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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 16
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014
Hundreds of local homes now tax-exempt By Sandy Stokes Skagit County government officials are scrambling to figure out how to deal with a huge cut in tax revenue resulting from a federal court ruling that eliminates property tax for every building on tribal land. That means most of the approximately 900 homes in Shelter Bay, a gated community built on leased land that the federal government holds in trust for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, are now exempt from property taxes. Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen said buildings on tribal land will be removed from the 2015 tax rolls. In the La Conner area, homes in the Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned Road neighborhoods contribute the lion’s share of property taxes for La Conner School District and Fire District 13. While homeowners in those areas do not pay property tax on the leased tribal land their buildings sit on, they do pay tax on the value of the structures. RC Cavazos, chief deputy with the Skagit County Assessor’s office, said the court ruling means that about $111 million worth of property will be removed from tax rolls in the La Conner area, which will result in about a $1.5 million loss in revenue. “That could create a huge tax hit for people not on the trust land,” he said. In Shelter Bay, a house on tribal land with a building valued $150,000 generates $1,974 this year in property taxes. Of that amount, $849 goes to the school district, $361 goes to the state, and the La Conner Library gets $66. Skagit County takes $263 for its road fund and $244 for county government operations, Fire District 13 gets $119, and
the rest goes to Medic 1, the Port of Anacortes, and a conservation futures fund. Voters in the La Conner School District last year passed a $20 million bond to pay for school renovations and reconstruction now underway. According to Cavazos, the district could lose $600,000 to $800,000 per year in property tax revenue. The federal court ruling “will have huge impacts on the school district,” said La Conner schools Superintendent Tim Bruce. But the Swinomish Tribe, which values education highly, is not likely to leave the schools stranded. “I do not foresee a scenario where a tax-free zone results from this decision,” said Steve Lecuyer, director of the Swinomish Legal Department. “The tribe is aware of the Great Wolf decision and is reviewing its implications, and I anticipate the Tribal Senate will enact a property tax code.” Should the tribe start collecting property tax, how the money is allocated would be up to the tribal lawmakers. The so-called “Great Wolf” decision, which gives privately owned non-tribal buildings on tribal land tax immunity, was issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last year. Thurston County had been assessing property taxes on the Great Wolf Lodge, which was built in 2007 on land held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. Great Wolf was owned by a limited liability company, CTGW, LLC. The Chehalis tribe holds 51 percent ownership of the company. Although tribal buildings on tribal land are not taxed, the county argued that CTGW was a corporation, and,
therefore, not entitled to tax immunity. The case rumbled around in the courts for awhile, with a district court ruling that Thurston County could keep collecting taxes. When the Chehalis tribe appealed the decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the tribe’s favor, striking down the lower court’s ruling. According to attorney Jane Futterman of the Thurston County Prosecutor’s office, which argued on behalf of that county, the appeal period has run out, and the ruling is now the law of the land. Last month, officials in Snohomish County removed about $106 million from its tax rolls, and according to a story distributed by the Associated Press, will be refunding about $5 million in taxes collected on buildings in the Tulalip Tribe’s outlet mall and from about 1,200 homeowners in Marysville. Refunds are not likely in Skagit County, however, Wesen said. “Skagit County doesn’t have that kind of money lying around.” Besides, the county is essentially the pass-through agency for the entities supported by property taxes, and the money has already been allocated and spent. “The services have been rendered,” Wesen said. According to Beverly Crichfield, spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Revenue, individual property owners would have to submit claims in order to have up to three years worth of property taxes refunded. In Skagit County, however, claiming refunds would likely entail a court battle, Wesen said, since the taxpayers have already benefited from the services the taxes funded.
BIRDY WAVE – Paco, a 19-year-old Macaw from Seattle, was visiting La Conner last weekend. According to his human, artist Camille Patha, Paco likes to wave at people, and since he doesn’t have a hand to do it with, uses his talon. Paco has a vocabulary of around 50 words, too. – Photo by Don Coyote
Historic canoe visiting Swinomish
The 28-foot-long Snakelum out of service, car travel was By Nicole Jennings An important piece of local canoe is a family canoe, meaning becoming the norm, and bridges history is on display at the that it was built in a larger style like the Deception Pass Bridge Swinomish Casino & Lodge for than the long, sleek racing canoes, were being constructed to link said Schwinden. The protective islands. the next month. “There’s a huge amount of The Snakelum canoe, a family style of the canoe made it safe canoe built by members of the for families to travel in it out on resonance and symbolism” in the canoe’s story, said Trebon. Lower Skagit Tribe more than open water. When the pioneers began 160 years ago, will be exhibited in the hotel lobby through early arriving in the 1850s, Isaac Stevens, the first governor of September. The Swinomish Tribe has Washington Territory, hired the invited the public to come and able tribal seafarers to taxi the see it. It gives locals a unique pioneers around the Puget Sound chance to “get up close and in canoes, Trebon said. Back then, it took around three personal” with the history,” said Swinomish Casino & Lodge days to journey from Bellingham Marketing Director Jumada to Olympia by canoe. The Snakelum canoe normally Schwinden. sits on display in the Island County The canoe was used in the 1850s by Chief Snetlum of the Historical Society Museum in Lower Skagit Tribe, and it was Coupeville. However, since the passed down through his family. Swinomish Tribe recently helped The Chief’s grandson, Charlie with the financial burden of Snakelum, who lived 1846 to restoring the canoe, the museum 1932, became the canoe’s owner lent it to the tribe out of gratitude, and namesake. After Snakelum’s Schwinden explained. A ceremony full of historic death in the 1930s, the canoe was The 14th Annual La retired and went on display in traditions befitting the occasion Conner Classic Boat & brought the canoe into the hotel Coupeville. Car show is Saturday, last Wednesday. “Canoes were the economic Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to The Edwards family, deengine for thousands of years,” 4 p.m. at La Conner said Swinomish Indian Tribal scendants of Charlie Snakelum, Marina’s south basin. Community Archivist Theresa sang its family song. A family Vehicle and vessel song is passed down through a Trebon. In the spring, summer, entries include classic tribal family from generation to and fall, tribes used the canoes to cars, show cars, classic travel around the Puget Sound, generation, explained Schwinden. yachts, work boats, gathering food and plants and Several tribal members of all motorcycles and travel ages helped to carry the canoe visiting family. trailers. Admission is $3; “The Salish Sea was the super into the building. In all, “several kids under 12 get in free. highway back then,” joked generations were represented,” There will be food said Schwinden. Schwinden. vendors, raffle prizes, a The Snakelum Canoe’s Trebon explained, “At the time poker walk and music by TOWN ON DISPLAY – La Conner artist Bob Patterson has made a painting of the town’s entire of the Hudson Bay Company, timeline makes