Record South Whidbey
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 57 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Fairgrounds’ future still in limbo as officials ponder lease Talks continue today at board meeting By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
South Whidbey Fire/EMS Deputy Chief Mike Cotton greets Chuck Maddox after his rescue from the chilly waters of Holmes Harbor on Monday.
SOUTH WHIDBEY FIRE rescues a rescuer By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Emergency responders help tie up Chuck Maddox’s boat, which was recovered after his rescue.
A career fireman found out what it’s like to be rescued this week after a morning crab pot check turned into a life-threatening emergency. Charles “Chuck” Maddox, a Freeland resident and Snohomish County Fire District captain, was checking his catch in Holmes Harbor shortly after 7 a.m. Monday when a line around his foot caused him to lose his balance and fall overboard. Maddox found himself treading very cold water and attempting to right the small aluminum dinghy, but meeting with limited success. Knowing from his training that the danger increased with every second spent in the frigid water, estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be in the low to mid 50s, Maddox did the last thing he could — he began calling for help and blowing a whistle attached to his life preserver. “God did I blow that whistle,” Maddox later laughed, recalling the chilly water temperature. Fortunately for Maddox, someone heard
him and that was East Harbor Road resident Virginia Bloom. She and her husband, Ken, were still in bed and only half awake when they heard a puzzling sound. “I’m thinking, ‘That’s not a bird, what is that?’ ” Bloom recalled. Listening for a few minutes, it became clear that it was in fact a whistle and that a person was also yelling for help. Rushing out to the edge of their property, their suspicions were quickly proved correct. “Sure enough, there was a guy clinging to a half submerged boat ... he was yelling ‘I’m freezing.’ ” Ken Bloom called 9-1-1 and about 15 minutes later, the couple watched as a South Whidbey Fire/EMS marine rescue boat sped out and scooped up a very cold Maddox. According to Deputy Chief Mike Cotton, the recovery went smoothly and without incident. They were all back at the Freeland Park dock within a few minutes, and the crew of the fireboat watched as their shivering Snohomish County colleague dashed to an SEE RESCUE, A11
Management of the Island County Fairgrounds is still the responsibility of the Island County Fair Association, for now at least. That may change in the coming months, or even later this week, as the county’s budget director and commissioners will discuss the property’s lease agreement. Discussion is scheduled to begin 11 a.m. today in the commissioners hearing room in Coupeville. The two parties — the county and the non-profit association — are still waiting to see what will be worked out. Diane Divelbess, president of the fair association, said her agency needs adequate funding to run the 12.8-acre property, and that their position is resolute. If they do not get financial support from Island County, they are prepared to walk away from the property and focus solely on producing the four-day fair. “In order to put on a better fair, we just think that a different arrangement has to be made,” Divelbess said. Don’t think the fair association’s resolve undermines their commitment to the dusty, rustic fairgrounds though. “It’s hard to do because we’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” she said. In February, a steering committee of elected officials, such as Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy, county SEE FAIR, A14