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VOL. 18, NO. 49
Thursday, JULY 11, 2013
Hospital finds board candidate By Nathan Whalen Staff reporter
After more two months of searching, leaders at Whidbey General Hospital have a candidate for a vacancy on its five-member elected board. Whidbey General Hospital Board president Anne Tarrant announced during Monday’s monthly commissioner meeting that Oak Harbor resident Nancy Fey applied for the seat vacated by Roger Case when he resigned in June. Fey worked as a pharmacist at Whidbey General Hospital for 26 years before finishing up in 2009. She is the president of the hospital’s auxiliary, which operates the gift shop and works with hospital guilds that raise money for capital improvements. “I love Whidbey General Hospital and I want to be part of the decision-making process,” Fey said Tuesday morning. Officials have been looking for a candidate to fill Case’s seat since he announced See HOSPITAL, page 16
No horsing around Nathan Whalen photos
Sophie Miller and Kate Peterson, members of the Whidbey Island Pony Club, ride during a July 4 practice. The equestrian group will host the Whidbey Island Horse Trials this weekend near San de Fuca.
Hospital buys new system for $60,000
Whidbey pony club readies for weekend trials
By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
The commissioners for Whidbey General Hospital Monday night approved a proposal to replace computers for the facility’s fire suppression system. The new monitoring system is expected to cost the hospital approximately $60,0000, which was higher than the original $50,000 estimate, hospital chief operating officer Hank Hanigan said. He said the current monitoring system is obsolete. He said it is essentially a computer that was built in 1996 and added that it is difficult to find parts to maintain the system. “This has gotten out of date frankly,” Hanigan said during the meeting. Hospital Commissioner Grethe Cammermeyer questioned whether the new fire suppression monitoring system could be See SYSTEM, page 16
By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
More than a dozen Whidbey-based equestrians are spending their free time fine-tuning their skills to compete in a three-day competition that draws hundreds of riders from throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska. The Whidbey Island Horse Trials, hosted by the Whidbey Island Pony Club, features dressage, cross-country riding and show
Kate Petersen practices a jump for the Whidbey Island Pony Club.
jumping that starts Friday and wraps up Sunday. The pony club, which is in its 36th year, comprises about 15 people from age 7 years old through age 25. They operate on 50 acres of farmland on Central Whidbey Island near San de Fuca. While festive-minded people on the Fourth of July slept in before a fun day filled with parades, barbecues and fireworks, the young horse riders were busy working on their showjumping skills in preparation for the upcoming competition. They started out performing gymnastics, which is a series of quick jumps that gradually increase in difficulty. “It’s great exercise for the horse and the rider,” said Linda Chatfield, instructor for the pony club. Following their warmup, they practiced their show-jumping. Participants in the Whidbey Island Pony Club came to the group in different ways. See CLUB, page 16