the canoe DJ Heidi. waterfront so future generations will know what it looks like today. The painting is being exhibited the tribes went long distances especially historically significant The La Conner at the Museum of Northwest Art. – Photo by Don Coyote in canoes — down to Olympia, for Trebon. The canoe was built Retirement Inn is in the mid-1800s, just as nonto the Olympic Peninsula, and putting on a $7 pancake native pioneers began arriving in even to Vancouver Island.” The breakfast early from 7:30 Hudson Bay Company was the area. to 10 a.m. By the time the canoe went established in 1670. By Alexander Kramer creating art for most of his life. that’s similar to Anchorage,” he Most people see La Conner’s “It all started with my noted. “I fell in love with the channel-side businesses as they grandmother,” he said. “I was town. I took walks and just kept boat past or stroll along the two years old in church with her, penciling and sketching.” boardwalk. But now with artist and she gave me a pencil and From there he started Bob Patterson’s rendition, the paper to keep me busy.” producing art for prints and cards town’s entire waterfront can be Patterson loves animals, and to sell. viewed at once. he often combined them with his Patterson says he is always Patterson recently completed passion for art over the years. coming up with ideas and projects, an 18-inch by 20-foot painting He later studied and became most aimed at spreading history, of the town depicting everything an engineer, where he used his stories, art, and information to from Rainbow Bridge on the creative and drawing talents to communities. south, to La Conner Marina at work through obstacles during This summer’s completion the north end of town. It is on construction. of Patterson’s mural, which display upstairs at the Museum He moved to Anchorage, began last fall, worked out to be of Northwest Art. Alaska, after working for many perfect timing for the Museum of “It took around 700 hours,” years in construction and was Northwest Art. the artist said. “Mayor Ramon quickly accepted into the artist “It was very fortuitous,” Hayes and I had been talking for community. said Christopher Shainin, the about three years about a mural The La Conner mural is not executive director of MoNA. of the town. Something to show his first — that distinction goes “Our exhibits curator, Lisa how it was now and that would to a 20-foot by 8-foot painting Young, was mounting the new last for a long time.” of two polar bears he created in show when we were approached With the recent expansions 1994. in late May, early June.” of the town’s boardwalk, Mayor Several other outdoor murals “The piece really fit in with Hayes nudged Patterson a little came together over the next the theme of the show — nature more. few years, including a 120-foot to manufacture — and the “I have never seen the town by 40-foot mural in downtown painting gives us an artificial depicted at that level, the whole Anchorage depicting that city’s opportunity to view the town, the town from bridge to port, in one history. whole landscape,” said Shainin. piece,” said Hayes. “It’s a real When Patterson moved to La Patterson’s mural and the CARRYING HISTORY – The historic Snakelum Canoe, first carved in 1850 by members of the snapshot of the town as it is, Conner, he was again assimilated three other exhibits can be Lower Skagit Tribe, was gently carried into the Swinomish Casino & Lodge last week. The canoe during this change.” into the arts community. viewed with free admission at is on loan from the Island County Historical Society. – Photo by Theresa Trebon, courtesy of Swinomish Tribal Archive Patterson said he’s been “There’s a camaraderie here MoNA through Sept. 28.
The town in a broader perspective
Car & Boat Show Saturday
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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 46
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON
Car accidentally parks in boat slip By Sandy Stokes A man drove his black Audi into the water at La Conner Marina, and his car was spotted under water, five days later — on Thursday — when the tide went out. Skagit County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Wade said a 32year-old Bellingham resident’s car apparently hit a guardrail at high speed and was launched into the drink. The accident occurred just before midnight on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the north end of Third Street, where it makes a sharp right turn and becomes Pearle Jensen Way. Despite leaving blood all over a nearby restroom from an injury that occurred after the accident, the man was not seriously hurt and managed to climb out of the car and out of the water. The first clue there had been an accident came last Monday, when Port of Skagit workers reported the broken guardrail, which is made of concrete and thick logs. They also found a broken sink and blood all over in a nearby marina restroom. Still, there was no obvious evidence that a vehicle had gone into the water. The guardrail looked like a car may have hit it and took off. That’s when the investigation began, Wade said. On Monday, the driver’s attorney called the port office to say his client would pay for all the damage. Wade said the driver is talking only through his attorney, and “there are some questions missing answers,” he said. The 2010 black Audi S4 was totaled when it was pulled out of the water under K dock slip SE in the marina’s north basin after dark on Thursday. When Wade and marina staff first began searching for the vehicle after talking to the driver’s lawyer early in the week, the tide was 8 feet higher than on Thursday afternoon, when a faint outline of the vehicle could be seen through the murky brine. Also, there were no tell-tale tire tracks leading from the broken guardrail down the bank and into the water. Wade said it appears the car either went airborne and landed in the water or rolled over the rail and into the mud. He said it is possible that tidal action dragged it farther under water, where it was found mired pretty deeply in the mud. “This is the weirdest thing I’ve seen,” Wade said. “You don’t see a Dukes of Hazard crash like this very often.” The blood all over the restroom? Well, Wade said that according to the man’s attorney, that happened when the driver had gone in there to warm up and broke the sink while washing the mud off. He reportedly cut his
arm on the broken sink. It is possible to break a porcelain sink when you climb in it to wash your feet. That same Monday morning, there was also blood found in the public restroom on South First Street, but Wade said at this point, there is nothing to tie the two messy bathrooms together. Also, there is no way to tell whether the driver was intoxicated or just lost. Wade said that since the man is not a local, he may have thought he was headed out of town on La Conner Whitney Road, where the speed limit is 50 and there are no right-angle turns. Wade said the worst crime the driver can be charged with is essentially a traffic ticket for hitand-run with no injuries. But the poor guy’s liable for more than $2,000 in damages to marina property, the price of a tow and the cost of a diver, who had to go in and hook up the cables to pull the car out of the water. And his Audi, a $30,000 ride, is totaled. But at least he’s not on RECOVERED – This car had been under water for five days when it was finally found and pulled out of La Conner Marina. the hook for moorage, too.
LaConner Firemen's
St. Patrick's Day
Shadows on the Wall
– Photo by Don Coyote
Help choose the new principal Community members, parents and school staff are encouraged to help La Conner School District officials screen the applications for candidates to replace High School Principal Marsha Hanson, who will retire this year. Screening will be done Wednesday, March 11 through Friday, March 13. Anyone interested in participating can stop by the district office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on those dates.
Please call the district office at 466-3171 for more information. The job applicants will be interviewed the week of March 23 on a schedule to be set later. Finally, a recommendation will be made to the school board on who to hire. Hanson leaves a big job to fill. Besides overseeing the high school, she is also principal of the Middle School.
