NEWS-TIMES WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011 | Vol. 112, No. 102 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Sports: Wildcats win in overtime. A9
Oak Harbor’s Planned Parenthood to close By REBECCA OLSON Staff reporter
After 26 years of service, Whidbey Island’s only Planned Parenthood clinic will close Dec. 31. The clinic is located at 3159 N. Goldie Road in Oak Harbor. Clinics in Forks and Silverdale will also close as the organization copes with state and federal funding losses. “It’s been a really hard economy and we have lost funding and it used to be our larger facilities could help to subsidize our smaller loca-
tions, of which Oak Harbor is one of those,” said Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest spokesperson Kristen Glundberg. The Oak Harbor closure will impact 1,071 patients who will be referred to Planned Parenthood health centers in Mount Vernon, Marysville, Everett and Lynnwood. “We’re working with those patients to transition their care,” Glundberg said. “We had to take a really long, hard look throughout our systems,” Glundberg said, adding that they looked
at where a closure would have the least impact based on the number of patients and if there are other Planned Parenthood or women’s reproductive health clinics located nearby. “We hung in there for a long time and financially, we just can’t sustain it,” Glundberg said. “It was a really difficult decision and like a lot of other businesses, we had to streamline. We feel bad that we had to close.”
Rebecca Olson / Whidbey News-Times
Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, located at 3159 N. Goldie Road, will close Dec. 31.
SEE CLINIC, A11
Major construction finally ends on Pioneer Way project By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Oak Harbor’s downtown road project hit what many felt like was the home stretch this week when crews began work on the last sections of uncompleted sidewalk. The weather cooperated Monday and Bellinghambased S&S Concrete was able to knock out all but about two small areas. They were expected to finish up Tuesday, marking the end of major construction. For merchants, it comes as a huge sigh of relief. SE Pioneer Way has for nearly nine months been the scene of dusty roads and rumbling heavy equipment. More still needs to be done, but this feels like the end, said Downtown Merchant’s Association President Ron Apgar. He’s also pleased with the new look of the historic shopping district. “I love it, and the merchants love it,” Apgar said. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for customers to realize that construction is
pretty much done and that downtown is once again easily accessible. “I think it’s going to take some time,” he said. The project began this past March when officials broke ground near Dock Street. Work proceeded rapidly for several months and it looked like it would be largely finished by September as planned. However, work came to a screeching halt in June when Native American remains were found in front of Mike’s Mini Mart and Oak Harbor Tavern. The project has since been bogged down with state permitting and archaeological work. According to Larry Cort, project manager for the city, finishing touches, such as the installation of benches, garbage cans, signs, potted plants and some site cleaning still needs to be done. That work should begin after the first of the year and take about one week, he said. SEE PIONEER, A11
Coupeville hires new town marshal as Penrod leaves By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Matt Graham of Bellingham-based S&S Concrete works on one of the last unfinished sections of sidewalk on SE Pioneer Way Monday.
Beginning next year, there will be a new marshal in town and his name is Lance Davenport. Coupeville has been on the hunt for a new top cop since Marshal David Penrod announced his intent to retire at the end of the year. Town officials announced Davenport’s hiring Tuesday morning. The 44-year-old Duvall resident said he’s excited about the job because this will be his first turn at the helm of a department. He’s also looking forward to working in a small community because it allows officers to have a direct and positive influence on the people they serve. “It’s just a different type of policing,” he said, adding that it’s that kind of police work he likes the most. Davenport is a veteran officer with nearly 20 years SEE MARSHAL, A11
Justin Burnett/Whidbey News-Times
Coupeville Town Marshal Dave Penrod will retire as head of the Coupeville Town Marshal’s Office at the end of the year. Replacing him will be 44-year-old Lance Davenport of Duvall.