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.

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

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.

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 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 landowner’s 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.

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

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 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

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.

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 Ecology’s regional director Jeannie Summerhays, who chairs the Initiative. “If you’ve 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