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Sewer CONTINUED FROM A1 side of Crescent Harbor Road at Torpedo Road. The city’s consulting firm, Carollo Engineers, estimated that Windjammer and Crescent Harbor would both cost $93.5 million, if a membrane bioreactor system is installed. The cheapest option would be to build an activated sludge system at Crescent Harbor, which would bring the cost down to $89 million. But the system doesn’t clean the water as well and may have to be updated in the future to comply with more stringent state water quality regulations. The estimated cost of the Windjammer option increased as the details were sorted out,
fair CONTINUED FROM A1 Mae Gabelein mainstage. Dressed in a loose-fitting multi-color jumpsuit and white face paint, Deano rode a unicycle with a seat raised 5 feet in the air, sleepwalked through the crowd and performed magic tricks, all to the trill shrieks of two dozen youngsters.
largely based on public input gathered in intensive design workshops. The increase takes into account the purchase of the commercial land, the cost of burying structures in the facility and the expense of demolishing the antiquated and smelly plant that’s currently in the park. The operating costs of the Crescent Harbor site with a membrane bioreactor, however, would be $170,000 a year over the Windjammer site since the dirty water would have to be pumped farther. Still, some members of the public want to keep a sewage treatment away from Windjammer Park, which has long been described as the city’s jewel. During public testimony Tuesday, longtime resident Ron Hancock argued that the city had a responsibility to maintain the park for
future generations. “We need to think seriously about whether we’re passing them on a pot of gold, like we inherited, or rather it’s a gilded chamber pot,” he said. Yet some elected officials and members of the public changed their minds about the best site during the drawnout process. Many who were originally opposed to the Windjammer site came to embrace the idea, especially after the proposal was modified based on public input. “It really demonstrates the power of the public process,” Johnston said in an interview Thursday. Mayor Dudley was among those most adamantly opposed to the Windjammer site when he was on the council and during last year’s campaign for mayor. He didn’t want the park sullied by the sight and smell
of a treatment plant. Councilman Rick Almberg and Councilwoman Beth Munns had previously spoken favorably of the Windjammer site, pointing out that modern plants can be aesthetically pleasing and without odor. The roles were reversed Tuesday. Almberg made a motion, seconded by Munns, to choose the Crescent Harbor North site with the membrane bioreactor system. Almberg pointed out that there’s the greatest risk of finding cultural resources near the waterfront.
Munns said she wanted to protect the park. The motion ended with a 3-3 tie. Almberg, Munns and Councilwoman Tara Hizon voted in favor, while councilmen Jim Campbell, Bob Severns and Joel Servatius were opposed. Councilman Danny Paggao was not present. Dudley broke the tie and voted against it, explaining that operating costs were more expensive at Crescent Harbor. He said in an interview earlier that he was in favor of siting
the plant on Pioneer Way if it could be placed on commercial land and kept out of the park. Campbell then made a motion to choose the Windjammer site. Almberg offered an amendment, mandating that the project would cause no net loss of land in Windjammer Park. But again, the motion tied with the same votes as before. Dudley broke the tie by voting against it. He vowed that there will be no net loss of park land, but he said it was premature in the process to create a mandate regarding design. In the end, all six council members voted in favor of the Windjammer site with the MBR system. The target date for building the wastewater treatment plant is 2017.
Performing feats and tricks was a hit across the fairgrounds, where Matt Hoar displayed the annual Chicken Olympics. Chickens that stood from 5 to 10 inches tall spun on a wheel, balanced on a teeter-totter, perched on a rod while Hoar juggled bowling pins — all with more than 50 people watching and laughing. Hoar’s tricks were admittedly more impressive than his jokes: “What do you call a row of rabbits walking backward?
A receding hare line.” Also in the Poultry Barn, 12-year-old Amber Weireich showed her two Nankin chickens. Swak and Ken, the 4-month-old orange and red fowls, stood only about 4 inches high and were often plucked out of their cage for onlookers to hold. Once out of the cage, it was easier for Amber, a Coupeville resident, to display her two first-place blue ribbons. “I like it when I win the ribbons,” Amber said, with Swak interrupting with a noisy rooster’s crow. “He crows with a sore throat sometimes.” Thanks to a reduction in the choice of rides, thrill-seekers will have less incentive to go
hoarse. The fair was without a Ferris wheel and the Yo-Yo circling swing, while multi-ride wristbands remained $30 and were valid from noon to 5 p.m. or from 5 p.m. to close. For frequent fairgoers, the opening day was an allday event. The Stonebridge family arrived around 1 p.m. and planned to hang around until the evening to take in all the rides. After Hope, 7, and Andrew, 9, rode the circling planes, the whole family including older brother Skyler, 11, mom and grandma, made for the bumper cars. At the horticulture exhibits, two teams of three women judges examined flowers on Wednesday. The six National Garden Clubs accredited flo-
ral judges came from across the Puget Sound area. Their criteria was set by the National Garden Club, and each team carried a copy of the Flower Show Handbook, which details how each specimen should look. As the women reviewed the individual entries, they looked for full blooms, healthy leaves, appropriate display. Nothing was more important than adhering to the rules — specifically about how many stems or blooms should be exhibited. While looking at one of the entries, flower judge Helen Allan of Duvall noted that even if the exhibitor had followed the rules, the quality of the petals, leaves and stem were still poor.
“She’s not going to get blue (the color of a first-place ribbon) out of this no matter what we do,” Allan said. Added Bea Randall, another judge: “If (the handbook) says to have three stems, it better have three stems.” The fair continues Saturday with the parade at 10 a.m. from downtown Langley into the fairgrounds. The 4-H Auction is at noon. Musical entertainment fixtures The Timebenders play at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday are the 4-H Parade of Champions at 10 a.m., Chicken Olympics at 12:30 p.m., Bunyon Busters Log show at 1 p.m. and, at 5:30 p.m., “The Magic of Sterling” at the mainstage.
“We need to think seriously about whether we’re passing them on a pot of gold, like we inherited, or rather it’s a gilded chamber pot.” Ron Hancock, resident
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