SAN JUAN COUNTY — The San Juan County Council voted Friday, May 30, 2025, to cancel the county’s continued public hearing scheduled for June 3 on a proposed multiyear lease of the Decatur Island public works yard to the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO).

Council action followed a half-hour of public comment in which more than a dozen Decatur Island residents traveled to Friday Harbor to speak and express opposition to solar infrastructure and related tree clearing on and near the site. Deputy County Manager Tillery Williams told the council staff had received correspondence from OPALCO requesting cancellation of the June 3 hearing and recommended the meeting be canceled.

Residents urged the council to pause and reconsider the proposed lease and to protect the centrally located public parcel on Decatur. “I feel like they’re really playing with the math on this,” said Kendra Lam, a Decatur Island resident, criticizing how OPALCO has characterized the project’s acreage. Several speakers said they had traveled by boat and incurred expense to attend the Friday meeting to make their concerns heard.

Speakers raised environmental and community-use concerns about clearing and grading, questioned OPALCO’s public representations about the project’s size and need, and asked the county to treat the parcel as a long-term public asset. “Hasty and shortsighted thinking and action now could do irreparable harm to our communities for generations to come,” said Jill Bliss, a Decatur Island resident.

Other speakers urged caution about whether Decatur should host infrastructure that speakers said would primarily serve larger islands. Jennifer Gastineau, a Decatur Island resident, said she was “glad” the council had paused the lease discussion and said she was concerned county staff had appeared favorable to clearing the property at earlier meetings.

After hearing public comment, Council Member Paulson moved to cancel the June 3 continued public hearing; the motion was seconded and the council chair called the vote. Council members vocalized their appreciation for the public engagement; the chair announced the motion passed and the June 3 hearing was canceled. The council did not take further action on a lease at the May 30 meeting.

The meeting record shows no formal vote tally in the transcript beyond the chair calling for the ayes and announcing the motion passed. Deputy County Manager Tillery Williams stated only that OPALCO had requested cancellation and staff recommended it; the council did not direct staff to take any additional steps during the meeting.

The special meeting adjourned at 2:01 p.m. The council indicated it would continue to accept correspondence and that future notice would be provided if the matter returns to the agenda.