RECORD
INSIDE: Take a moment, relax at the gardens A12
SOUTH WHIDBEY
wedNeSdAy, JuLy 17, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 57 | www.Southwhidbeyrecord.com | 75¢
Habitat hands over keys to new home By CELESTE ERICKSON Staff reporter Freeland welcomed a new homeowner to the Beachwood neighborhood Thursday. Mark Stephens, 29, received the keys to his new home after 500 hours of labor and more than 1,000 hours from 55 volunteers provided by Habitat of Humanity of Island County. “Words can’t explain how I feel right now,”
Stephens said. “I’ve dreamed about being a homeowner since I was 13.” Working with all of the volunteers was a great experience, he said. Stephens worked full-time at Village Pizzeria while putting in his volunteer hours for the house. He said at times he was working 92 hours a week. “It’s nice putting a hand in building it and working on the house layout,” he said. Construction on the two bedroom house began in March.
The home sits on a quarter-acre and includes a porch. The estimated value of the home is about $165,000 and is more than 1,000 square feet. Stephens said he would like to build a music studio once he is settled. This is the first house built on South Whidbey by Habitat for Humanity since
Celeste Erickson / The Record
Mark Stephens receives keys to his new home from Damion Lopez with Habitat for Humanity.
SEE HABITAT, A6
Former legislator dies at deer Lake By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter
Celeste Erickson / The Record
Cait Cassee, interim executive director of Whidbey Children’s Theater, shows off the space at the Langley Middle School auditorium. The youth theater group signed a lease with South Whidbey School District for in-kind services.
children’s theater goes ‘old school’ By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter Dreaming big is what Whidbey Children’s Theater does well. It allows young thespians to take the stage and perform within the confines of their characters. When the theater group sought a larger space for less money, that dream was a bit wilder than the one Dorothy has in its current production of “Wizard of Oz.”
Now that dream is a reality. Whidbey Children’s Theater, or WCT, is the new tenant at the Langley Middle School auditorium. The theater group will rent the 580-seat building at an enviable price: for in-kind services and utilities fees. “It’s going to be hard to come up with the rent with in-kind services alone,” said Cait Cassee, interim executive director at Whidbey Children’s Theater. “The only way for WCT to be successful as a business is to be successful in meeting its
vision.” An in-kind service lease essentially means money is not required for the space. Instead, the theater group is on the hook for facilities management. Someone from Whidbey Children’s Theater must schedule use of the auditorium and, perhaps more importantly, the limited parking at the campus. With Whidbey Island Center for the Arts SEE THEATER, A6
Former state Rep. Kip Tokuda went fishing on Deer Lake Saturday morning. A heart attack claimed his life while he was angling from his small kayak. “He was not submerged, he was still on the kayak,” said Robert Bishop, Island County’s coroner. Tokuda was 66. First responders arrived shortly after 11:30 a.m. Attempts by South Whidbey Fire/EMS, Whidbey General Hospital and a doctor on vacation in the area to revive Tokuda were unsuccessful. Paul Busch, assistant chief of South Whidbey Fire/EMS, said Tokuda’s kayak tipped over after the heart attack began, sending him into the water. He was able to yell for help, however, and was heard by at least two people also at the lake. Someone in a boat rowed to him and tried to pull him from the water. Tokuda was unconscious at the time, however. During the attempted rescue, the person in the row boat also tipped over. Another boater retrieved both people and took them to the public boat launch as first responders SEE DEATH, A6