Meet Ben Booth, Eagle Lake Caretaker!

The ELCA Board is pleased to announce that Ben Booth has been hired as Caretaker for Eagle Lake. Ben brings a strong background to his new position. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University with a degree in Geology. Ben moved to Orcas in 2000 and started his own business, Orcas Island Sailing. He has acted as a caretaker and property manager for several island homeowners. Ben's skills include working with heavy and light machinery, trail maintenance, roadside tree and brush removal, dock maintenance and welding. Tara Hubbard, Ben’s partner, will be joining him at the Caretaker's Residence at Eagle Lake. Tara has her own business but will provide support for Ben in his new role. Ben is a great communicator and has received outstanding feedback from customers at Orcas Island Sailing; you can see the positive feedback at both Trip Advisor and Yelp. While Ben’s passion for his business at OIS is still strong, he is passing the reins to a new owner. The pride Ben took in building his business will no doubt be transferred to his new role as Caretaker for Eagle Lake.

Ben will officially start on Monday, October 19th. Local Eagle Lakers will see Ben as he is anxious to greet and meet each of you. Tim Wells will be bringing Ben around to meet residents who are on island. For those of you who are within a quick ferry ride away, we will have a casual meet and greet on October 31st at Tim and Nancy Wells home from 4:00-7:00 PM . More details on that to follow.

Tim Wells will be working closely with Ben during his first year. A new communications plan has been established to insure Ben and Tim are able to prioritize and record work that needs to be done. An email account has been created specifically for Caretaker requests and notification should any resident have questions or see opportunities for maintenance or upkeep around our community. You can contact Ben at: eaglelakecaretaker@gmail.com.

Ben and Tim Wells will receive these emails and they will work together to insure that requests are handled ASAP. Ben’s phone number will be listed on our roster and be posted as soon as it’s available.

We had very strong interest in the caretaker position, not only from the San Juan Islands but from around the country. From over 35 interested applicants, we selected several qualified candidates who met our criteria and standards to interview. Candidates were initially interviewed by Tim Wells, Larry Trumbull and Michele Streich. Top candidates were reviewed by Kate and Rich Lee and Corey Wiscomb. A group of finalists was submitted for consideration to the Board and interviewed. At the end of the interviewing process, Ben Booth was clearly the most outstanding candidate for the job and the Board was pleased to offer him the position.

We are very excited to have Ben as part of our community and look forward to working with him. Please join us in welcoming Ben Booth and Tara Hubbard to Eagle Lake!