RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 11 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
INSIDE: Qualified! Sports, A6
Pub draws a crowd - of complaints Neighbor alleges code violations BY BRIAN KELLY South Whidbey Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Barbara Muzzy feeds the hopefully soon-to-be adopted Lacy and the recently taken Frosty. Hard times led Muzzy to the difficult decision to give away her beloved horses.
Langley family looking to adopt away horse BY BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
LANGLEY — The Muzzy family has a big problem. Barbara Muzzy adopted an American Paint Horse that she can no longer keep. Now, she needs to find owners who can adopt and properly train Lacy, and whoever wants her needs to be qualified. “An interested person would have to meet certain requirements ... to make sure we have an approved and qualified home,” said Island County Animal Control Officer Carol Barnes. Any interested horse owners need to have experience in training, allow a home visit by Barnes and offer their veterinarian’s information. Lacy has a dominantly light brown coat with a broad swath of white on her forehead and muzzle. The 13-yearold mare would be better suited for easy trail riding, Muzzy said. “Lacy has a tendency to rear if she gets scared. When she’s calm, there’s absolutely nothing wrong.” Island County Animal Control gets involved in a handful of large animal adoptions every year. While domestic pets can be sent to shelters, a 1,500pound horse requires more space, more food and more safety than a 12-pound cat.
Lacy, a 13-year-old American Paint mare, eagerly looks for feed. “As a humane officer, we get involved in adopting large animals when the call requires it,” Barnes said. The mare needs more handling and time than Muzzy can afford, and that’s why she is looking for someone to adopt Lacy. Lacy is better suited for trail riding. She is easily startled, and when that happens she rears and throws her rider. Muzzy said Lacy was a “cowboy’s horse” before coming to Whidbey Island, and that made her a bit skittish.
“Lacy’s more of a lady’s horse, a great trail ride,” Muzzy said. Muzzy also called Lacy a dominant horse. While Muzzy’s other problem mare, Frosty, was aggressive toward her, Frosty was subdued when Lacy was around. “These are not first-time people, probably not children’s horses,” Muzzy said. Horse ownership is an expensive hobby. Muzzy estimated the monthly expense at $400 per horse, and most of that cost is for food. That doesn’t include the land for a horse to run and roam, or fencing to keep the animal safe, or for training. Muzzy was originally looking to adopt out two horses, Lacy and her fellow American Paint, Frosty. Fortunately, Frosty was adopted Friday to a South End horse owner. The 11-year-old mare has plenty of personality; a stark white coat with brown markings, and she used her big eyes — she has Heterochromia iridium, her right eye is blue, her left is brown — to look at Muzzy often as she held a can of oats. Frosty can be cold toward women, however, and has a bit of an attitude problem. “She has horrible ground manners. She’s apt to bite or kick,” Muzzy said. SEE ADOPT, A20
LANGLEY — The city’s hottest nightspot is proving to be a bit too popular for neighbors of the bustling business. Tension between Mo’s Pub & Eatery and several residents who live near the restaurant has grown since Mo’s opened last April. Though the owners of the business have tried to solve some of the noise and parking problems that have irritated neighbors since the British-style pub opened its doors, some who live nearby say Mo’s is a bad fit for the Second Street neighborhood. Kay Lagerquist, who owns a home next to the restaurant, told the city council at its meeting Monday that the business is violating city regulations. “Our city code clearly states you can’t have a cocktail lounge or a bar next to a residence,” she said. “We currently have that situation.” Mo’s is located just steps from the downtown, and is owned by Maureen Cooke, who has had a string of businesses — including an upscale restaurant and a take-out burger joint — at the location for more than a decade. The pub is widely acknowledged as one of the city’s premier success stories during the current economic downturn, and has filled a niche left vacant by the closure of the Dog House Tavern and the Edgecliff Restaurant in recent years. Lagerquist acknowledged the popularity of Mo’s, but also told city officials that the business was making the neighborhood into a commercial corridor and was hurting the value of her property.
“There has been some give-andtake.” Larry Kwarsick Langley Mayor
“Maureen has done a fabulous job of creating this establishment that has brought lots of revenue to the town, excitement, interest … However, it has impacted our neighborhood significantly,” she said. “It is not easy to sell your house at the same value it was when you have to sell to people who know that you have a tavern or cocktail lounge next door,” Lagerquist said. She said a neighbor had tried to sell, but the sale had been turned down because it was close to Mo’s. Lagerquist’s complaints came as the city council was set to renew Mo’s liquor license, and followed an eight-page letter she sent to Langley officials Friday. In the letter, Lagerquist complained about noisy customers who were leaving Mo’s at closing time and “loud, drunken behavior.” “During the summer, it feels like Choochokam every weekend,” she wrote. Lagerquist also raised concerns about delivery trucks, patrons parking near the business, and customers who were violating the state law against smoking within 25 feet of public places. City officials said Mo’s was not in violation of the city code, though, and said they had been trying to resolve any problems that have popped up since the pub opened. SEE MO’S, A20