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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 18 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Dads, daughters get ready to boogie at district ball
Langley nixes food trucks from annual event By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Food trucks with cityissued licenses will have to look elsewhere than downtown Langley during Choochokam Arts Festival weekend. The Langley City Council approved 3-1 a motion Monday night to exclude the vendors July 11-12. The annual music and arts festival draws thousands and cordons off parts of the downtown business area for artists to sell their works and food vendors to keep the crowd fed. Councilman Bruce Allen, who serves on the festival’s board, voted against the rule because he originally wanted a citywide exclusion during the weekend. Food vendors during Choochokam pay around $500 for the right to operate, Allen said, which includes the cost of power. City-licensed food trucks would pay at least $200, plus an open-ended bid. Under the amended rules, a property owner outside of the downtown area could allow a food truck to set up shop, so long as it had the proper city license and county health permit. “It’s a competition at this point, and the restaurants have a hard time already,” said Councilwoman Rene Neff, who initially supported Allen’s motion for the full exclusion. Allen’s motion was held moot by two nay votes by Councilmen Thomas Gill, who had previously argued against the city barring food trucks outside of downtown, and Jim Sundberg. SEE FOOD TRUCKS, A20
By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record
parking lot of the new facility is consistently filled with buses. He said it gives the public the impression that the agency has many more buses than needed. Graska said he’s working on addressing both inter-related problems. He said some of the buses and support vehicles in the lot of the aging fleet are so old that they are broken down, not needed or otherwise unusable. He’s developed a plan to surplus both buses and some support vehicles, though he’s not sure how much money the agency will be able to recoup since there’s not a lot of demand for old buses. In addition, he said many of the buses in the active fleet have aged beyond what the federal government considers to be the usable life cycle. Older buses require costly maintenance. The agency will be getting nine new light-duty buses next year through a federal grant that requires a 20-percent match. But he said additional grants could be three years away while the
Kevin Lungren and his daughter, Emma, have been attending South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District’s Dad and Daughter Ball “since Emma could walk.” “There are many things fathers and sons can share, and not so many obvious things for dads and daughters,” Kevin Lungren wrote in an email to The Record. “It’s a special evening for just the two of us.” As Emma is 18 and preparing to head off to college, this will be the final year she and her father attend. Children grow up all too quickly, he said, and it is important to create lasting memories. The dad and daughter ball began about 13 years ago and has become a popular annual event for South Whidbey families, a chance for young women and their male guardians to bond and spend quality time together while mingling with fellow families and friends. This year’s event will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the South Whidbey High School Commons. Tickets cost $27 per child and guardian pair. Carrie Monforte, programs coordinator for South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District, noted that girls may bring any guardian they choose, though the majority of attendees are fathers and daughters.
SEE TRANSIT, A13
SEE BALL, A20
Ben Watanabe / The Record
People wait for an Island Transit bus in Freeland. The agency is recovering, but much work remains.
Island Transit
Agency faces a long road ahead, director says By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record The challenges facing Island Transit go beyond the financial mess that came to light last summer. Interim Director Ken Graska, who has been on the job for three months, said an aging bus fleet, a surplus of unneeded buses and other vehicles, and the uncertainty of state funding have added to the challenges facing the agency. In addition, Island Transit leaders have yet to resolve such issues as fares, advertising on buses, possible misuse of federal funding and a definitive schedule for restoring service cuts. Nevertheless, he said the agency is getting back on track and he’s optimistic about the future. He said Island Transit has what it needs to succeed: a skilled and committed staff, a vigilant board, a fantastic facility and a community with a long history of supporting transit. “I call this kind of a new beginning for Island Transit,” he said. “We need to get back to basics.” The agency laid off 23 staff members and cut bus service last summer
after serious financial problems came to light. The director and financial manager were replaced, as have been all but one member of the board of directors. The overall budget for this year is $12 million, with $7.8 million coming from a 0.09 percent sales tax. Graska was hired as an interim director for a six-month period but the board has since decided to put off plans to advertise for a permanent director. Graska said the agency’s finances are stabilized and the management staff figured out a way to bring back 70 percent of the bus service that was cut last year, not including the loss of Saturday service. To begin addressing the many issues facing the agency quickly, the board decided to start holding monthly workshop meetings, in addition to the regular monthly board meetings. Oak Harbor City Councilman Rick Almberg, the chairman of the board, said he was surprised to learn that Island Transit hasn’t had a vehicle replacement fund or schedule. “They’re been relying on grants,” he said, “which are by nature unreliable.” Almberg also questioned why the