Lake Cavanaugh event loses bicycle participation after North Shore road closure, resident says

At the July 29 Skagit County Board of County Commissioners meeting, Loretta Humble, who identified herself as “Tweety” from Lake Cavanaugh, said organizers of the Once Around Lake Cavanaugh event were forced to exclude bicyclists this year after an insurer refused to cover bicycles for the event because a portion of North Shore Road is closed and unsafe.

“To host this event, the community must receive insurance and a county road use permit. There was no problem this year attaining the road use permit, but the insurance company will no longer insure the use of bicycles for this event,” Loretta Humble said.

Humble told commissioners the closed portion of North Shore has a roadway that has “fallen off down the slope toward the lake,” that debris sits between safety barriers and that public works crews cannot reach the area to clear it. She asked the county to “Please expedite the restoration of North Shore.”

Commissioner Wiesen acknowledged the comment during the public-comment period and later said he would advocate for North Shore when he attends a County Road Administration Board meeting this week, citing the need to match infrastructure and traffic as agritourism and other uses expand. Wiesen said he enjoyed recent conversations with residents at local events and emphasized the county’s budgeting trade-offs when addressing road repairs.

Ending: Commissioners did not record a formal directive or vote on the North Shore repairs during the July 29 session. Residents urged expedited repairs and said insurance restrictions are limiting community events.