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Impact Aid payment speeds up for Oak Harbor schools
Port Townsend terminal project begins next week
By NATHAN WHALEN
Work crews to replace 30-year-old span over the course of four months
Staff reporter
By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Motorists will soon notice a tighter fit when they depart the ferry at Port Townsend. Passengers and drivers will be departing and boarding the terminal using the narrower, one-traffic lane wide second slip at the Port Townsend terminal. The main, two-lane slip will be closed for about four months while the ramp that leads from the ferry to the trestle is replaced. “The span is at the end of its life,” said John Callahan, project engineer for Washington State Ferries. Work to replace the ramp, which was originally built in 1982, is scheduled to take place the week of Nov. 12. An actual start date for the construction project hasn’t yet been determined. The span, which was built in 1982, is operated by cables and counter weights and the new hydraulic span will be a safer system and require less people to operate it, Callahan said. He said staff decided to wait until the reduction to one-boat service before starting the $5.6 million construction project because it wouldn’t affect the busy summer season. Washington State Ferries officials are advising drivers and pedestrians to use caution and watch for construction equipment while on the ferry dock. Vehicles will be off-loaded from the ferry from the one-lane slip located farthest from the ferry termi-
Saturday, November 3, 2012 • Whidbey News-Times
File photo
People walk off the Kennewick using the single-lane ferry dock during a 2011 event marking the vessel’s completion. The singlelane dock will be used for four months during a construction project to replace the larger two-lane transfer span. nal. Normal conditions will resume at the traffic light, according to Washington State Ferries. Callahan said no sailings will be canceled because of the construction project. Larger commercial trucks might have a tight fight navigating the slip, but the ferry system has talked with nearby companies. Construction was originally scheduled to begin Monday, but after what was described as miscommunication with the general contractor, that project has been delayed at least one week, said Laura Johnson, spokeswoman for Washington State Ferries.
DAILY SHUTTLES TO
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Oak Harbor School District is set to receive a higher percentage of planned federal Impact Aid dollars. The United States Department of Education will provide a higher percentage of Impact Aid payments due to the school district. The school district will receive at least 70 percent of the amount due rather than the 45 percent previously announced. “It’s good news because we were told were going to get half that amount,” superintendent Rick Schulte said after Monday’s Oak Harbor School Board meeting. Impact Aid is a federal pot of money for school districts that have significant populations of students from military families or from Indian reservations. Those students often live on federal lands, which don’t pay local property taxes and place a financial burden on local school districts.
The Oak Harbor School District budgeted to receive $4,091,000 in Impact Aid funds for the 2012-2013 school year and it has already received $2,326,000. The school district is getting less money budgeted because the government hasn’t passed an appropriations bill and the amount of Impact Aid money available was dictated by a continuing resolution, Schulte said. Schulte mentioned that U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray were helpful in getting the percentage of Impact Aid payments increased. “Impact Aid is a lifeline to school district that keeps teachers in our classrooms,” Larsen said in a press release. “Too often schools are left hanging, not knowing when or if they will get the funding they need to keep operating. This announcement goes a long way in providing schools the certainty they need to operate this year.”
Time change no bother to ferries Daylight saving time ends early Sunday morning, Nov. 4, but the lost hour won’t affect Washington State Ferries on Saturday. The full sailing day of Saturday, Nov. 3, starts and ends on Pacific Northwest Day-
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thank you federal employees
*NCQA 2011 Quality Compass Survey of Federal Employees
light Saving Time,” states a news release. There was never a threat of confusion on the Whidbey Island runs when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. The last sailing Saturday night (technically Sunday morning) is from Mukilteo at 1:05 a.m., nearly an hour before the time change kicks in. Meanwhile, islanders are reminded to set their clocks back one hour before retiring Saturday night.
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The Oak Harbor School District had set aside approximately $1 million should Impact Aid funding drop. There are still several questions left to be answered. Schulte noted that he’s waiting to see if sequestration takes place at the beginning of the year, which is federal cuts and tax increases that could mean an 8.2 percent cut in Impact Aid for the school district. He noted that the money the school district receives from Impact Aid has declined in recent years. The Oak Harbor School District is budgeting for more than $4 million during the current school year, but Schulte said the school district received $5.5 million five years ago. The neighboring Coupeville School District also receives Impact Aid dollars, but a lesser amount. In 2012, the Central Whidbey-based school district is scheduled to receive $41,300.
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