Our Town

(First airdate: February 9, 2021) CAROLYN SALMON: A VISION FOR SENIORS TO SHARE. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Carolyn Salmon, president of the owners association at Quimper Village. This senior co-housing development speaks to the emerging consensus among many seniors that assisted living isn’t for them. But they realize they might also need some assistance. It’s a network of friends purchasing townhouses in a new development. They intend to take care of each other as much as they can. Currently, communal dinners and the like are on hold due to COVID-19. So far the COVID-free group has kept to outdoor activities. But they are anxious to return to group events. Quimper Village is perhaps an idealized view of small town interconnectedness. But the group seems determined to make it work.

(First airdate: January 26, 2021) SARA PENHALLEGON: ANIMAL RESCUE ANGEL. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Sara Penhallegon, founder & director of Center Valley Animal Rescue. Sara’s passion for saving animals began early: she became a vegetarian at the age of nine. Today the non-profit organization sits on about 30 acres of sprawling hills in center valley. It houses kittens & puppies, cats & dogs, rabbits & gerbils. All sorts of livestock live in one of several barns. A wildlife center houses eagles, cougars, coyotes, whatever. When a herd of starving buffalo was seized by the state, they became residents of Center Valley. Most animals are either released back into the wild or adopted. But there are exceptions. A baby bison was born onsite to a starving mother who couldn’t care for him. Sara & her team stepped in to raise him. Now he’s a permanent resident…a rather large & clumsy “pet.” Then there was the cougar who checked herself into one of the pens one night. There’s always excitement at Center Valley Animal Rescue.

(First airdate: January 12, 2021) CHERISH CRONMILLER: LEADING THE CHARGE FOR OLYCAP. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Cherish Cronmiller, Executive Director of OlyCAP, the Olympic Peninsula’s umbrella community action organization. Homeless shelters, food banks, energy assistance programs, housing programs, Head Start, Meals on Wheels – these are just some of the programs run by OlyCAP. Soaring unemployment rates and rising forclosures on businesses and homes have put Jefferson County in a precarious situation. Our food banks illustrate the situation. The need is desperate. There are 40-50% more families here now relying on food banks. Schools were helping to feed hungry kids. But the schools are closed. Community action groups are trying to fill the gap. Cronmiller is in the thick of the battle to keep families afloat.

(First airdate: December 29, 2020) PLANNING PT’S PRESENT & FUTURE. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Lance Bailey, the Development Services Director for the city of Port Townsend. His department issues permits for all projects – large and small. Remodeling your kitchen? Building a large apartment building? Talk to Lance and his team. Contrary to popular wisdom, there are at least two apartment buildings about to be green-lighted. Housing accessibility is a huge problem around here. The COVID-19 crisis has heightened the problem – house prices are skyrocketing. People from the big cities and even “climate refugees” (people fleeing the massive wildfires) are desperate to move to small picture-perfect places like this. But we have to get broadband to the end of the road. Planning our future is almost impossible.

(First airdate: December 15, 2020) DR. MOLLY PARKER: FAMILY CAREGIVER. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Dr. Molly Parker, family medicine specialist at Jefferson Healthcare. After a childhood on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, Dr. Parker decided that she wanted her family to experience that same community closeness. Besides, she loves the variety of family medicine. She can be “catching babies” one day and diagnosing a nasty rash (or something much worse) the next. Of course, there’s also the pandemic to contend with! Dr. Parker talks about COVID-19 planning from behind the front lines. She’s also involved in a variety of medical initiatives. She helps train nurses to gather forensic evidence in sexual assault cases. As Director of Population Medicine, she’s attempting to change the reality that right now Jefferson County is a child care “desert.”

(First airdate: December 1, 2020) CHRIS JAMES: AN ADOPTION STORY. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Chris James, Alaskan adventurer & contractor. Chris was born in England and moved to the USA with his family as a child. He vaguely knew that he was adopted but didn’t much care. He was a restless youth who dropped out of high school, driving to Alaska mid-winter with no clear plans – and no money. He hustled his way through jobs, starting in a crab cannery and eventually on board almost any sort of vessel in the Alaskan fishing fleet. When his first child was born he began to think about a more stable existence. Eventually, he founded a construction company in Port Angeles. The impending birth of his first grandchild prompted him to seek out his biological mother. To his profound shock, he found her. Although his Irish mother was dead he suddenly had five Irish siblings, aunts, uncles and a huge number of cousins. They have embraced him into a family he never knew or even dreamed of!

(Airdate: November 3, 2020) SEBASTIAN EGGERT:  HISTORY AND WEDDING CAKES. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Sebastian Eggert, the founder of Rain Shadow Wood Works. Sebastian has a fascinating niche as a restorer of historic buildings. He has been involved in almost every restoration around town — including the Courthouse, Saint Paul’s Church, Fort Worden, and even a 51foot wooden sailboat. When he first sets foot into a crumbling historic building, Sebastian sees it as a wedding cake with the entire inside hollowed out. The mere outlines of the elaborate frosting remain. His job is to re-create the interior. He sets about preserving what he can and restoring things to their original splendor. Often he uses old labor-intensive methods of construction. He will use modern technology if absolutely necessary. But he prefers a seamless transformation, where you can’t tell the old from the new.

(Airdate: 10/20/2020) Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Robert Ambrose, the chairman of the board of KPTZ. Robert has an adventurous past including stints in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, England and the San Francisco Bay area before settling in Alaska. He and wife, Jessica, decided that they did not want to raise their sons in an urban center. They found life quite different in rural Alaska. It suited them well. He was a stay-at-home dad for a while and Jessica was in public health. But the call of the local community station soon had Robert more than just a little involved. All was good. But years later Jessica died in a tragic accident. Robert was undone and after some travel and life reassessment he decided to move. He was lucky to find Port Townsend. His passion for community radio is so deep that he pitched a show to Larry Stein, KPTZ’s program director, even before he got to town. Soon he was on the board and quickly after that became chairman. So now he’s in charge of all of KPTZ’s efforts. He’s leading the team through some tough times. The station is growing and adapting to the challenges of the Covid pandemic.. It also needs funds to help renovate quarters at Fort Worden. The show is scheduled to air on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct 25.  

(Airdate: 10/6/2020) Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Mike Howell, owner of Howell’s Sandwich Shop in downtown Port Townsend. Mike opened his eatery only two years ago. Business took off rapidly – his first two years were stellar. Sure, a major winter storm blew out his windows the first year. But that was nothing compared to coping with Covid. With limited seating and hours he’s struggling to stay afloat. Howell’s only has about 1,000 square feet. Mike’s fortunate that he has a deck with a dynamite view. But now that winter is coming on, that asset might not help that much. His first two years were heaven and now he’s facing hell. He calls it “purgatory” and hopes to climb out soon. Here’s another small home town businessman that we all need to help support. The show is scheduled to air on Tuesday, October 6, and Sunday, October 11.

(Airdate: 9/22/2020) LOIS VENARCHICK: ARTISTIC DREAMS WOBBLING. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Lois Venarchick, owner of the Wynwoods Gallery and Bead Studio on Water Street. Lois is a jeweler and an artist. She has also owned her own shop since the early 1980s. Business has had its ups and downs over the years. But nothing like this. The gallery and shop were closed from early March until June. That meant zero revenue. But she still had bills to pay, like everyone else. She’s open now. But, of course, on only 30% of her previous hours with restricted numbers of customers allowed in at any one time.. Will her business survive? She sure hopes so and she’s a fighter. We are all rooting for her and for all of the other small businesses in Port Townsend. They are the life blood of this town. The show is scheduled to run on Tuesday, September 22, and Sunday, September 27.