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October is coming, with election ballots mailed Oct. 13. In greater La Conner, three town council seats and the Fire District 13 commissioner position 2 are contested. Do you have enough information to make your choices? What are the important issues facing the town? Do you want to ask the candidates questions and hear them explain their positions? You can ask questions and watch candidates for council respond in a pre-recorded online forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Skagit County and the La Conner Weekly News. They have...
Thursday Mayor Ramon Hayes notified the La Conner Town Council of a 5 p.m. Sept. 28 special meeting to discuss the law enforcement/public safety services section of the 2022 budget. The meeting is in person at Maple Hall and via Zoom. The regular council meeting will follow at 6 p.m. The 10 page special meeting packet has a four page memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas addressing public safety services and how those services may legally be provided: 1) continue to contract with the Skagit County Sherriff's Department for law enforcement s...
The La Conner Town Council started the process for filling the vacancy left by Jacques Brunisholz’s resignation at its Sept. 14 meeting, but the eight week schedule they agreed to means whomever they choose will be approved Nov. 9 at the earliest. That is after the Nov. 2 election and only two council meetings before the 2022 budget will be approved Dec. 14. While the only qualifications for council are being a town resident and a registered voter, council was presented by Town Administrator Scott Thomas with a 14 page packet. The town is requi...
At its first specially called hearing to consider the 2022 budget Sept. 14 in Maple Hall, the La Conner Town Council dived right into the bulk of proposed expenditures: public works and the wastewater treatment plant. The draft budget lists a 15% increase, of $297,000 in the five public works programs parks, facilities, streets, water and drainage, with $2 million for capital water projects: replacing water mains on Channel Drive, $1.6 million, and South First Street from Commercial to Morris, $400,000. The larger project has to happen very...
It was slow going getting new pole-mounted radar speed signs installed along heavy traffic volume on Maple Avenue and North Third Street. But, perhaps that was fitting, since the four digital reader boards are to slow traffic. And they are doing the job – noticeably increasing road safety and driver speed awareness. “I had one resident on North Third Street email me almost immediately after the signs went up and express how grateful they are for them,” Mayor Ramon Hayes told the Wee...
The work goes on to promote leisure activities here. Two local advisory boards collaborated this summer with planner Michael Davolio on initial steps to update the 2013 Town of La Conner parks plan. The planning and parks commissions have jointly reviewed the eight-year-old plan, which includes an inventory of existing and potential future parks sites and Davolio has begun drafting language for submission to the Town Council and eventual inclusion as an updated parks and recreation element in the Town Comprehensive Plan. “The parks element i...
La Conner Town Council members did double duty Tuesday, starting at 5 p.m. with a special meeting to discuss the public works and wastewater treatment plant sections of the 2022 budget. Council was sent a 16 page special meeting packet Friday, Sept. 10, with a five page memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas addressing near term “necessary” improvements to the Town’s wastewater treatment plant. It had five sections: a. regulatory overview; b. nutrients; c. expansion and replacement; d. next steps; and e. costs. Following were nine pages...
Last night La Conner’s town council met an hour early to discuss the town’s 2022 budget, which they will pass in December. They started with the big-ticket items: the sewer system and wastewater treatment plant and the parks, facilities, streets, water and drainage infrastructure that public works manages. None of this is glamorous, as much as President Biden and Congress have talked about it this year. It is expensive at every level, and more expensive than local and state governments can handle on their own. Last year La Conner budgeted alm...
We are writing in support of Ivan Carlson for Town Council, Position 2. Ivan lives a few doors down from us. In the Sept. 1 issue of this paper, it was mentioned that Ivan advocated for better signage on Maple Street at the Aug. 24 town council meeting. He also provided flags for the crosswalk at Maple and Caledonia. It has already yielded improved safety for our family. It is a great first (but hopefully not last) step. We appreciate folks that listen, but we strongly admire people who act. It is especially admirable since Ivan had no...
Friday Mayor Ramon Hayes notified the La Conner Town Council of a 5 p.m. Sept. 14 special meeting to discuss the public works and wastewater treatment plant sections of the 2022 budget. The meeting is in person at Maple Hall and via Zoom. The regular council meeting will follow at 6 p.m. The 16 page special meeting packet has a five page memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas addressing near term “necessary” improvements to the Town's wastewater treatment plant. It has five sections: a. regulatory overview b. nutrients c. expansion and rep...
La Conner has many blessings – a temperate climate, its location along a saltwater channel and near the mouth of a scenic river, conifer forests and views of snow-capped mountains. What’s lacking, however, is available land to develop spacious multi-purpose public parks. By contrast, the small community of Blessing, Texas is beset with brutally hot, humid summer weather, is nearly 20 miles from the Little Colorado River and almost 25 miles distant from Matagorda Bay, has no mountains a...
While Town of La Conner leaders say they listen to their constituents, it has been hard for the opposite to happen – the public hearing town council – for those logging into hybrid meetings this summer. Due to technology-related glitches, action taken during recent in-person council sessions at Maple Hall has been largely inaudible to persons attending on-line, leaving Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator Scott Thomas to troubleshoot sources of the problem. “We’re trying to find the cause,” Hayes told the Weekly News on Thurs...
Town of La Conner Councilmember Jacques Brunisholz’s resignation from town council was read at the start of the Aug. 24 meeting by Town Administrator Scott Thomas. The four term official had emailed his decision to Mayor Ramon Hayes the week before. Neither Brunisholz nor Hayes were present. Brunisholz later declined to comment, stating “My letter of resignation says it all.” Brunisholz expressed a desire to travel with his wife in his letter, his “regret (at) having to take this abrupt decision” and that he believed “the present town leadershi...
