Record South Whidbey
SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 30 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
OF BUSES AND BEGINNINGS
INSIDE: Little horse, big ordeal, Community, A8
Langley Marina money assured by bond sale By JIM LARSEN Record editor
Justin Burnett / The Record
Martha Rose, director of Island Transit, speaks to the crowd during a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency’s new headquarters just south of Coupeville. The event was attended by members of the public and a host of dignitaries.
Island Transit breaks ground for $22.4 million project By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
More than a decade of effort came to fruition Tuesday when Island Transit held a groundbreaking ceremony signifying the start of construction on its new headquarters on Highway 20 just south of Coupeville. The event was attended by a healthy crowd of supporters, employees and a host of dignitaries, ranging from 2nd District Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen and elected officials from the multiple Whidbey Island municipalities that make up the transit agency’s board of directors to a ranking administrator with the Federal Transit Administration. “As a local elected official, I never thought this day would come,” said Coupeville Town Councilman Bob Clay, who is also the chairman of the transit board. “I am proud to be part of this,” he said. The transportation service has been seeking funding to replace its existing base of operations with a new administrative building and maintenance shop, totaling 43,000 square feet, since the late 1990s. The funding finally became available late last year when the transit agency was awarded a $17.92 million grant through the “State of Good Repair Programs,” which is administered by the Federal Transit Administration.
The federal grant requires a funding match of 20 percent. It’s estimated the total cost of the project will tab out to about $22.4 million Congressman Larsen has been credited with being instrumental in the effort. At the podium, he said this was an expensive project, but necessary, as transit systems are vital to the overall health of a community. “You can’t have a big league economy with a little league infrastructure,” Larsen said. “This really is a great story and I’m really glad to be a part of it,” he said. Gina Bull, designated speaker for state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, was one of many who took to the microphone to credit Island Transit Director Martha Rose for her long years of effort and dedication to the project. “This really is your project, Martha,” Bull said. Echoing those sentiments was Island Transit operator Odis Jenkins. Also a deacon with Living Faith Christian Church in Oak Harbor, Jenkins led the crowd in a prayer blessing the project but before doing so acknowledged Rose’s long efforts and what she means to company employees. “The words are not enough,” Jenkins said. See transit, A20
Approval of an $850,000 bond sale next week will soon put all the money in the bank the Port of South Whidbey needs to proceed with the first phase of its Langley Marina expansion project. A commissioners meeting is set for Wednesday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at the board meeting room, 5475 Maxwelton Road, to take action to go forward with the sale. Details of the sale are being handled by Martin Nelson & Company Underwriters of Seattle. “Interest rates are wonderful,” said Ron Rhinehart, the port’s finance manager, commenting Wednesday on the bond market. He expects the interest rate the port pays will be 3.5 to 4 percent on the general obligation bonds. The bonds will be for 30 years with interest paid semi-annually. Cost of the sale to the underwriter
and other professionals involved is expected to be $30,000 to $40,000, Rhinehart said. This first expansion of Langley’s existing 35-boat transient moorage facility is estimated to cost around $2.5 million. Besides the bond sale proceeds, the port has a $1.2 million economic development grant from Island County and $300,000 from the state Recreation and Conservation Office, which all adds up to $2.4 million. The port has other grants in the works, its reserves and property tax income to cover other costs. Just because the money is accounted for doesn’t mean the project will start tomorrow. Curt Gordon, president of the board, said the port won’t ask for construction bids until a couple of important permits are received, one from the Department of Ecology and one from the See bond sale, A20
Possible bus barn parking for boaters Boaters using Langley Marina could launch their boats and then drive up to old Langley Middle School bus barn parking lot and leave their rigs temporarily if a memorandum of understanding is adopted by the parties involved. The memorandum was unveiled Tuesday at the Port of South Whidbey commissioners’ meeting, a product of conversations between city, port and South Whidbey School District representatives. The school district would retain control of the parking lot, which hasn’t been used much since the district’s central bus facility was moved to Maxwelton Road years ago. Traditional uses, such as parking for the Island County Fair, would still be allowed. The port approved the memorandum Tuesday. Dan Poolman, the school district’s business manager, said Wednesday that he helped draft the memorandum and pointed out the district would retain control of how the parking lot is used. “I think it’s a good use of public facilities,” he said, adding it will likely go before the school board this month or next. Curt Gordon, president of the port commission, said boaters could use the middle school parking lot during “weekends or whatever.” In return, the port would help maintain and improve the parking lot. If all parties agree, boaters could eventually park their rigs and walk down Cascade Avenue to a funicular the city hopes to build, and ride from there down to the marina.