In La Conner, tulip blooms getting ready to open mean that DRIVER OK – The car was totaled, but the driver escaped serious injury in an accident that company’s coming. authorities say could have left him badly hurt or dead. – Photo by Don Coyote It’s time to spruce up the yard, and to aid in that, the town Public Works crew is again offering to haul away yard waste from homes in La Conner. By Sandy Stokes Monday, Milnor acknowledged Town Public Works crews will For the last many years, the that the word was out that the Rotary Club’s annual Smelt Smelt Derby was ready to retire. pick up piles of branches and Derby has been a cold, smeltless But Saturday’s event turned out plant clippings that people leave affair. so well, and club members were on the edge of their yards during That all changed this year when so happy it did, Milnor said a the week of March 23 through a gloriously sunny day, lured committee was formed to see 27. hundreds of visitors and a friendly whether there should be a 51st The truck will not haul tide actually brought several of Smelt Derby or whether the club large limbs, grass clippings or the event’s namesake fish into should come up with a new event anything in plastic bags. Piles the channel on Saturday. to shake the winter blues. of yard waste must be no more The winner of the $500 raffle The Rotary Club won, too. than 4 feet high, 4 feet long and 4 grand prize was Phil Case of With the breakfast, dinner, dance, feet wide, because the truck can’t Anacortes. raffle and sponsorships, the club handle enormous loads. Carson Nootenboom, who grossed more than $13,000, Last year the size limitation The La Conner Firemen’s is 4 years old, hauled in a 7½ before costs, of course, Milnor drew complaints about the Association’s annual fundraising - inch smelt and won $100 for said. free service from a handful dance is Saturday, March 14, the largest in the under 12 age Her original estimate was that of residents — the ones who from 8 p.m. to midnight at Maple group. the club would earn $5,000. stockpile yard waste all year and Hall. Dance to the Buckaroo Monday night Rotary Club Rotary spends every penny it then wait for the town to come Blues and enjoy a catered bar. of La Conner president Marge raises on local and international and get it. Admission donation $5. Must Milnor said this 50th event might literacy programs and on What started out as a nice be 21. not be the last one, after all. humanitarian projects around the At the club’s weekly meeting on world.
way to help residents turned into a week-long project that cost the town thousands of dollars — in some cases, workers had to spend hours filling up more than one dump truck load from single residences. Nevertheless, the Public Works crew is set to help residents keep the town postcard pretty again this year. To have yard waste hauled, town residents should place it in a pile next to the street at the edge of their property and make sure it is where the truck can pull up next to it. Town workers will not cross fences or enter private property to pick up branches. Only homes within the town limits are eligible for the service. To sign up for the yard waste pickup, call Town Hall at 4663125 no later than Friday, March 20. The last pick-up will be 3 p.m. on Friday, March 27.
SATURDAY,
MARCH 15, 2008
Fair weather, good tides bring smelt surprise 8:00 PM to 12:00 Maple Hall 108 Commercial - LaConner
Featuring live music by:St. Paddy’s Dance
"BUCKAROO BLUES"
$5.00 per person • 21 & over • Catered Bar
In her easy reading chattingwith-a-friend writing style, La Conner author Janna Gage has again brought our local history to life. Her newest book, “Shadows on the Wall,” sprinkles personal recollections, verse, humor and other gold coins into the historical record of Skagit Valley. Janna, who grew up in a home next to the North Fork of the Skagit River, has blended her research and story telling skills into a knowledge-expanding volume packed with local lore. Her book, printed right here in La Conner by Tillinghast Postal and Business Center, makes its first public appearance 4 p.m. on Thursday at a special preview book signing at La Conner Retirement Inn. And then on Tuesday, March 11, Janna will have her books available for purchase and signing at the La Conner Senior Center at Maple Hall at 12:30 p.m.
Free yard waste pick-up
Spring ahead!
Remember that extra hour we picked up in November? Well, it’s time to give it back. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Most people will set their clocks ahead an hour at bedtime Saturday. Some of us might know someone who would stay up until 2 a.m. to see if the hour between 2 and 3 really does vanish. The rest of us will just forget and show up late everywhere on Sunday. In modern times, Germany was the first country to establish Daylight Saving Time on April 30, 1916, when the hour between 11 p.m. and midnight did not exist on that night. Here at home, Daylight Saving time was year-round from February 1942 to September 1945 — during World War II — and was called “War Time.” Over the years, Congress has fiddled around with Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time start and end dates several times. In 2007 the feds finally settled on starting Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March A NICE SMELTY DAY – Saturday’s beautiful weather brought a swarm of jiggers for the Rotary Club’s 50th annual Smelt Derby. and ending it on the first Sunday – Photo by Duane Holmes in November.
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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 45
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
Friday’s big stink
THE BOARDWALK – This week’s view on our bright, sunny winter days showing the boardwalk that is nearing completion. It now runs the entire length of S. First Street along the waterfront. – Photo by Don Coyote
Sinking floor could doom historic warehouse – Moore Clark property renovation continues By Sandy Stokes Over the past year, a horrible eyesore on La Conner’s southern waterfront has been quietly turning into something that will make the town proud. But it may prove too costly to save the property’s biggest structure, the 70-foot warehouse, from burrowing animals, substandard soil and the ravages of 117 years. Triton America took control of the old Moore Clark property last April and has already refurbished three of the five buildings on the three-acre site. Last week Triton CFO and Controller Ron Halterman met with the La Conner Planning Commission to bring the commissioners up to date on the plans for the property. So far, buildings on the eastern side of the property, which lies along the Swinomish Channel between Caledonia Street and Maple Hall, have been restored. Those buidings presently provide workspace for 10 employees in Triton’s aerospace engineering company and that workforce will grow to 25, Halterman told the commission. Next in line to be fixed up are the buildings on the waterfront. First is the old “refrigerator building” next to Maple Hall. Halterman said his company plans to move quickly on that — before the roof deteriorates further — in hopes of attracting a tenant. “I’d like to see a brew
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pub operation in there,” he said. The building is large enough for a brewery to make product in the back and have a pub on the waterfront side, he said. Less certain is the eventual fate of the massive circa 1898 Moore Clark warehouse on the waterfront. “Big Blue,” as the warehouse is known to people who can remember when it had paint, has been in a state of decay for decades. The worst part, Halterman said: the concrete floor is sinking. Estimates on restoring the that building range as high as $10 million, and none of it can be done unless the floor can be stabilized. Halterman said Triton’s desire is to save the structure, which is a landmark on the La Conner waterfront. It is also architecturally important, as it is one of only a few such buildings still standing today. He said if the property can be saved, Triton’s vision is to enhance La Conner’s artist community by having work space and apartments for artists in the upstairs portion of Big Blue and a weekend indoor farmers market and art gallery below. Big doors on the waterfront end of the building could be swung open in warm weather. But, the concrete floor “could be a deal killer,” he said. If the floor can’t be stabilized, the building will have to come down and never replaced. The company will know in the next three to six
months whether the structure can be saved. The building actually encroaches eight feet into what is S. First Street. Should it come down, the town would be able to extend First Street south to Caledonia. Triton bought the property after a bank foreclosure three years ago for $2.34 million. For more than 15 years, Vaughan Jolley had been trying to develop the land, but when the economy tanked, he lost the land. To give Jolley another shot at fulfilling his dream, Triton bought the property from the bank, paid up three years in back taxes, and leased the land back to Jolley for two years. The two years were up last March. Once Jolley vacated, the first order of business was a massive cleanup of the land. For years Jolley had subleased the land to Alpac Components, a manufacturer of walls for buildings. Alpac apparently seldom took out the trash. Instead the 70foot tall Big Blue was packed almost to the rafters with refuse. Triton cleaned up the land semi truckload after semi truckload over several weeks. Halterman told the planning commission that the cleanup alone cost $150,000. Triton, which owns Pioneer Point Marina at the southernmost end of La Conner’s waterfront, has a long reputation as being a good neighbor in La Conner.
