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City Council Honors Eric Shjarback <br />City Engineer and Assistant Director of Public Works Eric Shjarback is retiring August 31. Eric has been a <br />huge friend of Parks throughout his career, and is a fantastic creative problem solver. I will miss wor king <br />with him very much, but am excited for the new lifestyle he is about to lead. <br /> <br />Washington Park Boat Launch Road <br />Parks Foreperson Brian Tottenham and I met with Streets Division Manager Brandon Lowry and his right <br />hand Saben Williamson at the WP boat launch last week. We discussed a variety of options for asphalt <br />repair and surface water management improvements. Big thank you to Brandon and Saben for comi ng up <br />with some great low cost solutions to some age old challenges. <br /> <br />COA Meetings Returning to Virtual Format <br />While we did enjoy an in person hike for our last Forest Board meeting, and an in person/virtual hybrid at <br />last month’s Parks Commission meeting, we are returning for now to virtual meetings. The Forest Board <br />will be hiking with the Friends of t he Forest Board for its September meeting. <br /> <br />Thank You Alli <br />The ACFL Trail Team bid farewell to Alli Schuh on Friday, August 13 th. She was a fantastic worker and <br />maintained a very positive demeanor throughout many ACFL summer challenges. <br /> <br />Miscellaneous: <br />-Continue my regular meetings with Asa at the Friends of the Forest HQ. <br />-We did receive a citizen’s report concerning vegetation clearing above the Guemes Chan nel Trail. I verified <br />and documented the work, and have passed it along to Planning for further acti on to be taken. <br />-Have done my best to attend regular Washington Park staff meetings. Though I am not regularly on site <br />any more, I remain actively involved in the park’s management. <br />-Parks staff continues to be a first contact for a variety of homeless ci rcumstances in the Parks and ACFL. <br />Thank you so much to the Police Department and the Family Center for being ready to take over when <br />necessary and offer advice when possible. <br />-ACFL Steve and I continue our monthly educational hikes with Denise Crowe of th e Samish Nation staff. <br />-I did take vacation leave Aug 16 – 23. Special thanks to Parks Manager Nicole Johnston for covering. <br /> <br />Bob Vaux, Assistant Director <br /> <br />Parks & Recreation will be in front of City Council a few times in September, here is what is on the docket: <br /> <br />September 13: Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan. Bob Vaux will be presenting this item for our staff. <br />The plan was approved by the Forest Advisory Board in 2014 to become a part of the City Comprehensive <br />Plan update in 2016. In the 2014 Draft, there were not many changes from the last plan approved by City <br />Council in 2009. We will be working with the Mayor and Council on the process to up date this Draft Plan and <br />take public comments. <br /> <br />September 27: Conservation Easement Program Update. Ms. Swetnam and I have been working with the <br />Skagit Land Trust on a new Conservation Easement Program contract and conservation deed. We will be <br />joined at this meeting by Michael Kirshenbaum of the Land Trust and Konrad Liegel, and a consulting attorney <br />who specializes in conservation easements. Together, the four of us, along with Rob Hoxie from or GIS staff, <br />have been working on these revisions for the past year. The original contract for the Conservation Easement <br />Program was signed in 1998. Our goal is to update the contract language to reflect new conservation <br />standards and unify the many conservation easement deeds into single deed.