President Martha Rasmussen opened the meeting with introductions.
Steve Somsen gave the treasurer’s report:
Grand total of three accounts at Coastal Community Bank: $19,922.74
Membership: 37 members (17 business, 14 community & 6 non-profit) with 15 due for renewal.
Guest Speaker:
Erin Reynolds of “Sweet Bites” gave us a lively and informative presentation of her home-based Darrington business and outlined the details of Washington State’s cottage food operation.
Division Reports:
Darrington Area Resource Advocates (DARA): Martha, Paul Wagner and Peter Forbes updated us on the Darrington Collaborative and the upcoming meeting scheduled for May 19.
Friends for Public Use (FFPU): Martha said they’ve turned in the paperwork for the Circle Creek Road and Phyllis Reed informed us of where they are in the process with regard to the RAC grant and follow-up signatures that are required. She also discussed the environmental assessment and the River Trust group. Mayor Rankin elaborated on the status of RAC grant. The first Sunday in June is National Trail day and Martha said they are expecting 60 volunteers and asked for help and/or contributions for the potluck dinner to be held at the rodeo clubhouse afterward. Cleanup on the Suiattle road was also discussed as well as brushing the White Chuck road #2035.
Friends of North Mountain (FNM): Rick Knight announced the next meeting will be on Thursday, May 17 and discussed a potential full-time camper near the lookout. Peter reminded us that if they camp on USFS property, they will need to apply for a special use permit to stay over the 14 day limit.
Committee Reports:
Darrington Events: Joanne Milton updated us on the Darrington street fair. She has 27 spaces sold so far and the entertainment is being lined up such as Kevin Kieneker, Dianne Morgan and a rock band will play at 4:00 PM. The photo/art show/contest is getting off the ground and will be held in a building on Darrington street during the street fair. She has two judges lined up; one from the UW and one from Sedro Wooley (photography & the arts). The rules & regulations have been drafted & there will also be a quilt show at the senior center as part of the street fair. In August there will be a car show on Darrington street . Trunk or Treat will be held again this year and the community center is reserved for October 31. It will be a yearly event and donations would be appreciated. A potential Christmas bazaar was also discussed.
Other Reports:
Darrington Collaborative: Mathew Medina updated us on current and future restoration projects. Planet magazine ran an excellent article on the collaborative. They are working on some DNR grants for facilitation and coordination help and hiring specialists to move projects forward. There will be an upcoming meeting on June 12 from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Darrington community center and is open to the public. Paul Wagner and Mayor Rankin elaborated.
Darrington Ranger Station: Peter Forbes reported on other aspects of the collaborative and the USFS road maintenance budget, which is down from last year. Boulder creek and French Creek roadwork was also discussed. The county is working with the USFS on maintaining the Mtn Loop highway and it will be opening shortly. He also discussed current issues with trail maintenance on the White Chuck Bench trail and PCT related work.
Oso Women’s Auxiliary: Marla Skaglund reported on the successful Oso garage sale and they hope to do it again next year. The bookmobile was a huge success with the kids.
Darrington Fire Dept: Drew Bono reported that there were 172 calls to date so far this year. Last month’s fishing derby was a huge success with many participants and some big fish were reeled in. The fire department is looking forward to participating in upcoming summer events. Their newsletter will come out soon and will be a quarterly publication. Drew also reported on the awards banquet. They will be putting together a community task force for the Whitehorse community center and apply for some grants and hold public meetings for ideas as to the design and rebuild of the current building which has been condemned and will be re-built. There will be information forthcoming about the upcoming levy in August. Four volunteers just graduated from the forest fire training class and are reported to have been at the top of the class. There will be some special drills to work on water supply capabilities in the rural areas in preparation for upcoming audits. This should reduce risk for local homeowners who will benefit from lower insurance rates. Volunteers have been going to the senior center to do blood pressure checks but anyone can stop by the fire station to check their blood pressure.
Darrington Library: Ashley Bryson announced that the levy officially passed with a 54.6% yes vote, a very slim margin but will stabilize the Snoco library system through 2025. The executive director has announced that she will be retiring at the end of 2018 so they will have a new leader next year. The Darrington library will be partnering with North County Services for grant applications. Ashley will be out of town during the next Darrington Strong meeting so an alternative venue or date was discussed. Ashley also updated us on current events, workshops and classes which can be viewed on their website: https://sno-isle.org/locations/darrington
Good of the Order:
Jennifer Rancourt introduced herself and announced that she is running for Cascade District Court judge. She has been a local public defender in Snohomish County for many years. She also serves on the governor’s clemency board and came to our meeting to familiarize herself with local communities in the valley.
Darrington Board Meeting: Martha reported that the board meetings will now be held quarterly (as opposed to monthly) and elaborated on the group’s discussions and votes.
In Attendance:
Ashley Bryson
Dan Rankin
Drew Bono
JoAnn Milton
Ken Milton
Marla Skaglund
Martha Rasmussen
Paul Wagner
Peter Forbes
Rick Knight
Roselie Rasmussen
The next meeting will be June 20th. We will be meeting at the Darrington Fire-hall for this meeting.
by Heart Light Digital