| COUNTY
OFFICE CLOSURE DATES |
|
Skagit County
Offices and Departments will be closed on Monday,
September 6th in observance of Labor Day.
Skagit County Offices and Departments will
also be closed on Friday, September
3rd due to mandatory closure days designed to
help with the Skagit County budgetary shortfall.
Please note: District Court, Superior
Court, Clerks Office and the Transfer Station on Ovenell Road, will
remain open on the 3rd. The Guemes Island Ferry will also stay in
operation.
Regular business hours will resume September 7th
We appreciate your understanding of this closure. We hope to
restore our traditional work days when the economy strengthens.
|
| Help
Shape the Future of Skagit County! |
| Skagit
County Board of Commissioners seeks applicants for Skagit County Planning
Commission |
SKAGIT
COUNTY - The Skagit County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants
to fill a vacancy on the Skagit County Planning Commission from
County Commissioner District 2. Applicants must live within County
Commissioner District 2, which includes the greater Mount Vernon
area extending south to the County line, east to Lake Cavanaugh,
and west to approximately Best Road. A map identifying the District's
boundaries is provided below.
The Planning
Commission advises the Board of County Commissioners and the Planning
and Development Services Department on the direction of future
growth and development in unincorporated Skagit County.
The Board
of County Commissioners seeks to ensure that the Planning Commission
is a balanced committee representing many different viewpoints.
Current Planning Commission members have backgrounds including
real estate, agriculture, forestry, business, education, environmental
planning, and others.
The Planning Commission consists of nine members, three from each
County Commissioner District. Members attend, on average, one
meeting per month. Meetings last approximately three hours and
are held in the evenings.
Planning Commission terms last for four years and may be renewed
by mutual agreement. Service on the Planning Commission service
in unpaid; however, members may obtain reimbursement for travel
expenses to and from meetings.
To apply,
please send a letter of interest and statement of qualifications
by August 31, 2010 to:
Skagit County
Board of Commissioners
Attn: Linda Hammons
Re: Planning Commission Vacancy
1800 Continental Place
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
For more information,
visit the Planning
Commission website or contact Carly Ruacho at carlyr@co.skagit.wa.us
or at (360) 336-9410, ext. 5582.
|
| Second-annual
Guemes Island Ferry Operations Public Forum Meeting to occur on September
12, 2010 |
| 2:00-4:30
pm Guemes Island Community Center |
SKAGIT
COUNTY - On Sunday, September 12, Skagit County Public Works will
hold its second-annual public forum to discuss operational needs
and other issues related to the Guemes Island Ferry operation.
The community is encouraged to attend, learn about, and discuss
agenda items. Included in the agenda are the following topics:
Updates and
timelines on ferry-related projects
2009 financial
and operational summaries
2010/2011
work plan topics of interest
Level of
service for the Guemes Island ferry system
Open public
input
The meeting
will take place from 2:00-4:30 pm at the Guemes Island Community
Center located at 7549 Guemes Island Road.
For more information,
contact Rachel Beck at (360) 419-7618
|
| Preliminary
FEMA flood maps now available online |
| iMap
layers added to display new FEMA data. |
SKAGIT
COUNTY - The Department of Homeland Security's new Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) preliminary flood maps are now available
online at www.skagitcounty.net. The maps provide detailed, aerial
views of Skagit County with an overlay of newly released flood
information, showing the areas and properties in Skagit County
that may be affected by the possible 100-year flood.
To access the maps, click on the iMap icon located on the right-hand
side of Skagit County's homepage.
From here,
in the upper right-hand corner, select a region of Skagit County.
Under "Select View," choose "FEMA Firm Layers -
DRAFT." Once a map is produced, click on "View Legend"
to determine the classification of each floodzone by color. Areas
not colored are not in the floodplain on the new maps. iMap allows
users to expand the map for a closer view of specific areas. The
numbers produced within the floodplain zones indicate the estimated
base flood elevations, from sea level, of floodwaters during a
100-year flood. A basic overview of each zone is described below:
Zone A: areas
that will be affected by a 100-year flood, where flood elevations
are not known but will most likely experience rising elevations
of only one to three feet.
