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Thursday, February 7, 2013
VOL. 18, NO. 27
Kwarsick checks in for jail stint Former Langley Mayor Larry Kwarsick checked into Island County Jail this week, serving the first of what will be a 15-day sentence. Kwarsick, who is also the former planning chief for Coupeville, reportedly checked into the jail at about 9 a.m. as was required by the sentence handed down by Judge Vickie Churchill. The ousted mayor and long-time public servant for several governments on Whidbey Island pleaded guilty to misdemeanor malfeasance in Island County Superior Court this past December. He altered the conditions of a permit for a family member’s home while working as the planning chief for Langley, before being elected the city’s mayor in 2011. The crime came to light as the result of a whistle-blower complaint. Kwarsick is eligible to receive visitors between the hours of 1:30 and 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
County gets OK to review recycle plan By Justin Burnett Staff Reporter
Reversing a decision to start curbside recycling service to rural parts of Whidbey Island and Langley is not impossible nor should it present any legal hurdles, county and state officials have confirmed. In fact, it should be a relatively simple matter, according to Bill Oakes, director of Island County Public Works. All that’s required is that the commissioners hold a public hearing and vote to repeal the new ordinance. “It’s finalized and in motion but just like they created it, they can take code off the books,” Oakes said. “I don’t think there is anything that can’t be defused at this point,” he said. On Monday, the board agreed to revisit its December decision to adopt an ordinance requiring Island Disposal, the county’s franchised garbage hauler, to begin a curbside recycling service. It was unclear at the time, however, See RECYCLE, page 11
Justin Burnett photos
Coupeville Public Works road crews work to sandbag a section of Front Street in the hopes of slowing bluff erosion that’s threatening a sidewalk.
Front Street erosion stable for now By Justin Burnett Staff Reporter
A section of eroding bluff along NE Front Street in Coupeville that is threatening a sidewalk is believed to be stable for now but the situation will continue to be monitored closely, town officials say. Bruce Blyton, a geotechnical engineer with Kirkland-based Associated Earth Sciences, Inc., examined the site last week and was able to make several determinations, according to Mayor Nancy Conard. First, the bluff is unlikely to erode much further in the immediate future. That means both the sidewalk and the road are probably safe for the time being, though that part of the gravel path remains closed for public use. “What you see right now is what you can expect for the next couple of weeks,” Conard said. Also, the problem is likely tied to manmade fill that was used to address a long ago erosion problem, possibly in the early 1960s. Chunks of concrete and asphalt were mixed with light sandy soils and the combination has proven particularly vulnerable to scouring from tidal action. “He said it’s really the fill that’s the underlying problem,” Conard said. The fill is believed to have been used on
up to 400 feet of waterfront though the area that’s visibly affected, both from the view on the street and the beach, is only about 60 feet across. That part of the bank, located between NE Kinney and NE Gould streets, began sloughing off onto the beach earlier this month and the sidewalk in the area began to sag toward the beach. The process sped up rapidly last week, however. “It went down even further with the heavy rain last night,” said Mary Young this past Tuesday, a Front Street resident of 14 years. So much of the bank had fallen onto the beach that the section of gravel sidewalk is now noticeably lower than the surrounding area and large and deep cracks are visible along the path. Town officials had been aware of the situation for more than a week. Cones and a barricade were erected but additional steps were See SLIDE, page 11
Coupeville resident Mary Young looks over the precipice of a section of eroding bluff on NE Front Street.