Welcome to Skagit County

May 8th, 2008

Skagit County Planning and Development Services Department Issues SEPA Threshold Determination on Proposed Permanent Changes to Guemes Island Ferry Schedule

SKAGIT COUNTY - Skagit County has determined that proposed permanent expansion of weekday evening ferry service to Guemes Island would not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.

The Skagit County Planning and Development Services Department issued a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) on May 6, 2008, regarding proposed permanent expansion of weekday evening ferry runs to Guemes Island.

The Department issued the DNS based on the review of an environmental checklist, as well as a 55-page Environmental Assessment Report that evaluated three potential permanent ferry service alternatives. The alternatives ranged from a “no action alternative” – comparable to the schedule in effect prior to the current two-year trial period – to a “currently expanded service alternative.” This is similar to the temporary ferry schedule that has been in effect since June, 2006, that established additional weekday evening runs between 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

The Board of County Commissioners is expected to consider whether to permanently adopt expanded weekday evening ferry service to Guemes Island before the current temporary schedule expires at the end of June, 2008.

The Environmental Assessment Report contains nine appendices, including ferry capital facilities and management studies; demographic and land use permitting data; the draft Guemes Island Subarea Plan; groundwater studies and well monitoring data; and nearly 1,000 pages of public comments on the draft scope of the Environmental Assessment Report.

The DNS, environmental checklist, and Environmental Assessment Report, including the appendices, are available for review on the Skagit County website at www.skagitcounty.net. They may also be viewed at the Skagit County Planning and Development Services Department, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon; and at the Guemes Island Library, 7549 Guemes Island Road, Guemes Island.

A 14-day public comment period on the DNS ends at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22nd. The DNS available for review at www.skagitcounty.net provides requirements for the submittal of written comments.