News-Times Whidbey
LIVING: Creepy treats with character. A13
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 86 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
Options growing for Parker Road intersection changes By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Concerns about safety at the intersections of Highway 20 with Parker Road and old Smith Prairie Road just south of Coupeville have county transportation officials looking at options. Island Transit wants to change the intersections to make for a better secondary access to its new headquarters that is being built. That second access point is a requirement for Island Transit’s occupancy permit, said Martha Rose, executive director.
However, its original plans to close the two intersections and install a second one between the two could be changing after hearing concerns from local residents. Neighbors living near the two intersections located by the Outlying Field argued that the changes could make the highway more dangerous for traffic. “We’re still working on our evaluation of options,” said Todd Harrison, regional administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation. He said options being considered range from installing a roundabout, installing left turn lanes or realigning the
intersections. He said staff members are looking at the cost of the options under consideration. Once those options are finalized, a public meeting will be scheduled sometime after Thanksgiving. The state Department of Transportation hadn’t originally planned for any project concerning the intersections of Highway 20 with Parker and Old Smith Prairie roads. Harrison said the highest priority safety project in the area is to install a left-turn lane from southbound Highway 20 into the See ROAD, A3
Nathan Whalen / Whidbey News-Times
Changes at Highway 20 and Parker Road are anticipated in the near future.
Oak Harbor pool may close for repairs in Nov. By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Oak Harbor’s pool could be closed for several days next month for heater repairs. The staff at the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool recently discovered two cracks in the heat exchangers of the heating units that warm the building. When the damage was discovered, the heat was shut off for several
days last week while the staff researched a possible solution. Bill Walker, executive director for North Whidbey Park and Recreation District, said the lack of heat causedsome chilly days. The only source of heat for the building was the 82-degree water that fills the pool. Those cracks left See POOL A3
Mayor looks to drop sewer treatment plant engineers Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Island County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Garden and Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue Firefighter Jerry Helm pretend to wrestle for control of a basketball. Island police and firefighters will square off in a game of hoops next Saturday to raise money for Coupeville Pastor Garrett Arnold.
Responders to face off Saturday Event to raise funds for injured pastor who fell By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
When Whidbey cops face off against island firefighters in a fundraising basketball match next Saturday, it will all be in good fun. Sort of.
Jerry Helm, a Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue firefighter and one of the event organizers, said the rivalry between the two groups of heroes is largely imaginary, especially on Whidbey. Spectators probably won’t see a lot of hugs or pats on the bum between opposing team members, but there won’t be any brawling either. “It’s really all in good fun,” Helm said. “I think it’s going to be good.” As for the cops, well, they might be looking at things a little differently. They plan to show up with their game faces on and ready to do battle.
“We’re bringing the big guns to the game,” laughed Island County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Garden. “I think it’s going to be an all-out war, but I think the cops will come out on top,” he said. The event, dubbed Guns Vs. Hoses, is being thrown as a benefit for Coupeville Living Hope Foursquare Church Pastor Garrett Arnold and his family. Arnold was severely injured in a tragic accident this past August. He fell from an embankment and was paralyzed from the chest down. See GAME, A11
By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
The Oak Harbor mayor is looking to drop the engineering company hired to help build a sewage treatment plant, citing concerns about the quality and cost of their work. In a recent interview, Mayor Scott Dudley noted that city staff members had preliminarily scheduled at a City Council meeting in December the approval of a new contract with the firm, Carollo Engineering, for design work on the treatment plant. But instead of just handing the multi-million dollar contract to the company, Dudley said he plans to ask council members to advertise for new firms.
“We’re going to make sure it’s not just assumed that they will get the job,” he said. Dudley explained that’s he’s looking for every possible way to lower the estimated $93.5 million cost of the sewer treatment plant and changing the engineering company may help. Dudley said he’s very frustrated with the process by which firms are chosen to do design and other preliminary work on construction projects. Under law, the city can only consider See DROP, A3