Letters to the Editor - Islands' Sounder

Leaves of Gold thank you | Letter

Find here a small thank you note for a hugely successful third annual Leaves of Gold concert. This annual fundraising concert helps to support the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s artistic leadership as well as music education in the schools and community. Violinist Chee-Yun and pianist Andrew Staupe performed soaring repertoire in a space meant for just such sound.

Truth about Highlands’ well | Letter

I am compelled to clarify a number of misconceptions and errors made by people over the previous year regarding the drilling of wells in the Orcas Highlands.

Yes for land bank REET | Letters

Letters in support of renewing the land bank's real estate excise tax, which is on the November ballot.

Vote against the solid waste parcel fee | Letter

Defeat of the parcel fee ballot measure does not mean mandatory curbside collection. Defeat of the ordinance means the end of County operations of solid waste transfer stations – which have been badly managed and governed for years, have been two to three times as expensive as those on the mainland, and even with such high prices have run up a substantial deficit.

Vote no on school levy | Letter

Aren’t you proud to be an American? At least you know you’re free. It’s voting time again and the school is broke. Remember the desperate need for an industrial arts building just a few years back? Did you know you can now experience that voter-funded asset in all its virtual reality. It’s right there in the master plan, folks, ever ready to help Orcas youth acquire the skills to better compete in today’s shrinking job market.

Vote yes on school levy | Letters

Letters in support of the school district's $900,000 levy on this November's ballot.

No on land bank REET | Letter

Why is the land bank asking for a renewal this year when their funding does not expire for another two years? That is right: 2014! Voting no in this upcoming election does not mean you are against land preservation, because I certainly am not. Voting no will show that you are being a fiscally responsible citizen to your neighbors and friends.

Land bank's support of agriculture is not what we all approved in 1990 | Letter

The San Juan County Council provides videos of their council meetings. If you are not able to make the meetings, you can still watch what goes on. On Tuesday, September 20, there was an item on the council agenda entitled “Presentation: San Juan County Agricultural Strategic Action Plan.” The presenters were a “collaborative” (their word) group from the Agricultural Resources Committee, the Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust. Unlike other matters before the council, the Strategic Action Plan that the group wanted the council to approve—written by representatives of the above entities and Boyd Pratt—was not attached to the Council agenda. It had not been made available to the public before the meeting. Generally, the public is able to view copies of all supporting materials.

Council member Patty Miller clarifies parcel fee | Letter

As you vote on solid waste, I encourage you to read the county council resolution that summarizes the anticipated changes to the solid waste services. (There is a link to this resolution on the front page of the county website.) The San Juan County Council created this resolution to describe the system under both the passage and failure of the ballot measure. I hope that this resolution answers many of your questions and helps you cast an informed vote. There are two items that I would like to clarify.

Sauer responds to criticism in letters | Letter

I was hoping the campaign for Commissioner of Eastsound Sewer and Water District Position 5 (the position I have held since 2009) would be an honest evaluation of the district’s current and future needs as they were addressed at the recently held League of Women Voters forum.