Whidbey News-Times, April 11, 2012

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News-Times Whidbey

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 29 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢

‘Dr. Z’ quits hospital board By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter

Dr. Paul Zaveruha resigned his elected position Monday as a commissioner for the hospital district that operates Whidbey General Hospital in order to devote his time to surgery. “The most satisfying work for me has always been providing care to

patients,” he said. “I’m getting back to my roots.” Zaveruha, commonly known as “Dr. Z,” is himself an institution at the hospital and has probably operated on a sizable percentage of Whidbey Island residents over the last 30 years. A long line of his biggest fans — both patients and fellow physicians — detailed his qualities and

INSIDE: Let’s get those eggs. A7

Jessie Stensland / Whidbey News-Times

Dr. Paul Zaveruha resigns from the Whidbey General Hospital board of commissioners Monday in order to devote time to his surgery practice. The board has 90 days to appoint a replacement.

his importance to the hospital during the commissioners’ meeting Monday night. He’s served as a general surgeon, emergency department director, trauma director, EMS director and chief of staff. Dr. Byron Skubi described how Zaveruha runs around with four pagers that are constantly going off, See Dr. Z, A4

School board chooses lesser levy option By REBECCA OLSON Staff reporter

Runners for the 2012 Whidbey Island Marathon will enjoy a picturesque trip across the Deception Pass Bridge when the annual race starts Sunday morning. Approximately 1,800 marathoners are expected to participate in the annual event.

Marathon regains iconic bridge use By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter

See bridge, A7

See Levy, A7

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This year, participants in the Whidbey Island Marathon on Sunday, April 15 will again enjoy the thrill of running across the scenic and historic Deception Pass Bridge at the start of the popular event. Marathon participants had the opportunity to run across the bridge years ago, but this will be the first time the bridge will be included in the route since the city of Oak Harbor purchased the marathon several years ago. However, some early-morning motorists

may not be so happy: It means the bridge will be briefly closed on the morning of April 15. Tamra Sipes, the city’s marathon organizer, said that getting a permit from the state to run the marathon across the bridge involved a lot of work and many meetings. But it just didn’t seem right to have a marathon start at Deception Pass without letting participants run across the famous bridge. Dave Chessom, spokesman for the Department of

The Oak Harbor School Board and community members selected a preferred levy option for the 2014 local levy at Monday night’s school board meeting. Superintendent Rick Schulte said plans are for the school board to finalize a levy decision at the April 30 or May 14 board meeting, after further community discussion at levy meetings at 6 p.m. Mondays, April 16 and 23, held in the school district office. While the lowest of three options, the preferred levy would charge property owners more than double what they’re paying now with a rate of $1.93 or $2.15 per thousand of assessed value, depending on the addition of allday, everyday kindergarten, a hot topic at this meeting and past school board meetings after the district switched to all-day, every other day kindergarten. The current levy rate is 92 cents, which cost homeowners with $200,000 valuation approximately $184 in 2011. The board discussed three possible levy options. The selected option is the minimum amount needed to sustain the school dis-

trict, Schulte said, emphasizing the need for flexibility to cope with upcoming state and federal changes to school funding. This levy version would collect $8.1 million, including state levy match funding. That restores some of the cuts made over the past years but not all of them. It protects and preserves what the district has cut without adding new programs, Schulte said. “We’re responsible managers of our resources. We understand the times we’re living in,” Schulte said of the choice not to restore all the cuts already made. This levy option would restore 20 teachers or other certified positions that were cut, the 30 minutes cut from middle school days, the seven half-days inserted to cope with teacher pay cuts, the activities and after-school tutoring bus, some tech, maintenance, grounds, custodial and clerical staff, as well as give additional funding for


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