The company used to operate its’ Bayview Industries windmill mold manufacturing business out the La Conner Pier property on Caledonia Street before the Upper Skagit Tribe bought the property. The windmill molds were so huge, they couldn’t be loaded on trucks in town, and had to be pushed on wheels to a waiting semi near the roundabout. Triton was considerate of the residents, and always gave plenty of notice on mold moving days and did its best to prevent traffic snarls. At the Moore Clark property, there won’t be any manufacturing taking place, Halterman said. There will be no smells or noises to annoy nearby residents. The restored portion of the land is an engineering think tank. And while the waterfront side is still a work in progress, Halterman said the company wants to make it something that will be an asset to the town and help enhance tourism.
By Sandy Stokes This week government investigators were still trying to figure out what happened on Friday when an invisible cloud of noxious fumes descended on La Conner and Swinomish, causing some people to suffer respiratory problems. Apparently a maintenance operation went stinky at the Shell Puget Sound Refinery at March’s Point northwest of La Conner. On Monday the refinery had a recording on its phone line stating that it had “experienced a problem while doing maintenance work on the east flare which resulted in an odor issue.” The recording also has a claims phone number, 855-276-0771, for people who suffered injuries. At about 3:45 p.m. on Friday, people in La Conner and on the Swinomish Reservation began noticing a nasty stench. To some, it smelled like the next door neighbor was burning old tires. On Caledonia Street, in La Conner, a man in a pickup suddenly pulled over, jumped out of the cab, ran about 15 feet away and stood looking at his vehicle for a couple of minutes. He said he thought his truck was on fire, the smell was so strong. At La Conner Retirement Inn, resident Elizabeth Smith said she had to evacuate because the noxious air was affecting her breathing. She went to her daughter’s home, which was in an area the odor wasn’t as bad. On the Swinomish Reservation, where more than 1,000 homes are located, including the Shelter Bay Community, artist and Swinomish Senator Kevin Paul said he was outside working on a project, when “all of a sudden, something hit me.” He said he put down his paint brush, walked to the sidewalk to see if someone was burning something. “My first thought in my mind was burning tires,” he said. Then the acrid odor triggered a memory — years ago Paul used to work at the refinery. “I recognized the smell,” he said. One young Swinomish family left their home and stayed in a motel in Mount Vernon because
Smelt Derby Saturday The Rotary Club of La Conner’s 50th Smelt Derby Festival will chase the last of winter out of town on Saturday. Festivities start at 8 a.m., with a pancake breakfast at Maple Hall benefiting the La Conner High senior class. People can work off the morning meal with the Skagit Symphony’s 5K run and walk that steps off at La Conner
schools at 10 a.m. Kids of all ages can fish for smelt and other interesting species from the public docks until 2 p.m., or stick around Maple Hall for the traditional fish printing — creating art with a dead fish and paint — games and other kids’ activities. It’s gown-up time starting at 5 p.m., with Sliders, Suds & Spirits for an inexpensive dinner at Maple Hall followed by a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. As always, club members will be selling $2 raffle tickets for great merchandise prizes and a $500 grand prize.
Kiwaffodil defined By Ric Henderson Kiwaffodil may be a funny name, but we all need a little fun each day. So please join the La Conner Kiwanis in its first annual celebration of The First Day of Spring. The celebration will be held at Maple Hall on Saturday, March 21. A music venue of student talent is planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., along with the crowning of the King and Queen of Daffodils around 11 a.m. That evening we will have the classical guitarist Andre Feriante entertaining us between 5 and 8 p.m. A silent auction is also available for those secret treasures. The event during the day will be dedicated to the Boys & Girls Club, and the evening will be For the Love of Bella. Please join The Kiwanis for a little fun and entertainment and a chance to help the children of our ABOUT TO CHANGE – Big changes will come soon to the south end of La Conner’s waterfront as Triton America continues its community. cleanup and renovation of the old Moore Clark property. The “refrigerator building” on the left is next in line for a make-over. The In the meantime, practice fate of the big circa 1898 warehouse on the right is less certain. – Photo by Don Coyote saying Kiwaffodil...Kiwaffodil.
