Record South Whidbey
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Summertime brings summer camps See...A10
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 | Vol. 92, No. 51 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
SW fire district hires three
Port eyes additional marina parking By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record In their ongoing effort to expand the marina in Langley, Port of South Whidbey commissioners took another small step toward realizing that vision recently when they agreed to consider spending $170,000 on a small parking lot on Wharf Street. At its regular meeting this month, the board voted unanimously after an executive session to approve a purchase and sales agreement with Wharf Street Holding Company, LLC. The deal is not yet finalized and is contingent on the results of additional investigation, but both parties hope to close by Aug. 15. The tiny triangular property is located at the bottom of the hill directly across from the Boatyard Inn. It’s paved and currently used for parking. Commissioner Ed Halloran, who is also president of the board, said in an interview this week that parking is a continual headache for the land-cramped area of the marina, and will become even more troublesome with future phases of expansion. When the chance came up to address at least part of the problem, it was simply just too good to pass up, he said. “It’s an opportunity we felt like we couldn’t do without,” Halloran said. It’s unclear, however, just how much of a deal the property really is. The agreed-upon purchase price of $170,000 is more than three times the Island County Assessor’s Office’s assessed 2015 value of $51,000. While it’s not uncommon for market value to differ some from an actual sale price, the SEE PORT, A20
By KYLE JENSEN South Whidbey Record
Evan Thomspon / The Record
The first of three steel pieces of an archway is placed into its previously constructed bolts. The archway, titled “Inferred,” is located behind Callahan’s Firehouse, Useless Bay Coffee Company and Langley Village and connects Third to Second Street.
Rainbow arch brings color, connection to Langley By EVAN THOMPSON South Whidbey Record Artist Milo White had a bet riding that his and Lin McJunkin’s archway would fit perfectly into its previously constructed bolts. He was right. The $5,000 artistic archway titled “Inferred” was installed Wednesday afternoon without a hitch. Using the help of a
crane provided by Vic Hanson of Hanson’s Building Supply Inc. in Langley, three separate steel pieces were placed carefully by White, McJunkin and a friend. White said the piece is titled “Inferred” because the two outer portions of the archway, which reach upward as if they were two-thirds of a semicircle, appear to run underneath the ground and come SEE ART, A11
Legendary South Whidbey coach dies at 92 By EVAN THOMPSON South Whidbey Record
South Whidbey lost a respected high school football leader this week with the passing of “Coach” Jim Leierer. Leierer, an influential man known for his wisdom, faith in God and corny jokes, died Wednesday at an adult care center in Seattle. He was 92. Leierer was a head football coach for Langley and South Whidbey High Schools from 1953-1982 who reached near iconic status in the school athletic community. The Falcons won
numerous league titles during his 29-year tenure, including a second place finish in 1979 at the KingDome. He also coached soccer and basketball and taught science and physical education. He made a lasting impact on his family, friends and players he coached. “He’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of people and touched everyone in one way or another,” said Avery Buechner, a former Falcon football player and 2012 graduate of SEE LEIERER, A14
Leierer
Making good on its promise to bolster back up volunteers with paid day staff, South Whidbey Fire/EMS has hired three new firefighters. The new additions will start July 11 Two of the hires, Bill Piepenbrink and Alex McMahon, were selected from the district’s existing volunteer ranks. The district also hired Travis Zimmerman, who lives in West Seattle and has been working as a full-time paramedic in Hanford. He will serve at South Whidbey in a lieutenant position. All three are part-time and are expected to work about 30 hours a week. South Whidbey Fire/EMS Chief Rusty Palmer said the district is still looking to fill five more part-time positions but is lacking applications. One more lieutenant position is available, while four more firefighter positions are open. Lieutenants are in charge of fire engine crews. Palmer said approximately $290,000 will be spent on the eight new paid employees annually. That number includes salaries, medical and retirement benefits and unemployment premiums. Palmer said the district is in good financial shape with the new hires, with 48 percent of their budget dedicated to salaries. He said fire departments typically allocate 50-60 percent of their budget to salaries. Deputy Chief Jason Laughren said the district brought on the new hires since most of the current volSEE FIRE, A11