Sandra White: May 2009

Cindo de Mayo  is not as much fun here as it was in California.  There, people are always  happy for the excuse to have Margaritas, and act crazy.  Oh well, they would never have a Rhodie Festival with a bed race and a pet parade, like we have here in Port Townsend,  so there are trade-offs.

Here is what Wayne (Dyer) has for you today. 

If things are not working, ask yourself,"In what way am I creating this? In what way can I change?

Where I live we are surrounded by water and a fair amount of rain.  However, the state of Washington is planning to regulate its use in our area of Jefferson County to benefit the salmon habitat. 

The resulting limits on water usage could seriously  affect our small farms and some believe it is a plan to limit growth in the state.  There are local farm bureaus that are lobbying against the limits, and many public forums take place with the Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources. There have been many realtors working to defeat the regulations.

Possible new rules would limit the number of  new wells, denying some land owners development of their own land, metering existing wells and  limiting the amount of water to a maximum of 500 gallons per day, or an average of 350 gallons per day. 

There has been talk of tripleing  setbacks from rivers,  streams and wetlands to the point where a five acre parcel would be unbuildable.

There is no way to please both sides in this issue.  Stay tuned!

More about the Puget Sound

• More than 5,700 acres of aquatic land (land under water) exceed contamination levels that are considered safe.
• Nearly 20 percent - or about 30,000 acres - of commercial shellfish beds have closed to harvest since 1980.
• Approximately 70 percent of Puget Sound near-shore estuary habitat (the land near the mouths of rivers) has been lost to residential, commercial and industrial development. These areas are vital nurseries for salmon and other marine life.

The Causes

Population growth and development have taken a toll on Puget Sound. Nearly four million people live in 115 cities and towns around the Sound, and more keep coming - 1.5 million more in the next twenty years. That's like adding a city the size of Portland. On the surface, Puget Sound still looks terrific; yet underneath there are alarming signals that the ecosystem is in trouble. We must take action now to prevent irreversible decline.

Among the many Puget Sound species listed as threatened or endangered are: orcas, otters, steelhead, salmon, bull trout, albatross, pelicans and sea turtles.

Today there are far fewer shorebirds - nearly a 50 percent decline in just the past two decades.

Thousands of acres of commercial shellfish beds are closed because the clams, mussels and oysters are unsafe for us to eat.

The state Department of Health keeps a list of Puget Sound beaches that are not safe for swimming because they are contaminated with bacteria.

And in Hood Canal, there are dead zones - areas without enough oxygen in the water to support life -- with signs that new dead zones are emerging in other parts of the Sound.

One-third of the households around Puget Sound rely on septic systems, many of them old or leaking, which send raw sewage into the Sound.

Every day, treated wastewater flushes into Puget Sound, along with toxic chemicals.

Two million acres of forest at the base of our mountains has been cut, paved and built up in less than one generation - that's an area as large as King and Pierce counties combined.

Our cities and suburbs are built so that less rainwater is absorbed where it falls, and more rainwater picks up chemicals and oil as it washes over roofs and roads into storm drains that empty into the Sound. This "stormwater runoff" is the number one cause of pollution in Puget Sound.

According to my company stats this is the foreclosure rate in the Pacific Northwest :

Number of Homes in foreclosure:

2008                                                             2009

WA  1/1194                                                   1/908

OR  1/984                                                     1/446

ID   1/774                                                     1/358

US 1/557                                                       1/440

We are a bit behind the rest of the country, so maybe our worst numbers are yet to come. 

Wayne Dywer Wisdom for May 4th:

You are in a partnership with all other human beings; not a contest to be judged better than some and worse than others.

I think real estate causes us to judge ourselves based more on production, than what we have contributed to the lives of others.    

I hope your Sunday is as beautiful as ours.  Here is Dr. Wayne Dyers proclamtion for today:

Every obstacle that comes along on this planet is either an opportunity to grow and transcend our form and think differently,  or to use it as an excuse to believe we are stuck. 

Now is really all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives. 

My mother used to say" today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday"  Never understood what that meant as a child, but now I have her little wall plaque in my office where I will see it everyday.   So true.

Have a great Saturday.

 http://www.porttownsendrealestatesearch.net/

Happening this weekend, May 2nd and 3rd at the fairgrounds in Port Townsend.  This is a great event for all homeowners, and those that want to be in the future.   Sponsored by the Jefferson County Homebuilder's Association with other sponsors including,

•  Puget Sound Energy
•  First Federal Bank
•  Built Green
•  Mountain Propane
•  Penquin Windows 

This event will help connect members of this small local trade organization with consumers, who will benefit from demonstrations, exhibits, booths, and seminars.  Promoting remodeling and new construction as well, with ideas on building green, power saving tips, passive solar exhibit.  Attendees will be able to see and feel products.  The event will provide networking for builders, suppliers, vendors and consumers.  

 Last year there were over 70 exhibitors with prizes including $500 Town Dollars*, and an Enclume Pot Rack. 

There will be a preview this evening for all vendors. 

Home building in this area is extremely important for many reasons, but here are some figures from Jefferson County Homebuilders website.

In 2007 288 new homes constructed in one area of the county produced the following; 915 new jobs, and 35.4 million in local taxes in the first year.  The ripple effect is another 505 jobs and $1.4 million in local taxes, and $18.2 in local income in year 1. 

 Information from National Association of Home Builders in  WA,DC

*Produced by downtown organization, good at most downtown stores. 

May Day!

I hope the weather is as beautiful in your town as it is in Port Townsend, WA this morning.  Here is your Wayne Dyer wisdon for this morning:

No one knows enough to be a pessimist.  No one! 

Hope you are full of optimism this morning....Have a beautiful  day.