the fumes were affecting their small children. And some elderly residents reportedly wound up in emergency rooms with breathing problems. Dennis Richards, spokesman for Island Hospital in Anacortes, said he was unable to confirm hospital visits related to the incident, mostly because of patient confidentiality laws and partly because the emergency room staff didn’t note a higherthan-usual number of respiratory cases. Still, the odor hung around for hours — people at a Friday evening fundraiser on the north end of La Conner were still smelling it at around 7 p.m. Katie Skipper of the Northwest Clean Air Agency said there were more than 30 complaints to the agency on Friday afternoon. “We’re still investigating,” she said. “We know it was on a flare,” she said. This week her agency is still ramping up the investigation and has a lot of information gathering to do, she said. Although the agency is bound by law to deal with pollutants in the air, as opposed to offensive odors, “The fact that this odor had an effect on a lot of people is of great concern to us,” Skipper said. Governor Jay Inslee’s office contacted La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes on Saturday after learning of the refinery incident. Jaime Smith with the governor’s press office said Inslee was concerned about the communities affected. Smith said that while the governor’s office has no jurisdiction over air quality issues, they’re monitoring the situation and will be happy to help facilitate a speedy investigation. A statement released by Shell Puget Sound Refinery maintains that, based on the company’s own air monitoring and monitoring by an independent contractor over the weekend, “no detectable levels of harmful compounds were found.” The statement claims that the odor was a result of “non-detectable levels of sulfur-based compounds.” In other news outlets, Swinomish Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby has told reporters he demands answers and is skeptical of the refinery’s contention that the fumes were harmless. Tribal officials have not returned calls to this newspaper, however. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is also investigating, said spokesman Mark MacIntyre. “We’re comparing notes with the Northwest Clean Air Agency, and we’ll work with the tribe and others to make sure we get a better picture of what happened up there and what the health effects are,” he said. So far, he said, it’s impossible to say whether laws were broken or the refinery’s permit was violated. Still, he said, “We do want to make it clear to people that if laws were violated, we will enforce those laws.” According to Northwest Clean Air Agency reports, the Shell Puget Sound Refinery has paid more than $83,000 in fines since May for violating emissions standards. Six of the eight violations it paid for occurred since March last year. Shell refinery spokesman Cory Ertel said, “we’ve been in really close contact with the environmental agencies” to determine the cause of Friday’s problem. At the time, “there was maintenance work being done on the flare system,” he said. Work was shut down as soon as odor complaints started coming in, he said. “We want to get fully into the cause to make sure this kind of odor issue never happens again,” Ertel said. “We apologize to our neighbors.”
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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 7
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014
For Fire District 13 management –
Taxpayers pay pricy hotel and restaurant tabs By Sandy Stokes The administrators and commissioners of Fire District 13 spent more than $12,000 traveling around the state to various trade gatherings last year. Receipts and reimbursement records obtained through public records requests show that Chief Roy Horn hit the road seven times — once for training and six times for various conventions and conferences. The district’s records show that of those six trade gatherings, then Commissioner Jim Grove and Commissioner Chuck Hedlund each attended three; Secretary Deborah McFarlane attended two; and former Commissioner Doug Avery made it to one. In contrast, two neighboring fire districts spent much less on road trips for their elected officials and staff. Fire District 11, the Mt. Erie department, spent around $1,500 for hotels and restaurants last year, according to Chief Mike Noyes. And Fire District 2, the McLean Road department, spent $2,632 on travel expenses, said Chief Bryan Ekkelkamp. And the Town of La Conner didn’t spend any money on food or lodging for Fire Chief Dan Taylor, said
Finance Director Maria De Goede, although the town spent about $1,400 on travel for other town officials. The most expensive of Fire District 13’s tax-funded trips was a three-day sojourn at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan last May, which cost the district more than $4,300. Nearly $1,000 of that was mileage reimbursement for Grove, Hedlund, Avery and McFarlane, who apparently each rode in separate vehicles. The Lake Chelan trip, which was one of three Washington Fire Commissioners Association gatherings attended by District 13 officials in 2013, also produced one of the biggest restaurant bills — four people enjoyed dinners ranging in price from $31.95 for New York steak to $39.95 for lamb chops at the Wapato Point Cellars in Manson near Lake Chelan on May 31. That tab came to $181.77, including a $20 tip, and was charged to a district MasterCard issued to Grove. A five-night trip to Pasco in October by Horn and commissioners Grove and Hedlund for another Fire Commissioners Association gathering cost the district $3,579, including the
$300 per person event registration fees. Grove put $887.65 for a room at the Red Lion Hotel on the district’s MasterCard issued in his name. That amount included restaurant purchases charged to the room. Horn and Hedlund stayed at the Best Western — Horn’s room tab was $947.60, and Hedlund’s was $632.40 — both charged to the district MasterCard issued to Horn. Later, Horn reimbursed the district $315.20 for his room upgrade. The records also show that in March 2013, the district spent more than $1,800 to send Horn, Hedlund and McFarlane on a two-day trip to Ocean Shores for another Fire District Commissioners Association gathering. This year, the District 13 officials have still been going on out-of-town excursions. At last week’s board meeting, Horn and his wife Maggie, who is the district’s administrative assistant, were talking about their trip to the Washington Fire Chiefs Conference, which was held May 19 through 23 in Eastern Washington. See related story on page 7.
NAMESAKE – Fred and Margaret Martin, shown with La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes, were honored at the boardwalk dedication last week, and the pergola at the little waterfront park donated by the Rotary Club of La Conner commemorates the contributions of Fred, who was the town’s pharmacist for generations, a former mayor and one of the club’s first Rotarians. – Photo by Judy Booth
Boardwalk celebration draws a crowd
said La Conner Mayor Ramon of elected officials and shop By Judy Booth Close to 100 people turned out Hayes standing before the crowd owners alike like sugarplums at for the ribbon-cutting celebrating of business owners, former Christmas. Town Administrator John the completion of the first phase mayors, port, county and state Doyle and Mayor Hayes trolled of La Conner’s boardwalk, the officials. Absent from the ceremony the corridors of the state capitol dedication of a little park and were former state Senator Mary for years during the “great pergola named for Fred Martin, and the start of the next phase Margaret Haugen and Senator recession” lobbying legislators Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, Stories shared by the local authors who gather weekly at the La Conner Senior Center to compare that will take the waterfront whose work to secure a total of for funding to build the boardwalk. feature the rest of the way notes, techniques and exchange ideas in a writers’ group led by Claire Swedberg. $2.35 million in state funding to They found one door after through town. Elected officials and local pay for the boardwalk made the another closed until they walked into the office of then Senator dignitaries gathered on May 28 project possible. For decades, visions of travel Mary Margaret Haugen. and patted each other on the back By Ric Henderson “Mary Margaret Haugen was for their roles in a project aimed magazines with words like “stroll We go through life accepting along the boardwalk,” “meander the only one that championed at boosting the local economy. things around us without asking “All of Skagit County is going along the Swinomish Channel,” our cause and really got support questions about them. Stories to benefit from this boardwalk,” and “perambulate past boardwalk from her fellow legislators and are