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TEASER: Mayor to discuss ‘state of the town’ Page 2 THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
VOL. 18, NO. 41
Patton vies for port seat By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
It looks like Jim Patton can’t get enough of the Port of Coupeville. Around the time he finishes his tenure as the executive director of the small port district, he will find out if voters want him to serve on its board of commissioners. The longtime executive director Monday afternoon filed for candidacy for a spot on the three-member elected body. Incumbent Benye Weber isn’t able to run for a third term because redistricting in the wake of the 2010 census moved her home into a different district. She had also stated she didn’t want to serve another six-year term anyway. Patton, who has served for eight-anda-half years as executive director, said he wants to continue Weber’s work she’s tackled serving the Port of Coupeville. “I have been completely in awe of her ability to stay on message,” Patton said. He noted that a comprehensive plan See Patton, page 12
Councilman passes on another term By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Coupeville Town Council member Larry Cort decided against running for election this year. “It came down to a time issue,” Cort said Monday. “It was a really tough decision.” Cort was appointed to the Coupeville Town Council in October, 2011 to fill a vacancy created when Tom Tack resigned. Since that time, Cort’s responsibilities working for the city of Oak Harbor has changed. He became city administrator for Oak Harbor, which required a greater time commitment and attendance at more night meetings. Cort has a history working for cities on Whidbey Island. He was a planner in Coupeville, Langley and Oak Harbor before taking his current position as city administrator in Oak Harbor. See Election, page 12
Megan Hansen photo
Certified Nursing Assistants Brianna Wells, left, and Ashley Mangels, right, work in a room at Whidbey General Hospital. The board of directors at the hospital directed staff this week to gather information to start preparing for a new bond proposal, which will address tight inpatient occupancy.
Hospital bond in the works Staff directed to gather information for new plan for remodel and expansion project By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Leaders at Whidbey General Hospital are gathering information to possibly run a new bond that would pay for renovating and expanding the hospital’s Coupeville campus. Hospital commissioner Ron Wallin proposed during Monday’s hospital board meeting that hospital administration re-evaluate a bond that taxpayers would have to approve to finance the project. Voters in May 2011 rejected a $50 million bond proposal that would have funded construction of a new wing. Even though more than 55 percent of voters supported the proposal, it still fell short of the 60 percent supermajority needed for approval. Wallin said Whidbey Island’s population is increasing. He added that construction would take two-to-three years to complete, which would make the medical surgical wing at the hospital nearly 50 years old. “We have no doubts about the need for a
new inpatient wing. We have the right plans and the right people in place to realize this vision,” Wallin said during the meeting. “Our community tells us in their patient satisfaction surveys that an upgrade is sorely needed.” Wallin advocated placing a proposal on the November general election. Commissioner Grethe Cammermeyer questioned whether there would be enough time for people to consider the bond if the bond ran in the fall. She recommended possibly holding off on such a proposal until February. Whidbey General Hospital CEO Tom Tomasino said he doesn’t know the dollar amount
yet of the proposal. He said he is going to reexamine the 2011 proposal along with researching construction costs, market conditions and housing prices to come up with a new proposal. A volunteer group has yet to form to help promote the bond to Whidbey voters. If voters had approved the bond in 2011, it would have paid for construction of a new wing on the south side of the hospital’s campus. That new wing would have housed 39 single-patient rooms, which would have replaced the current 34 beds housed in double rooms. Wallin said there aren’t many details yet about the new bond, but that information will be shared with the public once the bond details become available. “The public wants the facts and figures,” Wallin said.