Record South Whidbey
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 95 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
City council to consider $5.5 million budget
WATERSHED STEWARDS, school district stoke the fires of
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Langley’s 2015 $5.5 million budget includes staff raises, a handful of small city projects, utility rate increases and construction of the funicular. The final budget is set for public hearing by the city council at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1 at city hall. “It’s more of a stable, I think, budget, and more of a realistic budget in that it’s not inflated with grant revenues that are iffy,” said Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy. Looking to use $500,000 of countyissued grant money, McCarthy has slated work on the tram-style transportation device on the bluff overlooking the marina scheduled to begin in spring, despite only recently returning to that proposal after the city considered a bridge and elevator this fall. That later design was generally abandoned after public outcry grew against the development dubbed the “Langley Lift.” For the second year in a row, McCarthy pushed for raises — 2 percent cost of living adjustments and 1 percent performance raises — for city staff, totaling about $12,000. Also for the second year in a row, water utilities will go up, this time 2 percent for water, 2 percent for stormwater and 5 percent for sewer fees. The total increase for the bimonthly utility bill for a single-family residence will be $5.40. “We don’t want to have a real egregious rate increase, but we do increase it each year,” McCarthy said, adding that the rate jump was smaller than originally outlined in the city’s comp plan, which lays out projected rate increases. “The sewer fund will continue to be a challenge until we either motivate more people to hook up to it or do new construction,” he added. SEE BUDGET, A14
SCIENCE By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record South Whidbey sixth and seventh-grade students are learning firsthand about Puget Sound’s aquatic ecosystem through the Langley Middle School Oceanography Program. The program provides students with the opportunity to learn through field-based studies at South Whidbey Harbor marina in Langley and lab studies in the classroom. Whidbey Watershed Stewards partnered with South Whidbey School District for the course, which is now in its second year. Last year, the program was only open to sixth graders. But thanks in part to a grant of $1,280 from the South Whidbey Schools Foundation, as well as funding from the Rose Foundation and Langley Community Club, seventh graders are now participating. The seventh graders are building upon the knowledge gleaned from sixth-grade studies to examine marine conditions related to plankton population and health through collection, reporting and analysis; seventhgrade curriculum is primarily focused upon the technological aspect of collection and evaluation. Eventually, organizers hope to extend the program with eighth graders. The program is ongoing throughout the school year allowing students to make predictions and examine seasonal fluctuations. “They are not just studying science, they’re being scientists,” said Susan Milan, a seventh-grade Langley Middle SEE STEWARDS, A11 Kate Daniel / The Record
Langley Middle School seventh graders Mallory Dye and Mattason Straub look on as Ben Roughsedge releases the Van Dorn bottle into the water at South Whidbey Harbor during the marina-based learning day, a program sponsored by the Whidbey Watershed Stewards.
Pharmacist considers move into medical marijuana business By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record Adam Lind, a longtime Whidbey pharmacist and businessman, may be getting into the marijuana business. Lind confirmed rumors this week that he is hoping to open a medicinal dispensary, or access point, on Scott Street in Freeland. While the details are still being hammered
out, Lind said he and an unnamed business partner are extremely close to a deal and could open a store in as soon as two weeks. “We’re looking at a Dec. 15 opening,” Lind said. “I’m 99 percent there,” he added. Lind declined to delve into too many specifics, saying he wanted to wait until the new store is a certainty. He did say, however, that if the store becomes a reality it won’t be related
to the family business. Lind’s father is Ron Lind, owner of Linds Jewelry and Linds Pharmacy which has stores in Freeland and Coupeville. Adam Lind has managed the Central Whidbey branch for years. “There’s zero relationship with Linds Pharmacy,” Adam Lind said. Incidentally, the Linds are in the process of brokering a deal to sell the pharmacy side
of the business to a national chain. Ron Lind could not be reached for comment by press time Wednesday concerning the status of the deal. Adam Lind’s new access point would be Freeland’s second dispensary. Island Alternative Medicine on Vanbarr Place has been open for a couple of years, and is the SEE LIND, A13