Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
The lost rediscovered See...A10
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 79 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Temporary ramp fixes installed on new ferry
Funding fallout sinks Snohomish PUD’s
Tidal turbine project
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
What was scheduled to be a normal, quiet Langley Planning Advisory Board meeting became a packed, comment-filled and at times unruly spat over a proposed elevator and bridge on Cascade Avenue. Two dozen people filled the council chamber at City Hall to attend the citizen board’s meeting and hear
A handful of little changes to Washington’s newest ferry are costing big bucks for a design flaw. Anyone who has been on the 144-car Tokitae between Clinton and Mukilteo lately may have noticed a slight change to its upper deck ramps. The Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division started work on temporary modifications to the ramps last week, addSEE FERRY, A12
Late audit may result in Transit finding By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Island Transit was late with paperwork related to an audit, which is likely to have findings showing the misappropriation of federal funds, according to Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley. An audit exit conference has been tentatively scheduled at Island Transit for Friday, Oct. 24, but it’s unclear whether the board of directors will open it to the public. Andy Asbjor nsen, an audit manager with SEE TRANSIT, A12
Langley Lift plan must fall, critics say
Photo Courtesy Of Snohomish County Public Utility District
Snohomish County PUD was planning to use an OpenHydro turbine, similar to this model that was tested in Nova Scotia, for a tidal energy project in Admiralty Inlet near Keystone Harbor on Central Whidbey. The project has been halted for funding issues.
By KARI BRAY The Daily Herald Confusion about a funding agreement contributed to the sudden end of an eight-year, multimillion-dollar tidal energy project near Whidbey Island. The Snohomish County Public Utility District announced Tuesday that it will no longer pursue a research project that would have placed two undersea turbines in Admiralty Inlet. PUD officials said the could not move forward because the U.S. Department of Energy decided not to fund a full 50 percent of the project. Steve Erickson of Whidbey Environmental Action
The robbery was preceded by what police believe was a phony 9-1-1 call. A man’s voice reported the possible shooting of a woman in the Freeland area. As police responded, the bank was hit. Detective Ed Wallace, spokesman for the Island County Sheriff’s Office, said tracing the call was largely a dead SEE BANK CASE, A20
SEE LIFT, A13
Network, however, said he believes a conflict with the company that owns a fiber-optic submarine cable system was what really doomed the project. Pacific Crossings was laying the groundwork for a lawsuit, he said. “They were not at all pleased with having the turbines 100 meters away from the cable, which is considered essential national infrastructure,” he said. “And rightly so.” Both WEAN and Pacific Crossing filed as intervenors with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after the PUD submitted a license application for the project.
It’s been nearly a month since the armed robbery of Wells Fargo Bank in Clinton, and while police have yet to make an arrest detectives say they are making progress. The Island County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they have established three “people of interest.” The case is still an ongoing investigation, howev-
er, and department officials declined to release their identities. “We’re still working on leads that may indicate a suspect, but I’m not willing to name anyone now,” Sheriff Mark Brown said. Wells Fargo was robbed at gunpoint Sept. 8. The suspect, wearing a mask, sunglasses and a camouflage jacket, stole an unreleased sum of cash and made his getaway in a bank employee’s car.
Brian Lowey Clinton resident
about the $500,000 project. Most voiced their displeasure with the cost, lack of need and look of the bridge and elevator, dubbed the Langley Lift. “It’s a self-inflicted aesthetic wound,” said Brian Lowey, a Clinton resident. Of the more than 25 people at the Wednesday afternoon meeting, only two spoke in favor of the project. Pam Schell, widow of Paul Schell who initially proposed the project and offered the city a place to land the elevator and an easement on Wharf Street, defended the plan. She noted that it would make the marina more accessible to mobility-impaired pedestrians and allow better access for boaters to the city. Both of those points were quickly countered. One man said his friend, a paraplegic, was able to get
SEE TURBINES, A20
Clinton bank robber still at large, police say By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
“It’s a selfinflicted aesthetic wound.”