INSIDE: Making wishes come true, sleigh not required ... Island Life, A16
Record South Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 99 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Superintendent defends ‘local’ foods amid criticism BY BEN WATANABE Staff reporter LANGLEY — The local farm-toschool program on South Whidbey is not so local. At least, that’s what the school district’s Fresh Food in Schools representative said. Acacia Larson, the Western Washington coordinator for Fresh Food in Schools, said South Whidbey’s use of Washingtongrown produce was “not great so far.” “We either need to put some pressure on Chartwells to get Washington produce … or work with Chartwells to bring in some Washington-grown foods through its channels,” Larson said. The South Whidbey School District’s food service vendor, Chartwells, organized the Meet the Farmer Day in late November at South Whidbey Elementary School. The farmer was Sno-Country Farm owner-operator Pa Lee from Snohomish, who brought a heaping of pulled-that-morning carrots, radishes, kale and beets. Lee’s produce had never been offered in South Whidbey schools prior to Nov. 29. “I just picked them a half hour
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Pa Lee of Snohomish answers questions about her radishes, carrots, kale and beets. South Whidbey Elementary School students Brionna Blouin, Hailey Doyle, Trinity Thiry, Avian Graham, Rachael Dougherty, Faith Gran and Paige Bruning favor the food most known to them — carrots. before I came,” Lee said of her vegetables, still wet from rinsing the
Langley wins $1 million in Second Street grants BY BEN WATANABE Staff reporter LANGLEY — A pair of grants totaling $1 million were recently awarded to Langley’s Second Street project. The state and federal grants amount to more than half of the project’s total $1.8 million budget, though that could increase a bit between now and the project’s earliest start date in June. One major added cost was the replacement of a water line along Second Street, between Cascade and Anthes avenue. “We’re hoping not to have to dig that up for the next 30 years,” said Challis Stringer, Langley’s public works director, of the new water line.
soil off them. The food at the event was fresh
and local. But one parent criticized the Meet the Farmer program as
a facade to cover the lack of local, fresh vegetables during the other 179 school days. Miriam Coates, a former board member for Whidbey Island Nourishes, said the event was the first time the school district offered fresh, Whidbey vegetables. Some students agreed with her. Fifth-grader Sawyer Mauk described the usual vegetable dishes as, “mush that kind of looks like ground up peas.” Superintendent Jo Moccia defended Chartwells and the quality of the district’s meals. She disagreed with the notion that “local” is solely defined by Washington state boundaries. Cost effectiveness was also at issue. “We try to do it at a level that is reasonable,” Moccia said. “Where can you get a $3 meal?” Other students in the kindergarten to fifth grade school were taken with the fresh and sometimes exotic food. Kale was the first offering in the line, with students being promised (falsely, one girl said) that it would taste like popcorn. Josh Marks, a third grader, See Food, A8
Another added cost to the project could be moving utility lines underground. Large poles on either side of Second Street would be removed and the power and cable lines would be buried, freeing space on the surface for sidewalks.
“It will have the look and feel of a pedestrian space, but cars can still drive through it.” Jeff Arango, Langley city planner
Sidewalk width in the center section of Second Street was finalized by the design firm KPG and Langley’s city planner, Jeff Arango. They opted for a plaza-type pedestrian area, with the concrete street meeting slightly elevated pavers that connect the north and south sides of the street. “It will have the look and feel of a pedestrian space, but cars can still drive through it,” Arango said. The intent was to keep the area inviting to shoppers walking the street, but also keep the street just that, a street. The visual cues of planters, benches, tables and the absence of curbs would alert drivers to slow down, as
Art by KPG Engineering
This is an artist’s conception of how Second Street, facing Useless Bay Coffee Company, will appear after its reconstruction, which could start as early as June. well as the different patterned street surface without double yellow lines. Other features of the Second Street project included a large rain garden. The garden near
the entrance to Langley Village would treat stormwater. See Second Street, A8