All of a sudden the political season is upon us, with the signs of three La Conner council candidates on lawns around town. Voters will decide in November whether to continue with or replace three council members. The pairings are Ivan Carlson versus John Leaver, Rick Dole against Bill Stokes and Glen Johnson facing MaryLee Chamberlain. Well before the election, hopefully, council will pick a town resident to replace Jacque Brunisholz, who announced his retirement Aug. 24 after 12 years on council. Brunisholz leaves just as his colleagues are s...
We are supporting Ivan Carlson for the La Conner town council position 2. We have known Ivan all of his life. He and Tawsha are raising their family here in La Conner. Ivan has deep roots in La Conner. He is the fourth generation in his family to volunteer for La Conner Hook and Ladder. His son is the fourth generation of the Carlson family to attend La Conner schools. Ivan cares about the well-being of this town. He understands the importance of keeping our youth healthy and creating available housing for our young families. Ivan knows how...
Jacques Brunisholz once completed a demanding 500-mile hike on the famed Pacific Crest Trail. Years before he trekked across much of the globe, including a stop in Afghanistan nearly a half century ago. But given his passion for public service it likely was harder for him to step away from the La Conner Town Council last week. Still, the retired La Conner High School foreign language and art teacher hardly broke stride in choosing to resign his long-held council seat, a tenure begun about 2008, during the town’s famed flap over the status of a...
Ken Stern, editor and publisher of the La Conner Weekly News, seems determined to demonize the town administration, mayor and town council members in at least two areas: the Maple Avenue ballfield transaction and now parking fees for the new library. In a scathing editorial Aug.18 he paints an (incorrect) depiction of myself and fellow councilmen Bill Stokes delaying start of construction of the library by trying to extract parking fees for the code, which requires 10 excess (additional – ed.) parking spaces which future operation of the...
Is the editor of the La Conner Weekly News a crank and a scold? Does he – me – criticize the town council unfairly, randomly or casually, without cause? Do I have an agenda or a vendetta? I do, actually. Let me propose that I am just doing my job, sometimes more aware and sometimes less. My failure to pay attention earlier to all the details and the players around the sale of the Hedlin ballfield property has sharpened my focus. Then I was not on top of the issue, as your local newspaper editor has to be. What does the newspaper’s e...
The last item on the Aug. 10 La Conner Town Council agenda was a resolution for the Town to approve deferring a payment of $48,000 from the new library to the town for seven years, a fee for the building lacking 10 parking spaces required by code. Councilmember Bill Stokes immediately called to table the item, saying he needed more budget information. Planner Michael Davolio stood and explained the library could not get its permit to build without resolving the payment. Library representatives had met with the staff and Davolio had written...
RE: Application File # LU21-45CU Project Location: 623 Morris Street, Units E-1 and E-2 Mr. Davolio, Mayor Hayes, Councilmembers: I am writing for your consideration to not allow the proposed conditional use permit to change the use of two commercial units to guesthouse/guest rental for the above application file # LU21-45CU. The town of La Conner is a vibrant and diverse community with a vibrant and diverse mix of retail, commercial, residential and rental properties. It is known that the town does not have enough commercial units to keep the...
Monday Mayor Ramon Hayes issued a resolution requiring masks, social distancing and a daily health assessment for anyone entering Town Hall, Maple Hall or the Civic Garden Center, town facilities. Each requirement has a list of safety protocols to follow, with 11 for exceptions to wearing masks. The resolution lists eight statements about the persistence and threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to “the life and health of residents and visitors to La Conner as well as the economy of La Conner businesses” and the need to keep town employees safe. Tow...
On Wednesday, Aug. 11, Mayor Ramon Hayes called for a special meeting of the La Conner Town Council for 3 p.m., Aug. 14, Friday. The purpose is to discuss and vote on deferring parking fees for the new library that will be built on Morris and Sixth streets. This was on the council’s agenda Tuesday but tabled at the request of Councilmember Bill Stokes that the finance committee first consider it. The finance committee met with La Conner Regional Library representatives Wednesday. The meeting is via Zoom. Join at https://us02...
The Landed Gentry property that will become the 10 home Maple Field subdivision is an empty grassy field today, but that will soon change. By the end of August site and utility construction will begin and by the end of October it will look like a small subdivision, Brian Gentry, president of the firm, told the Weekly News last week. Gentry did not have a date for when equipment will be moved onto the property but he estimated a 60 day construction period for getting all the site work done: sewer, water, utilities and private roadways and...
Concerned letter writers are again sharing both frustrations and hopes for involvement and for influencing decision making in the La Conner community. Are residents adequately informed by government staff and elected officials? Are citizens brought into discussions, with information shared? Is there a robust give and take and a chance to shape plans or are projects presented as done deals with all the heavy lifting, or not, done by their elected council representatives? A huge opportunity was missed last year to have a community conversation...
Open letter to Mayor Hayes: On July 13 I pleaded for the restoration of Zoom to town meetings in part because of the WHO announcement (July 13th) about the danger of the delta variant. I said this to you, the council, and a crowd of 45 mostly unmasked citizens at Maple Hall. On July 15, two cases of the delta variant were announced by Dr. Howard Leibrand of Skagit County Health. I made the case for safety, for parents of little kids, and for immunocompromised citizens. I suppose you and your colleagues didn’t hear any of that. Others spoke t...