Zone AE: 100-year
floodplain where flood elevations are known.
Zone VE: Coastal
Flood.
Zone X: 500-year
floodplain zone. These areas are not considered special flood-hazard
areas and are therefore not subject to any regulations specific
to flooding.
Crosshatched
areas: floodway where development is either prohibited or very
restrictive.
Users may
also search the preliminary FEMA flood maps by parcel number or
address to produce a more detailed and specific view of individual
parcels.
The issuance of this study may directly affect many property owners,
especially those with properties in identified flood hazard areas
or behind a levee. Users with questions regarding the preliminary
FEMA maps are encouraged to attend the upcoming open houses staffed
by FEMA, County, and local community officials. For a list of
dates and locations of the open houses, visit http://www.skagitcounty.net/Home/HTML/Press/080910.htm
The
FEMA maps are available on the Skagit County website.
For more information, contact Tim Devries at (360) 336-9410 ext.
3489.
|
| Skagit County
Hires Public Works Director, Henry Hash |
| An
effective start-date for Hash's appointment has yet to be decided |
After a thorough and extensive recruitment process, Skagit County
Administrator, Tim Holloran, announced today that Skagit County
has hired Henry Hash as Skagit County's new Public Works Director.
Hash has a great amount of experience in local government and
has served as the Director of Public Works for over twenty years
in California, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.
Most recently, Hash worked as the Director of Resource Management
Agency (RMA) for the County of Tulare, CA. RMA is a mission driven,
One-Stop organization responsible for a broad range of direct
and support services including public works, transportation, utilities,
engineering, solid waste, facilities, fleet, and flood control.
Hash has a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering, an M.S. Degree in
Management, and an M.S. Degree in Public Affairs/Administration
with a concentration in Urban Planning.
Skagit County will provide additional details soon.
For more information, contact Emma Whitfield at emmaw@co.skagit.wa.us
or at (360) 336-9400 ext. 3152.
|
| The draft
2010-2015 Skagit County Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) is now available
for review and comment |
| Capital
facilities as a general definition are public structures, improvements,
and major assets, including land, that have a useful life of at least
10 years. |
|
| Burn restrictions
have been modified in Skagit County |
| Due
to the decrease in fuel moisture levels and available fire resources |
The Fire Marshal's
Office will modify the burn restriction as of Thursday, July 15,
2010 at 8:00 am for the unincorporated areas of Skagit County,
to allow recreational burning only. Recreational fires consist
only of charcoal or firewood and are used for cooking or pleasure.
The fire is in an enclosure no larger than 3 feet across. The
enclosure must be a minimum of 16 inches high and made of cement
block, stones or #10 gauge steel. Materials being burned must
be kept lower than the sidewalls of the enclosure. A charged garden
hose or 2 five-gallon bucks of water must be on site. The fire
must be 25 feet from any standing timber. Tree branches must be
cleared to the height of 15 feet above the enclosure. One person
age 16 or older who is capable of putting the fire out must be
in attendance at all times. To see a complete list of all Recreational
Burning conditions, please see our website at www.skagitcounty.net
or contact the Skagit County Fire Warden at (360) 428-3293.
No debris
burning fires will be allowed until further notice. This will
go into effect on Thursday, July 15, 2010, at 8:00 AM. If you
are within the city limits of any of the incorporated cities or
towns, check with your city fire department for current burning
restrictions.
A permanent
ban on open burning remains in effect in the Cities of Anacortes,
Burlington, Concrete, Hamilton, La Conner, Lyman, Mount Vernon,
and Sedro Woolley and their urban growth areas. For more information
on the burn ban in these cities you may contact the Northwest
Clean Air Agency at (800) 622-4627 or check their website at www.nwcleanair.org.
If your property
falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources,
please call (360) 856-3500 for burn permit information.
Recreational
Burning Conditions
Recreational fires consist only of charcoal or firewood
and are used for cooking or pleasure.
