The Town Emergency Management Commission is short-handed again.
Ditto the La Conner Planning Commission.
Each advisory board must fill a vacancy left by a key member’s resignation, officials learned Tuesday at Maple Hall.
Jerry George, who formerly chaired the emergency management panel, has stepped down to coordinate a community-wide neighborhood mapping campaign. George, who has an extensive background in the study of earthquakes and volcanic activity, was appointed as a charter member when the commission formed after severe saltwater flooding in December 2022.
Town Administrator Scott Thomas said Tobias Schwind of Grass Roots Lawn and Garden, based in Shelter Bay, has applied to succeed George. Schwind could be confirmed to fill the vacancy as soon as the June 10 Town Council meeting.
With George resigning and members Doug Asbe and Jonah Keith absent from the June 3 meeting, there wasn’t a quorum and commissioners Brianna Wilson and Mike Carlisle were prevented from taking any formal action.
They were able, however, to discuss plans to launch a Teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program in conjunction with La Conner Schools next year.
“I’ve gotten positive feedback on that so far,” said Wilson, the commission chair. “I think we have a huge potential here for the kids and it can support our mission, too.”
Keith, Wilson, and Carlisle were appointed within the past year to what was formerly a six-member commission following the sudden passing of Duane Carpenter and the resignations of Bill Stokes, Jim White, and Jamie Throgmorton.
The Planning Commission, on the other hand, had a quorum when it met later Tuesday. But near the end of that meeting, commissioner Carol Hedlin revealed she is resigning after a decade-long tenure, effective June 17.
Hedlin said she had previously informed Mayor Marna Hanneman and Town Planner Michael Davolio of her decision.
Hedlin said that after 10 years on the volunteer commission she felt it was time to step aside. She told her fellow commissioners, “I’ll miss you.”
Before making her surprise announcement, Hedlin joined chairman John Leaver and commissioner Cynthia Elliott in unanimously approving a revised exterior painting scheme for the old Lighthouse Inn Building in the downtown Historic Preservation District.
“The applicant has previously appeared before the commission to request approval for changes,” Town Assistant Planner Ajah Eills said in her written report, “but has since changed their minds about what would be painted, and so approval needs to be given again.”
Applicant Alyssa Kingsberry of the soon-to-open Pie Dive Bar got the go-ahead from commissioners to change the building’s primary color from a previously approved gray hue to pure white. The project, Eills said, includes painting the window trim and door trim of the landmark structure, once the Bellingham Yacht Club Building, which was barged to the La Conner waterfront in the 1960s.
The planning meeting lasted just 15 minutes, the second straight short agenda for commissioners.
Eills expects that to change soon. She said the June 17 agenda is shaping up to be a busy one with a status report anticipated on updates to the Town Comprehensive Plan, among other emerging topics.
In response to a question posed by resident Linda Talman, herself a former planning commissioner, Eills said that a recent rash of vandalism in town is being addressed.
Eills attributed the hijinks to “teenage hooligans.”
“The Town is aware,” she said. “The sheriff’s office is also aware and they’re working with the parents and other authorities.”
Bill Reynolds: bill@laconnercommunitynews.org. Bill is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
