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SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 22 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
No beach access for Glendale
Proposed Bayview fire station estimated at $5.4 million Chief proposes nonvoter bonds to cover costs By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
IBA leader Mike McVay said, “She’s right.” “We don’t have a lot of money, but we’ll do it. If you don’t want to pay taxes to do something, you just do it. We are going to offer our services absolutely. The thing at Glendale is a great opportunity to restore that to a public facility.” Mindy Thompson, whose family has lived just a half-mile from the Glendale beach access for 40 years, said the community has already lost one local beach and really hopes they can hang onto the one at Glendale. “The fear of losing our beach access is huge,” Thompson said.
Building a new fire station in Bayview may cost South Whidbey Fire/EMS nearly $1 million more than the first proposal 10 years ago. Chief Rusty Palmer told the fire commissioners Thursday night that the district’s hired design firm, Mount Vernon-based Carletti Architects, had a $5.4 million “swag” estimate for the multi-purpose facility. Commissioners were not surprised by the increase from what was once pegged at $4.4 million, and were relieved that it did not come back higher. The fire station would have dual functions as a staff headquarters and as the new station to serve the center of the fire protection district that stretches south from Possession Point north to Classic Road. The reworked plan combines the two facilities into one building on the already purchased property between the Good Cheer Food Bank and the Bayview School.
SEE GLENDALE, A5
SEE BAYVIEW, A13
Justin Burnett / The Record
Glendale beach access proponents Mike McVay and Mindy and Mike Thompson sit on the breakwater in front of the old Glendale Hotel on South Whidbey. The Island County Commissioners this month decided not to consider purchasing the building, along with an adjacent home. Both would provide beach access to the public.
Commissioners nix proposal to buy two waterfront lots By JANIS REID South Whidbey Record Island County leadership passed this month on the chance to apply for grants that would allow them to acquire beach access properties adjacent to Glendale Beach. Both Commissioners Kelly Emerson and Jill Johnson said they could not support acquiring more park land, even through grants, if it meant additional maintenance costs down the road. “I realize this is just the first step, but I really hate to see us spending any time or money on this,” Emerson said. “We already have no money to take care of our parks. I am not in favor of obtaining any more property.”
The discussion was raised at a March 5 work session and the two commissioners agreed the grant applications, which would have been submitted in partnership with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, would result in the county taking on the upkeep. Commissioner Helen Price Johnson was not present for the work session. While another grant aimed at improvements at Trillium Community Forest has been tabled until March 19, it is unlikely that the Glendale grant applications will resurface at the county level without majority board support. “Island Beach Access seems to have a lot of money, maybe they will run with this,” Johnson said at the work session. When asked to respond to Johnson’s comment,