The
fire is in an enclosure no larger than 3 feet across. The enclosure
must be a minimum of 16 inches high and made of cement block,
stones or #10 gauge steel.
Materials
being burned must be kept lower than the sidewalls of the enclosure.
A charged
garden hose or 2 five-gallon bucks of water must be on site.
A shovel
or rake must be on site.
The
fire must be 25 feet from any standing timber.
Tree
branches must be cleared to the height of 15 feet above the enclosure.
One
person age 16 or older who is capable of putting the fire out
must be in attendance at all times.
The
fire must be contained within a firebreak (bare ground).
The
landowners permission must be obtained if not on your property.
If you have
any questions about open burning in Skagit County please contact
the Skagit County Fire Warden at (360) 428-3293.
|
| Guemes Island
Ferry annual haul-out to take place from October 4 - October 19, 2010 |
| The
ferry's last run will occur Sunday, October 3 at 8:00 pm. |
SKAGIT COUNTY
- The 2010 Guemes Island Ferry haul-out will take place from October
4 to October 19. The vessel is scheduled to return to service
October 20 at 6:00 am.
To improve
reliability, lower costs, and protect capital improvement, Skagit
County adopted a Maintenance Program that includes an annual dry-docking
of the Guemes Island Ferry. During the haul-out, Skagit County
will remove and replace one main engine, conduct ultrasound readings
on the hull to determine hull thickness and life expectancy, paint
void spaces and portions of the superstructure, perform other
small maintenance items, and complete the USCG dry-dock credit.
Arrow Launch
will provide a passenger-only service that will run on the regularly-scheduled
sailing times. The passenger-only boat accommodates 49 passengers
and carries both bicycles and small motorbikes. Skagit Transit
will provide a bus on Guemes Island to provide transportation.
For more information,
contact Rachel Beck at (360) 333-1496 or at rachelb@co.skagit.wa.us
|
| Skagit County
recognized for reduction in 2009 gross energy usage in County-owned
and operated facilities |
| Skagit
County Parks and Recreation received special recognition |
The Skagit
Council of Government's (SCOG) Resource Conservation Management
(RCM) program recently issued several awards at its quarterly
meeting in Burlington to recognize good energy conservation efforts
and accomplishments in 2009. Skagit County was among seven local
jurisdictions recognized for reduced energy consumption in 2009.
Skagit County Parks and Recreation received special recognition
and was awarded the 2009 Outstanding Reduction in Energy Usage
by Group of Facilities of a Department in One Jurisdiction for
having six facilities with more than a 10% reduction in gross
energy use, collectively equaling a reduction of 617 million BTUs.
Related:
2009
Energy Conservation awards and recipients
|
| Skagit County in full
compliance with federal and state floodplain regulations |
| Skagit
County Code contains several excellent higher regulatory standards. |
Skagit County
Administrator Tim Holloran was recently notified by the Washington
State Department of Ecology that Skagit County is in full compliance
with federal and state floodplain regulations.
The letter
also stated that in addition to being in compliance, Skagit County
Code contains several excellent higher regulatory standards. During
a recent Community Assistance Visit (CAV) in Skagit County 36
cases of possible violations were cited in Ecology's Field Inspection
Report.
In the ensuing
weeks, Skagit County worked closely with Ecology and provided
documentation that cleared all but two cases which were later
resolved. "This clears all of the findings identified in
our October 7, 2009 letter an closes the CAV for Skagit County,"
said Charles L. Steele, Floodplain Management Specialist. "Our
conclusion is that Skagit County is effectively regulating development
in the County's flood hazard areas."
"The
quality of your management and staff in floodplain matters is
deserving of your high rating in FEMA's Community Rating System,"
said Steele.
Skagit County
currently holds a rating of 4 in FEMA's National Flood Insurance
Program Community Rating System, ranking 5th in the nation.
A major observation
of Ecology is that Skagit County's agricultural preservation program
has continued to be a very effective adjunct to the Skagit County's
floodplain management program by continuing to allow only minimal
development on farmlands which are, for the most part, part of
the floodplain.
