LIVING: Fighting fires through the generations, A12
Record South Whidbey
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 92 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Marina work looms
Couple puts $250K on the table to stop port’s cell tower Answer must be given by Dec. 12
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Dan Boydston drills into the concrete bulkhead to install an ADA ramp to the Langley Marina. His company, Anacortesbased Neptune Marine Construction, Dive and Salvage, was contracted to construct the ramp for disabled people to reach the marina. The project was expected to last about five days and concrete will be poured around the rebar structure Monday, Nov. 19. Much more marina work is included in the Port of South Whidbey’s 2013 budget.
Port adopts 2013 budget
Work begins on Langley Marina expansion project BY JIM LARSEN Record editor The Port of South Whidbey commissioners adopted a 2013 budget Tuesday with considerably less revenue than was received this year. There’s no mystery to the change. Earlier this year the port sold $850,000 in bonds to help fund the Langley Marina expansion project. In future years that money will appear on the expenditure side, rather than revenue. Work started this week on a small portion of the marina project — removing old pilings along the public boat ramp and installing new ones, along with floats. The commissioners adopted the smaller of two budget options. The budget option dropped included
a hoped-for grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to buy two boats, one for the sheriff’s office and one for South Whidbey Fire/EMS. “The FEMA grant looks a little shaky,” Port President Curt Gordon said Thursday. He said it’s still a possibility, but the commissioners weren’t confident enough to include the $1.06 million FEMA grant in next year’s budget. The budget adopted totals $2,110,159 in receipts. Local property taxes were raised by the legal limit of 1 percent, which will bring in $525,000 at a rate less than 10 cents per thousand of assessed value. A couple of other major local money-makers include $138,040 in revenue from Langley Marina for moorage and $37,550 from parking fees from the Humphrey Road lot above the Clinton ferry dock. Outside revenue is highlighted by several grants from various agencies to help fund the Langley Marina project, the largest being $1.2 million from Island County. Another grant for design work at Possession Beach Park totals $74,000.
The final anticipated spending total of $2.64 million is $532,000 more than the port will bring in, but Gordon said that was expected with major work on the Langley Marina scheduled to begin next year. The port will start the year with an estimated $1.12 million in cash. The port’s various parks and properties all come with a cost. Costs at the Humphrey Road lot are pegged at $23,260; Possession Point Park, $42,852; Clinton facilities, including the park and pier, $20,600; and Bush Point facilities, $18,736. The port’s administration costs for 2013 are pegged at $391,809. The largest costs are for salaries: $45,760 to pay the clerk, $66,503 for the operations manager and $63,310 for the finance manager, plus benefits. The port expects to spend $30,000 on comprehensive plan work next year. For travel, $1,000 is set aside for the three commissioners and $14,000 for the staff. The commissioners’ per diem pay for attending meetings will total $10,500.
three commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting. The offer, according to an email circulated by the Monmas, who live on Lupine Lane, Clinton, is for $250,000 to “purchase the Port of South BY JIM LARSEN Whidbey parklands, the Dorothy Cleveland Record editor Trail Park, to preserve A special meeting it forever as a publicof the Port of South use park.” Whidbey commissionThe cell tower has ers has been called to been an emotional issue mull over a surprise for a couple of years, property but despite bid that local oppowould sition the scuttle a commis“Only public cellular sioners pressure will tower have con— the force them to tinued to idea of pursue an finally agree to which is agreement an arrangement despised with AT&T. by some suitable for all The neighMonmas parties.” bors describe Marcia and Clyde Monma — near the comthe top missioners’ of the history Dorothy with the Cleveland Trail at issue as a “stubborn the port’s Possession refusal to do the right Beach Waterfront Park. thing,” and estimated The port is negotiatthere’s only a 50/50 ing with AT&T to lease chance the commisthe land in question sioners will accept their for a cell tower, and offer. has budgeted a $1,200 “Only public presmonthly income in 2013 sure will force them from the lease. to finally agree to an However, the lease arrangement suitable agreement, while long for all parties,” the in the works, is not Monmas wrote. complete. “We haven’t “This could be our got a lease for the cell last, best chance to tower,” Port President block the POSW (Port Curt Gordon acknowlof South Whidbey) and edged Thursday. AT&T,” the Monmas Freeland real estate wrote. agent Charlene Arnold, Gordon said several representing Marcia of the Monmas’ supand Clyde Monma, porters presented a copy of a property purchase See cell tower, A6 proposal to each of the