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SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 26 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Parks district to seek levy hike on April ballot measure By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Declining revenue, rising material costs and increasing responsibilities spurred the South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District to seek its first levy increase next month. Voters from Freeland to Clinton will have their say about the 3-cent maintenance and operations levy-lift request — it’s been 15 cents since 1983 — on the April 22 ballot. In a presentation prepared by the parks staff, the increased levy amount would boost the district’s budget by $115,000. That money will help the district’s operations and will not go toward building new facilities like the discussed and once-rejected aquatic center or additional properties such Ben Watanabe / The Record
Fred McCarthy, at the front of the crowd and to the right, shares some of the history of the steering committee that is proposing a phased $10.12 million plan to redesign the Island County Fairgrounds over 10 years at a public meeting Wednesday, March 26.
Critics blast fairgrounds plan Meeting agenda withers under public’ s demand to be heard By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Lynna Baker, co-president of the Whidbey Western Games Association, tells the Island County Fairgrounds steering committee she does not like the reduced size of the horse arena and the plan to pave the RV lot.
People were loud and clear in their objections about a proposal to make over the Island County Fairgrounds during a meeting Wednesday night in Langley. Originally planned by the proposal’s steering committee to be a sit-and-write your comments session, the meeting quickly careened into a public hearing of sorts over the plan to demolish, relocate and renovate the buildings and property at the fairgrounds in Langley. And the 50-plus people gathered in the Coffman Building — one of the sites tagged for demolition in the proposal crafted by Anacortes-based consultant Norm Landerman-Moore — were vocal in their opposition to many elements of the $10.12 million, 10-year plan and its perceived attempt to alter the fair’s character. “I’ve been down here 38 years,” said Rufus Rose. “And I’ve noticed a culture shift … away from agriculture and into
some suburban effort.” At times, the meeting teetered on the edge of a shouting match, though it would have been a largely one-sided fight. The crowd demanded, and was granted the right, to be heard and not relegated to writing down their opinions and ideas without hearing from their neighbors and fellow fair supporters. Ray Gabelein Jr. called the meeting’s original structure a “divide-and-conquer tactic” used by politicians to quell upset citizens. Gabelein disagreed with the assertion by fair management that many of the buildings were in need of serious work. He chastised Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy, who acted as the meeting’s facilitator from among the present steering committee members, for saying that the buildings were deteriorating. “Go take a look at the buildings,” he said. When McCarthy said he had, Gabelein responded, “Then put your SEE FAIR, A12
SEE LEVY, A13
Port ponders beach access signs on SW By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record Public beach access signs may soon be more abundant around South Whidbey. Port of South Whidbey Commissioners agreed to work with Island Beach Access, a citizen advocacy group, in establishing signs for public access areas during a special meeting Tuesday, March 25. The beach access group applied for funds from the port during the regular meeting earlier this month. The group hoped to build a website identifying public access areas from the $5,000 in funds the group sought from the port. In the initial proposal, commissioners were left unclear if the money would be used primarily to establish a website or for fieldwork to SEE BEACH ACCESS, A13