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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
Coupeville approves tight 2013 budget
VOL. 18, NO. 18
Noisy encounters
By Justin Burnett Staff Reporter
Times are still tough and with uncertainty about state funding next year, town staff are going to have to forego an immediate pay raise in 2013, the Coupeville Town Council decided last week. On Tuesday, Nov. 27, the five-member council unanimously approved the 2013 budget in a 4-0 decision. Councilwoman Dianne Binder was the only person not to vote as she was out of town on a pre-excused absence. As noted by Mayor Nancy Conard, the $5.8 million budget is largely “status quo” as it’s only slightly larger than the $5.7 million plan that was adopted this time last year for 2012. That fact, and because the council had already poured through the budget in an earlier workshop, resulted in little discussion during the meeting. Whether or not town staff should get a raise was one of the few topics discussed. It would have been their first in four years and Councilman Larry Cort, who also See BUDGET, page 14
Thumbs up on ferry reservations By Kathy Reed Staff Reporter
The Washington State Ferries’ vehicle reservation system is working as officials had hoped, decreasing traffic backups and dramatically dropping the rate of reservation “no-shows.” “Our main goal (with the reservation system) was to spread out the demand so we could manage more customers overall,” said Brian Churchwell, Vehicle Reservation System deputy program manager. “And the system caught on right away,” he See FERRIES, page 19
Justin Burnett file photo
A man holds his ears as a Navy jet flies over the end of Outlying Field in Central Whidbey. Noise complaints from residents have reached a peak and an online petition effort has begun.
Petition aims to end OLF flights By Justin Burnett Staff Reporter
An online petition last week aims to shut down the U.S. Navy’s flight practice airstrip in Central Whidbey. Launched Saturday, the petition seeks to end all Navy flight operations at the Coupeville Outlying Field, particularly touch-and-go maneuvers that are often conducted at night and require repeated approaches. To find the petition, visit www.signon. org and enter “Ebeys” in the search box at the bottom of the page. As of noon Tuesday, the petition had nearly 580 signatures. “I’m shooting for 10,000, but I’m happy with 500 in less than 48 hours,” said Ken Pickard, a lifelong Coupeville resident and the petition’s creator. “People are tired of this. They are beyond tired.” Attempts to reach Whidbey Island Naval Air Station officials directly for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful, but base commander Capt. Jay Johnston did release a statement. “This is the first I’ve heard of a petition,” Johnston wrote. “We maintain an
open dialog with local officials in Coupeville and Island County and we will continue to discuss any noise issues in the future with them.” Located off Highway 20 just a few miles outside of Coupeville, the small landing strip has for decades been used by pilots from the base. The most common operations are touch-and-go maneuvers, in which pilots perform specifically to train for aircraft-carrier landings. Complaints about jet noise are an issue every year, particularly when training operations increase before carrier-based squadrons are deployed, but 2012 has seen an increase in grumbling from Central Whidbey residents. People have been showing up consis-
tently at Island County commissioners’ meetings with claims that flight operations appear to be on the rise and that the base’s new jet, the EA-18G Growler, is louder than its predecessor, the EA-6B Prowler. While debate continues about whether the aircraft actually is louder, many of those complaints were reiterated again by petition signers, who range from farmers and business owners to elected and appointed officials serving a variety of Central Whidbey organizations. “The planes may not be technically louder but they are much more painful. The Navy must find a more remote place to fly and do it now,” Coupeville resident See PETITION page 14