attached to many items in a shops” danced in the heads got funding for the first phase… friend’s or relative’s house, which she was very, very supportive,” could be of interest, but instead said Doyle. Due to her efforts, they are usually left alone, to $750,000 was added to the sit and collect dust, remaining a state’s capital budget to fund mystery. the first phase of the boardwalk The article must have a There will be two positions open, completed in December. By Sandy Stokes While that project was special significance, otherwise Fire District 13 commissioners then, as Hedlund’s term expires underway, Hayes and Doyle why would it be prominently Chuck Hedlund and Arne Fohn in 2015, too. displayed. If asked the question Even if the appointed commis- traveled to Olympia again, will accept applications from of what is this or where did you people who would like to be sioner is re-elected to fill the seeking another $750,000 for the acquire that, you may uncover a appointed to fill a board vacancy remainder of the term, the next phase — which would have position will open again in 2017, brought the boardwalk mid-way until June 10. piece of history that otherwise Then they will meet on on the regular schedule for the into the retail section. would have been left ignorant to This time, they had all three Monday, June 16 to interview the seat Avery vacated. Fohn, who all but the owner. th 10 District legislators backing was elected in November 2013, candidates and, perhaps, make a I learned this early in life but them including Reps. Norma is scheduled to serve until the selection for someone to fill the found that I often, too, would Smith, R-Clinton, and Dave position vacated by Doug Avery end of 2019. see items that have always been Hayes, R-Camano Island. When elected under normal in April. a curiosity to me and never Then Sen. Bailey said they circumstances, commissioners Last week Hedlund and Fohn questioned them. Consequently, agreed to let Chief Roy Horn serve six-year terms. They are should ask for enough to finish they became the leaves on and two of his designees help paid $114 per meeting up to a the whole thing, Mayor Hayes the trees or the pattern in the them choose the person who will maximum of $10,800 per year. said. “She was adamant. It was wallpaper, another item in a sea essentially be one of his bosses. They are paid to attend their important to her, and us, to have of articles gathered and randomly Although only the commis- regular monthly meeting as a complete project, maybe not to deposited by a person in the sioners have a vote on the well as any special meetings the south part of town, but to the formation of their home. issue, Horn suggested that a and official gatherings of other Calico Cupboard, tying into the retail sector,” he said. When I was around 29, I commissioner from another fire entities. So the state agreed to fund $1.6 visited my Grandma Klinksiek. People who apply for a position district and an assistant chief million to finish the boardwalk She was quilting in the living sit in on the process, and the on the board should contact Fire this year. room. The quilt was stretched District 13. The headquarters commissioners agreed. The grant includes the cost of Avery’s term was set to is located at 17433 Snee Oosh on the wooden frame Grandpa expire at the end of 2017. The Road and the phone is 466-1224. removing creosote pilings and had made for her years ago person who fills his position is Applicants will be expected to decking material that will allow — probably before I existed, by sunlight to filter in, encouraging the wear on its corners. The work YOUNG BEAUTY – Ric Henderson was surprised to learn this considered temporary and must provide a resume and pick up a natural vegetation — some main copy of the district’s policies and was coming along, and the quilt was the woman he called Grandma. The photo was taken in stand for re-election in November reasons the project was funded. procedures. 2015 — the next board election 1922. was slowly being rolled onto one (Continued on Page 7) — if they want to keep the job. of the rods of the frame as the wrapped around her shoulders, changed much.” hand stitching was completed on a delicate string of pearls hung It was true. She hadn’t changed each group of blocks. from her neck, hair bobbed with much. Though now 69, clothed We talked about things in a tight wave of the ‘20’s, soft in a simple house dress, without general for awhile, and then lips, and caring eyes. pearls or other jewelry, the beauty she brought up the topic of the Grandma answered, “That is of the young girl in the picture state-quilt she was making. She me in 1922, when I was 16.” was alive in the person standing took me to the front bedroom, “Wow Grandma, you were a next to me. Her eyes, flanked where she had the project laid beautiful girl.” by a few wrinkles and assisted out. On each block of the quilt She stood there for a moment by glasses, still exhibited the was embroidered the shape of the gazing up at the picture, a kindness, which we had learned state, its flower, and its bird. She devilish smile developed, and over the years was given freely explained how difficult it was, with a slight chuckle, replied, from deep within her heart. since there were instructions on “Actually I don’t think I have True beauty never changes. the colors but not the blending of the colors to make it more realistic. She had a third of the states done but knew it would be a few years before it was finished. While standing there listening to her talk about the quilt, I noticed a picture hanging on the wall of a young girl. I had seen this picture before over the years The La Conner High School graduation and in other houses they had lived ceremony 7 p.m. on but never asked who it was. Thursday, June 5 at the GOOD MUSIC – The La Conner Middle School band took third place with a score of “excellent” “Grandma,” I asked, “Who is in a state-wide competition on Saturday. They competed in the Music in the Park at Wild Waves Landy James Gym. that young girl in the picture?” at Stadium High School in Tacoma. Band director Brian Fraser said the “excellent” rating was It was a beautiful young girl La Conner’s Class of 2014 has 48 students. exciting, because La Conner musicians were competing against older kids, since our band has in her teens, with organza lightly sixth-graders, while other schools have seventh- and eighth-graders only. – Photo by Kirsten Morse
La Conner’s literary treasures –
Picture of the Girl
Commissioners give chief voice on appointment
Graduation Day Thursday
JUNE 4, 2014 • LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS • PAGE 7
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Area residents can share their ideas for the future of the old Northern State Hospital grounds at an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday in the RSN building on the former hospital campus. The Port of Skagit, with partners Skagit County and the City of Sedro-Woolley, recently commissioned an adaptive reuse study of the Northern State property. The state Department of Ecology is providing a $200,000 integrated planning grant to pay for the study, which will be a thorough investigation of the property, including condition assessments, potential environmental liabilities, a feasibility study and more. The planning firm Maul Foster Alongi scheduled the community open-house meeting to collect public input. A second one will be held in the fall. Located just east of SedroWoolley, Northern State Hospital opened in 1909 to care for the mentally ill. The hospital closed in 1973, and the agricultural land was subsequently turned over to Skagit County for recreational usage. The State of Washington currently owns the hospital campus, which is managed by the state Department of Enterprise Services. In 2010, the state expressed interest in selling the Northern State property. Since then, efforts have been underway to bring the entire property — both campus and agricultural land — under single ownership to satisfy community desires for a local redevelopment effort there. In January, the port formed a partnership with Skagit County and the City of Sedro-Woolley to explore possibilities for the redevelopment of the former Northern State Hospital campus and grounds. The partners agreed that the port would take the lead in the planning for Northern State and possibly serve as landlord if Northern State comes under local ownership.
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A comparison of area fire agencies Fire District 13
Chief’s pay: $75,000 per year Office staff: $29,700 Active volunteers: About 15 Stations: Hope Island, Summit Park, co-owns La Conner Operating budget: $741,000 ($480,000 last year) Tax rate: 76 cents*
Fire District 11
Chief’s pay: $9,600 Office staff: $4,800 Active Volunteers: 26 Station: Mt. Erie Operating budget: $325,000 Tax rate: 47 cents
Call Arne Svendsen: MOBILE NO.
