Guemes Island Community Center Association
Enriching and Connecting Our Island Community
Island Happenings
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GICCA Stage Project Progress
Links:
- FULL SLIDESHOW - Stage Progress, "Through the Years"
- Stage timeline – August 2009 to January 2022
- Stage references/history from GICCA minutes November 2011 through January 2022
The Long Road to Permitting the Stage
Anyone who has built on Guemes Island or in Skagit County knows that the permitting process is long, tedious, and expensive. That was certainly the case for GICCA's Schoolhouse Park Stage.
The permitting process for this long-running project began in 2012. Mark Linnemann was the first of four project managers. A Pre-Development application is required prior to receiving a building permit. The Stage Project site was determined to be adjacent to a wetland and therefore in a Protected Critical Area (PCA) requiring a Critical Area Review. Mark and then GICCA President, Julie Pingree hired the necessary consultants to complete the review.
In the Pre-Development Meeting Notes, GICCA was told that in order to comply with the Rural Reserve zoning requirements of the project property and to allow for public events, a Special Use Permit must be obtained along with a designation as a Community Park. Special Use Permits also require review under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
The first three-year building permit was issued on Oct 5, 2012 with conditions to complete mitigation within the adjacent wetland buffer zone and with the requirement that GICCA must obtain a Special Use Permit.
The building permit was renewed in 2015 by then-President, Kathleen Phillips and extended for another three years. After a final six-month grace period, the permit expired. A new building permit was obtained on April 22, 2019 by then-president, Barb Ohms.
Work began in earnest to complete the project and work through the very tedious tasks of completing the Special Use Permit Application and the painstaking SEPA Checklist, obtaining a Reciprocal Agreement with Skagit County Parks & Recreation (SCPR), another Pre-Development meeting with the County Planning Dept., and in March of 2021, filing the required documents, site plans, parking plans, and landscaping plans. Special thanks to the GICCA Board for their many hours of work on this process. GICCA also paid the required application fee to the County of $4925.
Public notices were published and posted that opened the public comment periods for the SEPA determination, the proposed land-use change, and the announcement of the required Hearing Examiner's Hearing for the Special Use Permit. GICCA President, Barb Ohms addressed the Hearing Examiner and was available to answer any questions or concerns from the community. No concerns were presented.
On November 3, 2021, the Skagit County Hearing Examiner approved GICCA's Special Use Permit, with conditions. The complete document of determination can be viewed here.
The building permit passed final inspection on November 9, 2021. GICCA fulfilled the required mitigation conditions in the wetland buffer zone. Stockpiled soil was removed. All disturbed soils were hydroseeded or graveled. Native conifers were planted.
On May 29, 2022, after months of planning, the Community Stage opened to the Guemes Island community. A lineup of local Guemes musicians filled the day. Food and beverage vendors and community information tables both entertained and educated the attendees.
The Stage was decorated with traditional Samish colors and sacred cedar boughs. Rosie Cayou and other elders from the Samish Indian Nation opened the ceremony. The dreamers and the builders were honored. In the native tradition, gifts were given to all in attendance.
The Community Stage resides on the ancestral homeland of the Coast Salish Peoples who have lived in the Salish Sea basin and the North Cascades watershed from time immemorial. The inhabitants of Guemes Island express their deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors and we commit to wise stewardship of our shared lands and waterways.
All residents and visitors are now the caretakers of the Community Stage and the land on which it resides.