9/10/2009 I’m starting to test-post community news & announcements. Search for ‘news’ to find such posts. Please let me know if this is valuable to you.
Lummi Island, WA, is located about 20 miles south of the Canadian border and about 10 miles from Bellingham, WA. Access is by the 46-year old ferry, The Whatcom Chief, which carries about 20 cars and 100 passengers (including those in vehicles). The ride is only 7 minutes long, but vehicle waits can be an hour or more on weekends, holidays, at rush hour or when concrete and other construction-related vehicles are in line.
The island is about same size as Manhattan Island. However, we are fortunate to have a much smaller population. In 2000, the full-time population was 822 (peak population about double that), with about 740 homes. Since then, over 130 new residences have been permitted (many built) with another 40 or so remodels or expansions (some from tiny shacks into big houses). That probably means the year-round population is now around 1000.
What will happen in the future to the full time population, especially those working or with children, is hard to to say. Rising housing, ferry fares and other transportation costs will make it increasingly hard, I think, for working families to live here.
Most long-term Islanders prize their privacy but also are involved in various community activities. Organizations like the Civic Club and the Lummi Island Congregational Church go back to the early 1900s.
The small but vital Beach Elementary School (K-6) is also an invaluable asset to the community, though hard budget times (May 2009) the community is having to rally around to make sure we not only keep the school (and kids, and their parents) on the island. (No school, no kids, no younger adults. I’m afraid the community would devolve into an interesting but increasingly crochety collection of geezers & geezerettes, sprinkled with occasional vacatioers and well-heeled part-timers . . . ick ick ick — and I’m one of the geezerettes!)
The Lummi Island Community Association (LICA), a 47-year old island institution, is open to all islanders. LICA meets monthly at the Grange Hall on the fourth Wednesday of most months (potluck at 6:30 PM; presentation and business meeting ~7:15 PM).
LICA also sponsors The Tome, Lummi Island’s monthly community newsletter. The Tome is the best single place to find out what’s going on. Most island organizations have a short article in each Tome issue. For more information or to request a subscription, send an email to thetome@lummiislandcable.com. LICA holds meetings at the Grange on the fourth Wednesday of each month (except November, December, July and August), with a potluck at 6:30 PM, a program on some topic of interest, a business meeting and two cash doorprizes.
Paul Davis also offers (only to paid Tome subscribers as of February 16, 2009) an email “Paul Revere” service about important notices or materials about island issues. If you want to receive this volunteer service, you need to have a paid subscription to The Tome.
Becky said you were planning to post pics of the Barter Fair last night. Are they there somewhere? Or, when they get there, where should we look to find them? Nice website but for the computer dumb, I’m unclear where to look.