661-0303 OFFICE:
424-0258 ARNEST1044BW
Fire District 2
Chief’s pay: $6,000 Office staff: $6,600 Active volunteers: 32 Station: McLean Road Annual budget: $465,700 Tax rate: 94 cents The districts are funded through property taxes, and the rate is what is charged per $1,000 of assessed valuation on property. *District 13 also receives funding from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Sources: The fire districts and the Skagit County Assessor’s Office
Boardwalk... (Continued from Page 1)
“This project shows that doing what’s right for the environment and the economy is not mutually 1. TELEVISION: What exclusive. We can have both,” was Shaggy’s real name on said Rep. Hayes, who attended the “Scooby-Doo, Where the dedication You!” in animated TheAre pergola the newseries? little 2. U.S. STATES: waterfront park at the What end ofis the only statewas thatdesigned can be Washington Street typed on single and row paid of a by architect Boa Miller keyboard? for by the Rotary Club of La Conner.3. ANIMAL KINGDOM: is awere young swan TheWhat Rotarians on hand to called? dedicate the park to Fred Martin, 4. PSYCHOLOGY: What who was the town’s pharmacist for some 50represented years and ainformer fear is “lachMayor and one of the club’s first anophobia”? members. 5. MUSIC: What musical Family members La instrument does theofmarimConner’s pioneer ba mostboardwalk closely resemble? Don Olson were also present for 6. FAMOUS QUOTAthe dedication. Olsoncomic developed TIONS: Which actor the section of boardwalk of once said, “Tragedynorth is when Morris Street the mid-90s. I cut myinfinger. Comedy is Don, unique character, whena you fall into an open understood thedie”?nature and sewer and atmosphere of La Conner that 7. MEASUREMENTS: we are trying to ahold onto meaand What does caliper preserve as a tourist destination,” sure? said Doyle. 8. GEOGRAPHY: Which Theonetown anticipates that of Canada’s provinces workhas on the thenickname next phase the “LaofBelle boardwalk, which will take Province”? it south the Lighthouse 9. from MOVIES: In which building to the Cupboard, movie didCalico a girl gang called will begin in mid-July. the Pink Ladies appear? 10. U.S. OLYMPICS: In which sport is a pommel horse used? Answers 1. Norville Rogers 2. Alaska 3. Cygnet 4. A fear of vegetables 5. Xlyophone 6. Mel Brooks 7. Diameter or thickness 8. Quebec 9. “Grease” 10. Gymnastics © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.
1. Name the Dave Clark Five song that finally knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts in 1964. 2. Which song mentions “Camp Granada”? 3. Who had a hit with “Killing Me Softly With His Song”? 4. Who wrote the Pointer Sisters’ “Fire”? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark, He was barkin’ at the two men who were gamblin’ in the dark.” Answers 1. “Glad All Over,” in 1964. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” had held the top slot for five weeks, and “She Loves You” for four weeks before that. 2. “Hello Mother, Hello Father,” also known as “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a kid’s letter from summer camp. The 1963 song won a Grammy. 3. Roberta Flack, in 1973. Helen Reddy had turned the song down because she didn’t like the title. 4. Bruce Springsteen. 5. “Stagger Lee,” a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by “Stag” Lee Shelton during a card game in St. Louis on Christmas night in 1895. The song was first published in 1911 and recorded numerous times, but the version by Lloyd Price reached No. 1 on the charts in 1959. © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.
EXCAVATING 466-3500
newspaper considers egregious violations of the state’s open government laws. We accused the district commissioners of holding illegal closed meetings and its office staff of refusing to turn over public records. To settle the suit, the district paid the newspaper’s attorney and agreed to have its officials properly trained in the state’s open government laws. The other $19,500 in the attorney bills include the district’s costs associated with its secretary’s allegations of harassment against a former commissioner. The secretary quit her job in January and was rehired last month. Another big budget increase is $15,000 extra for office staff to cover the cost of a temporary secretary and a pay increase for the administrative assistant during the permanent secretary’s resignation. The “sleeper program,” which is to let firefighters stay in a new mobile home at the Hope Island Fire Station on Snee Oosh Road has driven up costs, as well. The district added $8,550 to cover the extra cost in utilities there and another $10,000 increase in the amount of fuel for fire trucks kept at that station, since they’re being driven more. Also, the district added another $7,450 for firefighter stipends.
King Features Weekly Service
LaConner Regional
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State hospital open house
By Sandy Stokes The Skagit County Fire District 13 Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution last week that the “2014 Operating Budget be increased by $90,193.43 to $706,899.97.” However, it appears there was a math error — some employee costs were dropped from the tally given to the board — so the budget would actually be more than $741,000. A year ago, the district’s operating budget was $480,000 and the original budget the district adopted for this year was $637,000. In contrast, this year’s operating budget for District 11, the Mt. Erie Department, is about $325,000 and District 2, McLean Road Department, is about $466,000 this year. According to its budget document created last fall, the district expects to receive $786,584 this year, an amount that includes $165,000 in grant money. In a list of explanations prepared for the commissioners by the office staff to explain the budget increase, the district showed its budget for attorney fees going up by $35,000 to $44,000. A good portion of the lawyer bills came because the district paid $24,500 to settle a lawsuit filed in March by “La Conner Weekly News” over what the
June 2, 2014
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Witnesses sought The Washington State Patrol Criminal Investigation Division detectives want to talk to any witnesses of an accident that left three dead last month. The two-car collission occured at about 5:10 a.m. on Friday, May 23, on Highway 20, five miles east of Sedro-Woolley, just east of the Minkler Road intersection. The collision involved a blue Audi A4 and a red Ford Fusion. Two passengers in the Audi and the driver of the Ford died as a result of the collision. Detectives are seeking additional witnesses to the collision and any events leading up to it. If you saw or heard anything or know someone who did, please call Detective Scott Witman at 360-654-1143.
