Sept 2025 GIPAC agenda
6:30: Call to order:
· Approve Agenda
· Approve August minutes
6:40: Treasurer’s report
6:45: Public Comment
7:00: Agenda Items:
7:00: Well monitoring project update.
7:15 Short term rentals – Glen Veal
7:35 Updates:
· C23-1 – Jack Moore feedback
· CAO update – decision date possibly 10/28
· Anacortes Dock – any news here?
· Guemes Parking Lot Redo- meeting with Michael See – someone to follow-up in Sept.
· Ferry fare new proposal – any specific role for GIPAC?
· Skagit Transit – anything to discuss?
7:55 GIPAC “business”
· Board member recruitment; confirm current board members running again.
· Annual meeting date and topic; discuss Plan B if USGS doesn’t come through
· Website update – discuss what kind of information we want on it
· GIPAC papers/history to Historical Society – discuss what to retain – topics/time frame; what HS plans to do with it
8:30 Adjourn
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Progress on 2025 Projects:
· C23-1: Implement & Educate:
· Implement:
o Connect with Jack Moore about step county is taking (i.e. check-list/form; outreach to drillers); Michael to follow-up on this
o Phase II – explore how to get wells moved to health.
· Educate Islanders:
o Steve to draft “what C23-1 means for Islanders in Q1 2025 – done
o Where to publish? GIPAC & GiCCA website; others?
o Education of real estate agents – push to next year
· Rainwater: overall goal is to make it easier!
· Educate Health staff:
o Reach out to Keith Higman re: tour for his staff (before haul-out)
· Other hurdles to get rainwater adopted county-wide:
o Discuss other issues with Keith– ie workflow with permit application process; other watershed issues, hurdles he is facing?
· USGS Report Release:
· Share release of report with Islanders – depending on timeline could be at Annual Meeting or earlier in the year:
· Report has now slipped to May or June timeline as they want to do some additional internal review before sending it to us. Sigh…. Slipped again to August; currently no specific date but they say they are close….
· Track and Comment on Comp Plan, CAO update & Shoreline Update:
· Comp Plan: Track process & comment on next draft for some or all elements:
· GIPAC’s comment letter on comp plan – a couple of wins
· CAO – submitted comments; BoCC had planned to consider final on Aug 4; has been pushed to be potentially heard on October 28th due to tribal consultation
· Shoreline Management Plan: Continue to monitor update process; still no SMP; according to Ecology lots of contested issues; they hope to start tribal consultation this fall
· Skagit Transit:
· With ferry fare skyrocketing explore ways to improve transit options on both Guemes and Anacortes side
· Skagit Transit has applied for state grant for micro-transit for use on Anacortes side; didn’t get it; plan is drop 409 route; use those resources for scaled back version of micro-transit
· Skagit Transit is interested in running pilot on the island “to see what ridership would be like when the ferry is back in service.” It is now underway – ridership in June was ho-hum, though increased in July. GIPAC helped to facilitate ridership survey, based on feedback they are moving from the reservation system to on-demand system and will see how that goes.
· Educate Islanders about GIPAC:
· Website – GuemesPlanning.org is launched.
· Fundraising: how to donate online (find platform that allows people to pay the fee?); host annual fundraising event; encourage donations by mail
· Tracking Other Activities:
· Schoolhouse Park – comment letters submitted to support the temp use permit for materials stockpile. SEPA permit has been approved; seems to be moving forward so far; hearing examiner hearing in July; project approved. GIPAC submitted letters
· Ferry:
o BoCC Letter re: re-engaging with the ferry committee – received reply that lawsuit prevents them from talking to Islanders about the ferry.
o GIPAC also included a request to re-establish formal meetings with Ferry Committee as part of our March 2025 comment letter to the Planning Commission on the Comp Plan update. This was done under Transportation – Ferry Service; Policy 8F- 1.4, which included language specific to the Guemes Ferry and providing “ample opportunities for public review and comment regarding service or financial impacts.” The response in the comment summary matrix was: “Skagit County is not considering the creation of a citizen advisory committee at this point. Skagit County would like to further consider the goals and implementation and coordination with such a committee before incorporating a new committee into policy.”
o GIPAC attorney sent letter to city of Anacortes in July re: dock redo and impact to neighborhood, shorelines and risk. We are seeking a higher level of environment review.
Guemes Island Planning Advisory Committee 