For further
information, contact:
Dan Berentson
Communications Director
360-419-3461
|
| Senior Driver Refresher
Course Can Reduce Insurance Rates |
| The
next scheduled sessions of "Getting There Safely" |
September
course dates to be determined
Thursday, October 28th and Friday, October 29th, 2010
Thursday, November 18th and Friday, November 19th, 2010
The classes
will be held at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland
Avenue, Mount Vernon, Washington.
This eight
(8) hour class, divided into two four-hour sessions, is specifically
designed for the senior driver. The sessions will run from 9:00
a.m. until 1:00 p.m. both days. Persons 55 years of age and older,
who complete the program will qualify for a modest reduction in
their automobile insurance.
There is a
ten-dollar ($10.00) fee per person for this class. Persons wishing
to enroll and/or needing additional information should contact
Kathy Bowen, Skagit County Public Works Department, (360) 336-9400
ext. 3140. All participants must pre-register.
|
| Clean Samish Initiative
Seeks Publics Help |
| Samish
basin residents can learn about clean-water actions under way in that
area and how small steps at homes and farms can help the newly-formed
Clean Samish Initiative. |
More than
20 non-profit groups, businesses and government agencies formed
Clean Samish earlier this year to speed cleanup in the river,
bay and nearby streams. Several of these water bodies do not meet
state clean-water standards for fecal coliform, bacteria from
digestive systems of people and animals.
Other Clean
Samish participants include Samish Bay shellfish farmers, the
Samish Indian Nation, the Western Washington Agricultural Association,
the Puget Sound Partnership, and the state departments of Health
and Agriculture.
Clean
Samish represents a community-wide commitment in the broadest
sense, said Ecologys regional director Jeannie Summerhays,
who chairs the Initiative. If youve ever had questions
about the Samish cleanup, many of the organizations working on
it will be under one roof at this open house.
Summerhays
added that owners of septic systems and farm animals can make
very significant contributions. When managed properly, none
of these uses represents a threat to water quality, she
explained.
Teams from
the county Health Department and Ecology have been visiting homes
and farms in selected sub-basins to provide information and assistance
on meeting local and state requirements to prevent contamination
from reaching Samish waters.
Fecal coliform
bacteria indicate the likely presence of disease-causing organisms
in the water. Elevated levels of this pollutant have led to Washington
Department of Health closures of commercial shellfish harvests
in Samish Bay for a total of ten weeks in 2008 and 2009. Bacteria
levels frequently reach levels too high for safe non-commercial
shellfish harvesting and for recreational water-contact activities
such as swimming and fishing.
A clean
Samish adds a critical value for farmers, especially those who
irrigate from surface waters or grow shellfish said Mike
Rundlett of the Western Washington Agriculture Association. Consumers
need to be assured their food products are safe.
Marine monitoring
is conducted by the state Department of Health. Freshwater monitoring
is conducted by Ecology, Skagit County and the volunteer Skagit
Stream Team.
The Clean
Samish Initiative has developed a plan to coordinate its members
cleanup activities, based on an Ecology water-quality improvement
strategy for the Samish, approved last month by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, under the federal Clean Water Act. In addition
to proper management of septic systems and animal waste, the plan
addresses other pollution sources, including:
- farming
operations that spread animal manure as fertilizer;
- various
human recreational activities, including boating, hunting, fishing,
hiking;
- marina
live-aboard boats;
- waterfowl
attracted to fields planted in grain.
For more information,
or to get involved with Clean Samish, please contact:
Corinne Story,
Skagit County Public Health, 360-336-9380, corinnes@co.skagit.wa.us
Pete Haase,
Skagit Conservation Education Alliance, 360-419-3161, sceamail@verizon.net
Kristi Carpenter,
Skagit Conservation District, 360-428-4313, kristi@skagitcd.org
Rick Haley,
Skagit County Public Works, 360-336-9400, rickh@co.skagit.wa.us
Related:
Clean Water Web
Site: www.skagitcounty.net/cleanwater
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"Our
deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds."
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~
Marian
Evans
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