Fire District 13 commission votes to boost budget by $90,000
June 2, 2014
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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 26
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON
75¢
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014
La Conner schools seeking historic yearbooks By Bill Reynolds The La Conner School District is hoping to make up for lost time. In the form of missing Pioneer yearbook volumes, that is. District secretary Connie Funk and La Conner Middle School teacher Scott Novak have begun tracking leads to obtain editions of the “Pioneer” — fondly referred to by alums as “the annual” — to replace dates missing from the campus collection. “It’s not a class project or anything like that,” noted Novak, the La Conner High head boys’ and girls’ basketball coach, who has already done yeoman work chronicling the school district’s sports history. “This is just something Connie and I are working on so that we can have a complete collection of yearbooks available here at the school,” he said. The Pioneers are an excellent source to help research local genealogy, important milestones in La Conner history, and social and cultural trends over time, added Novak. Last year’s annual staff referenced previous Pioneers and used photos from them for the 2014 edition. Much La Conner School District history has resurfaced in recent months coinciding with the demolition of the former elementary school and construction on that site of a new middle school. The new building will replace classrooms built in the 1930s as part of the federal Works Progress Administration, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and which oversaw construction of public facilities and unveiling of community art projects across
the country. Students attending the former La Conner Elementary School were children of a much storied era in American history, that period spanning the Great Depression through World War II. Novak has done much to preserve the history of high school basketball in La Conner with a collection of team photos and creation of a “Wall of Honor” in the lobby of Landy James Gymnasium. Now he and Funk want to expand that mission. Their goal is to assemble a full collection of Pioneers, covering nearly a century — from 1922 to 2014 — that will help maintain the history of all aspects of La Conner student and community life. They are hoping to obtain from donors six yearbooks from the 1920s, three from the 1930s, four from the 1940s, three from the 1950s, two from the 1960s, and copies of the 1970 and 2007 Pioneer, respectively. “The yearbooks missing from our Pioneer collection,” Novak said, “are 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1943, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1970 and 2007. “We would certainly appreciate any help we can receive in completing the collection,” he said. Those wishing to donate a yearbook or needing further information can contact Novak or Funk by email, or by calling either during business hours at La Conner schools (360-4663171). Novak’s e-mail address is snovak@lc.k12.wa.us.Funk’s email is cfunk@lc.k12.wa.us.
La Conner’s literary treasures – Another story shared by one of the local authors who gather weekly at the La Conner Senior Center to compare notes, techniques and share ideas in a writers’ group led by Claire Swedberg. This is an excerpt from a memoir by Capt. Gerald Bell.
Squeeze Together By Ric Henderson There are times in our lives when we have to stop our busy existence and reflect on the moment at hand, let what we feel happening at that specific time to take over and redirect our life, if only for a few minutes. In the mid-70s, I was handling the company’s business in Atlanta, since we lost a sales engineer for that area. The main focus was on the MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) project, but we had numerous highway projects and high-rise buildings to manage as well. The region included Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. On this trip, I had planned a rigid schedule of meetings for the various active projects and knew I had to keep to this schedule in order to catch up on their status. Also, as important, was not to lose momentum on the prospective projects. As I was entering the on-ramp of the freeway to downtown Atlanta, I noticed that it was approaching the left side of the highway above. The traffic was acting reasonably cautious, but my anxiousness of getting to the next meeting on time put my attitude in a hurried
mode. My fingers tapped on the steering wheel as I waited on my progression up the ramp; I adjusted the radio, stared at the driver next to me, wanting in front of the line, and checked my rearview mirror at the growing line of vehicles. Reaching the top of the ramp I read the highway sign indicating entry onto the freeway. It didn’t read Yield, (Continued on Page 7)
PISTOL PACKIN’ – Kim Wilder of Doc Holliday’s Mercantile & Guns with one of the shop’s collectors’ items that has caused a stir. This is an historic M1919 Browning belt-fed semi-automatic, like the machine guns used back in World War II. Only this one is legal, unlike fully automatic firearms. – Photo by Don Coyote
Doc Holliday’s opens with a bang By Sandy Stokes La Conner residents have been hearing early morning shotgun blasts announcing duck hunting season. Even though it sounds like there are plenty of shooting enthusiasts around, town officials started hearing from people who dislike guns when a new business opened on Morris Street. Kim Wilder says she was surprised at the reaction of a few local residents when she and her husband, Brett, opened Doc Holliday’s Mercantile and Guns. Still, she said she expects the controversy to die down as people become more familiar with the business. Wilder said she saw a similar reaction in Grants Pass, Oregon, where their first Doc Holliday’s store opened four years ago. But in Grants Pass, the controversy wasn’t over the gun store — people were up in arms over a strip club that opened in town, she said. In Doc Holliday’s, the most risqué item is a sparkly bra top for sale, and that’s not why people were calling La Conner town officials.
People contacted Town Hall and the Sheriff’s Office. A contingent from the Chamber of Commerce even turned out at a Town Council meeting last month to say there were “concerns” that the store was next to the library and in walking distance from schools. Some at the council meeting advocated for a public meeting concerning the new business. Holding such a meeting was nixed by four of the five council members. Here’s why: State law specifically makes it illegal for municipalities to discriminate against businesses that sell firearms. The State of Washington claims jurisdiction over all licensing, registration and other aspects pertaining to gun dealers and specifically preempts any municipal code that would place additional restrictions on them and does not allow gun stores to be treated differently than other commercial businesses. Skagit County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jenny Sheahan-Lee has said she received a few calls from
residents and explained the laws to them. And at the Sept. 23 Town Council meeting, the council members explained to the Chamber of Commerce representatives in attendance that Doc Holliday’s has met all legal requirements and has all its permits and licenses in order. Councilmember Jacques Brunisholz suggested that people who don’t like the laws could join an anti-gun lobbying group and try to get them changed. “I completely understand people’s concerns,” said Town Administrator John Doyle. People are accustomed to seeing firearms sold in places like Fred Meyer’s, Wal-Mart and in sporting goods stores, but not in little touristy towns like La Conner. Still, he noted that hunters in the area would probably stop in for ammunition to save a trip out of town. Also, he said, law enforcement officers frequent gun stores just as often as hunters and sports shooting enthusiasts. Doc Holliday’s has more than guns — the front of the store is full of women’s clothing tailored
to lady gun enthusiasts, including the “Girls with Guns” line of apparel. There is even jewelry, and a smattering of antiques that don’t shoot and lots of antiques that do. The gun cases hold everything from modern semi-automatic handguns to historic war relics and muzzle loaders. The shop is a place to find ammo, Thrive brand freeze dried food, all kinds of accessories and even fresh popcorn. “I’m not ever worried about the few who say they are opposed to our business,” Wilder said. She says that often people who hate guns don’t have any reference point and many times have never even fired a gun. To help remedy that, she’s working on her rifle instructor and pistol instructor certifications so that she’ll be able to teach people to shoot safely. In the meantime, she plans to organize an outing to the shooting range for women to do some recreational target practice. If someone would like to try out a pistol or rifle, she said she’ll bring one to the range.
Ballots in the mail
Voters pamphlets and ballots for the November 4 General Election are being mailed this week. La Conner area voters will have a fairly long ballot this year, including four state measures and several contested elections at the federal, state and county level. There are no La Conner Town or La Conner School Board elections this year. Statements from the county candidates who have filed them can be accessed at https://wei. sos.wa.gov/county/skagit/en/ PUMPKIN PICKIN’ – This was the fall scene recently at Dugualla Bay Farms on Whidbey Island. With Shari Meagher on the tractor, Krystle Hushagen carries pumpkins Pages/Online-Voters-Guide.aspx that she and Sarah Meager load onto the wagon. At right is Gus, the canine overseer of the operation. – Photo by Don Coyote