended public hearings on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands. Many islanders voiced fears at the hearings that they would have to leave the islands if ferry fares continued to rise.

Nevertheless, the fare hikes were imposed systemwide by the state Transportation Commission, amid predictions that ridership would tumble. But as things turned out, the number of ferry riders traveling to the San Juans remained virtually the same as the year before.

That prompted San Juan Ferry Advisory Committee Chair Bob Distler to note that this would make it easier for the state to impose its anticipated second fare hike next spring.

Port battles

Orcas Port Commissioners battled throughout much of the year regarding the ongoing dissension between Commissioner Gary Abood and Port Manager Duane Lunde. Abood insisted that he was merely exercising his right to obtain information from Lunde, while the Port Manager claimed that Abood’s behavior was disruptive to port operations and prevented him from doing his job. Lunde took leave for several weeks, claiming severe emotional distress.

He also took the matter to court, claiming harassment. Port commissioners, by a 3-2 vote, agreed to pay Lunde’s attorney’s fees. They also censured Abood on two occasions and denied him direct access to Lunde outside of port commission meetings. Abood’s request that his attorney’s fees be paid was denied.

The constant bickering may have prompted Peter Walmsley to decide not to seek reelection. It also was a factor in Ulanah McCoy’s decision to challenge incumbent chair Bob Gamble in last fall’s election. When the dust cleared, the public opted for a very different commission, electing McCoy over Gamble, and Frank Cantwell for the seat vacated by Walmsley.

In the midst of the bickering came some shocking news regarding the long proposed wildlife fence. Port commissioners were informed last October that the price tag for a fence around the airport and privately owned hangars would run over $700,000, which was more than double the amount being suggested just one year earlier. The Federal Aviation Administration will pay 90 percent of the cost of the fence, with the local tax district picking up the tab for the remaining 10 percent. The specific dimensions of the fence were still being debated at year’s end.

Fire commission battle

Orcas Island Fire Commission meetings were considered a model of decorum and courtesy until Bob Phalan unseated incumbent Henry “Duff” Andrews in the November election.

Phalan ran with the intention to remain an Emergency Medical Technician while serving as a commission. The problem was that a volunteer can serve as a commissioner only with the unanimous support of his colleagues, and John Erly made it abundantly clear after the election that he would not allow Phalan to serve in both capacities.

Phalan opted to fight, and he produced a Jan. 13, 1998 fire commission resolution allowing volunteers to be fire commissioners. Ironically, that resolution allowed Erly to join the commission while remaining a firefighter. Erly resigned his post six months later, claiming that he couldn’t handle both roles simultaneously.

The matter continued to be on the front burner at the end of the year, with Phalan supporters circulating a petition asking commissioners to serve in both roles. But Erly insisted that their efforts were all for naught, saying he will not change his mind.

And that left Phalan with the choice to join the commission and give up his EMT role, or give up his commission seat and remain an EMT. He had yet to make a decision at year’s end.

Orcas Center attendance drops

Could Orcas Center have too much entertainment? The question was raised by Center Executive Director Candace VerBrugghen, who noted last October that attendance at the local arts and community center for dance, music and theater performances was down 30 to 40 percent from a year ago.

Orcas is now awash in entertainment offerings, with a full schedule of concerts for small audiences at The Living Room, in plays presented by Actors Theatre of Orcas Island, and in weekly concerts during the summer months at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the Eastsound Village Square. Still more offerings can be expected to take place at The Grange, which has been refurbished this past year, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers.

Orcas Center’s declining attendance promoted VerBrugghen to rethink the Center’s role. She says Orcas Center cannot continue to be all things to all people, and that it may have to focus on what it can offer that other venues cannot.

Toward that end, VerBrugghen polled the community to ask their preferences for future musicals, comedies and dramas. The public response led Orcas Center to select “Camelot” as its spring musical.

School keeps library in-house

When the Orcas school couldn’t find a librarian to take over the school library after Marilyn Jackson retired, it explored the possibility of contracting with the public library. Had such a deal been put together, it would have marked the first time in Washington State that such an arrangement had been made.

Both Superintendent Barry Acker and Library Victoria Parker were excited about the possibility, and Parker prepared a lengthy proposal. But it never happened, and for one reason – money. The Library’s proposal would have cost the district $133,000.

Acker indicated the most that the school could afford was $90,000. The district could have dipped into its reserve fund, but board members determined that such a move could have hurt the school’s ability to meet other needs.

In the end, things worked out well for the school. Longtime elementary school teacher Terry Hopkins agreed to take over the library, and the Orcas Island Education Foundation picked up the tab for much needed improvements by contributing $46,000 to upgrade the facility and add to the collection.

Dotys retire

One would be hard pressed to find a local business on Orcas Island that could more genuinely be described as an institution than Doty’s A-1.

Dick and Velma Doty operated the A-1 for 31 consecutive years, offering the community not only good food at reasonable prices, but also a meeting place for local community service organizations, and a hangout where islanders would gather to visit and chew the fat. The pair were also active on many community service projects.

The A-1 continues to serve the community. It is now in the capable hands of Sue Cline.

— Ted Grossman is editor of islandssounder.com and The Islands’ Sounder. He can be reached at (360) 376-4500 or email.

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