Whidbey News-Times, January 21, 2015

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News-Times Whidbey

2015 Relay for Life kicks off

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 | Vol. 125, No. 6 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢

County seeking volunteers for homeless count By JANIS REID Staff reporter

Photo by Jessie Stensland/Whidbey News-Times

From left, Oak Harbor City Councilman Rick Almberg, Coupeville Councilman Bob Clay and Island County Commissioner Rick Hannold discuss future plans for Island Transit. Almberg is taking over as chairman of the Island Transit board, a position Clay previously held.

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New board looks at charging fares, changing Camano transit services By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter

Public meetings Island Transit is holding a series of community meetings to receive public input on transit system enhancements, including routes and schedules that will affect Routes 1, 2, 11 and bus service on the south end of Whidbey Island. The public is encouraged to attend one of the meetings to provide feedback on these proposed system changes. Comments may also be sent to info@islandtransit. org These community meetings will be held throughout Whidbey Island on the following dates at the listed locations:

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The wheels on the bus continue to go ‘round and ‘round at Island Transit. After a year marked by controversy and difficulty, the agency’s staff and board of directors are going full speed ahead with what may turn out to be some major changes later this year. Staff members came up with a plan to restore some of the service that was lost because of surprise budget problems last year. They will hold a series of community meetings to gather public input beginning Monday, Jan. 26. In addition, the five-person board of directors has a new chairman who promises, or at least leans toward, quick action. The new board met last Friday for the first

time this year and adopted an ambitious plan that includes a serious look into charging fares on busses and even a discussion about working with another transit agency to take over service on Camano Island. Oak Harbor Councilman Rick Almberg and Island County commissioners Jill Johnson and Rick Hannold sat as new members on the board; they replace Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley and commissioners Helen Price Johnson and Aubrey Vaughan. Coupeville Councilman Bob Clay, the longtime chairman, said his council hadn’t yet decided who to appoint to the board this year, and there’s a chance someone else will want to serve. Langley Councilman Jim Sundberg has said he hopes to continue on the board. Clay announced that he was stepping down as chairman. He took on the role of director of the agency for months after former director Martha Rose quit last year. “I’ve been board chairman for a long time, and someone else needs to assume the position with all the glory and pay that goes along with it,” he joked. Hannold quickly nominated Almberg as the new chairman. Almberg at first demurred, saying that Sundberg had the “tribal knowlSEE TRANSIT, A15 BEFORE

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Fans celebrate ‘miracle’ win for Seahawks By KELLY PANTOLEON Staff reporter

Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley expects to have his voice back by the time the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl Feb. 1. Dudley was at the game Sunday with his son, who he flew in from Los Angeles. “We never imagined in our wildest dreams it would end up like this,” Dudley said. He’s not alone. Seattle Seahawks fans across Whidbey Island — and the entire Northwest — are still reeling over the team’s epic comeback in Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. Scenes of noisy jubilation played out in homes, restaurants, bars and other gathering places across the island in the final minutes of the game. Ron Wallin, owner of P&L General

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Island County is seeking volunteers to help gather the most comprehensive homeless count to date. “We’re expanding the method significantly this year,” said Joanne Pelant, Island County’s housing resource coordinator. Volunteers will be part of the annual pointin-time count of the homeless Thursday, Jan. 29, as part of outreach teams that will connect with the unsheltered homeless. Pelant said she hopes to have at least 20 volunteers to assist in the event. Last year’s count showed that the county had roughly 90 categorized as unsheltered, with 10 sheltered and another 150 that were staying with family or friends temporarily. Federally mandated in 2005, the county has performed the count since 2006 through the Opportunity Council and through Island

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