Journal of the San Juans, December 17, 2014

Page 1

Sports

Wolverines catapult to top of league standings PAGE 16

Island Scene

New boundaries of ballet revealed in ‘Rain Realm’ PAGE 9

Reporter’s notebook

Cultural exchange; trapped on the outside, looking in at a favorite Friday Harbor holiday tradition PAGE 7

Journal

The 75¢ Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Vol. 107 Issue 51

Permits for pot farm rejected

Remedy at hand for jet noise? Larsen, Murray call for construction of Growler ‘Hush House’

By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

The amount of noise emanating from Whidbey Island’s fleet of navy jets may be muffled to a significant degree if navy officials heed a request of two senior members of the Washington state’s congressional delegation. Sen. Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen last week asked the Navy to consider a funding recommendation earmarked for construction of a socalled “hush house” hangar at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, ground-zero in a rising controversy over the impact of noise created by air and ground testing of the naval station’s fleet of EA-18G Growlers. Construction of a noise mitigation hangar at Ault Field would help reduce noise from on-ground engine testing and maintenance, Larsen said. “Community members from Whidbey Island and the San Juan Islands have shared with me their concerns about the noise from the Growlers at (Naval Air Station WhidbeyLarsen Island),” Larsen said. “Senator Murray and I have listened and are asking the Navy to help out by building a hush house, See NOISE?, Page 4

Journal photo / Emily Greenberg

Joe Wheeler, maintenance manager for the Port of Friday Harbor, at the bulkhead construction site. The project is the first step in rebuilding Spring Street Landing. Due to the season’s tidal schedule, much of the work is done at night.

Step 1: build new seawall Tides offer short window to build Port’s new retaining wall By Emily Greenberg Journal Reporter

As reconstruction of the Port of Friday Harbor marina comes to a close, another project begins. The bulkhead construction project, at the Spring Street Landing site, is the first phase in what will be a completely revamped public area. Construction got under way with the excavation of compacted earth that’s acted as a retaining seawall. Once excavation is complete the old piling left over from the former ferry dock, decommissioned in the 1960s, will be removed. The final phase of reconstruction of the bulkhead will be building a new seawall, composed of mechanically stabilized earth that’s reinforced with boulders on the exterior. According to Port Director Marilyn O’Connor,

the current seawall is believed to have been built in the 1960s, when the ferry dock was rebuilt and moved to its current location. The Port didn’t purchase the property until 1982, and the bulkhead was already in place. “The ground has been settling behind the wall, and the rock face has been failing for many years,” O’Connor said. “The port did an emergency repair of one failed rock section in the late 90s.” In the public bidding process, local contractor Mike Carlson Enterprises submitted the lowest bid, roughly $1.7 million, to rebuild the entire bulkhead. Because much of the work needs to be done at seafloor level, Carlson and crew need to take advantage of low tides. This time of year the work window is most often at night. “Now’s the time,” said port Maintenance Manager Joe Wheeler. “It’s an amazing amount of work in a short period.” O’Conner said the project required a town See SEAWALL, Page 4

Winner of six 1st place awards in Washington Newspaper Publishers Association 2014 BNC, 17 in all

While the County Council wrestles over what rules should apply to marijuana cultivation, the county hearing examiner last week drew a line in the regulatory sand, sending an earlier determination of non-significance back for another round of review and revoking a building permit for a marijuana grow operation on San Juan Island’s west side. In a decision handed down Dec. 10, Hearing Examiner Phil Obrechts ruled county planSee REJECTED, Page 4

Real Est ate

in the

San Juan

Islands

December

2014

Journal file photo

PO Box 171

Eastsound, WA 360.376.2145 98245 www.orcasislan drealty.com

Published the Journal of the San Juanthird Wednesday of each month Islands, Islands’ by the Sounder and Island s’ Weekly

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9

Brent Rameno Kathryn Sherman

fsky

photo

Deborah Hansen

Harvey Olsan

Lisa Botiller

Locally Own

Mary Clure

ed and Oper

ated

Victoria Shaner

Kristen Slabaugh

Marty Zier

Real Estate in the San Juan Islands

See inside for November’s real estate sales, listings and statistics.


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