News-Times Whidbey
MusselFest this weekend
page 8
WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2015 | Vol. 125, No. 18 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Anti-jet group appeals to Navy brass
Director: IT on route to recovery
Staff reporter
Staff reporter
A Central Whidbey citizen group is amping up the scope of its fight against the Navy’s increasing presence in Puget Sound. Representatives of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, say they mailed a letter in February to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus addressing what they describe as the dangers of the Navy’s new EA-18G Growler. The group also threatens additional action, if necessary. “We will promote and commence litigation against the U.S. Navy, organize community protests and demonstrations, and in general do whatever is legal and possible to reveal and deter the destructive activities associated with the Navy’s expansion in the Pacific Northwest,” the COER letter states. Writing letters to the local and national media, politicians and Navy brass is only part of COER’s ongoing campaign that includes creating regional coalitions and holding educational meetings around Puget Sound. Ted Brown, the Navy’s Installations and Environmental public affairs officer, said the Secretary of the Navy’s office reported that, as of Tuesday, it had not received COER’s letter, dated Feb. 18. COER said copies of the letter were also mailed to President Barack Obama, members of the Armed Services Committee, the Washington congressional delegation, Gov. Jay Inslee MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. An unsigned version of the letter was sent to the Whidbey News-Times on Saturday. COER has reached out to residents and organizations
1925, experiencing the history of the schooner, how she handles on the water, and her strengths and limitations. With strong winds, a clear sky and a view of the Olympics, the Saias, owners of the Coupeville Inn, sailed Suva for the first time Saturday out of Port Townsend. This very schooner, commissioned 90 years ago by a prominent Whidbey businessman, will
Challenges facing Island Transit go beyond the financial mess that came to light this past 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 an uncertainty of state funding add to the challenges facing the agency. In addition, Island Transit leaders have yet to resolve such issues as fares, advertising on GRASKA buses, possible misuse of federal funding and a definitive schedule for restoring service cuts. Nevertheless, Graska said IT is getting back on track and he’s optimistic about its future. 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, he said. “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 arose. The director and financial manager were replaced, as were 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 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, the board started 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 didn’t have a vehicle-replacement fund or schedule. “They’re being reliant on grants,” he said, “which are, by nature, unreliable.” Almberg also questioned why the park-
SEE SUVA, A5
SEE RECOVERY, A2
An aging fleet, unusable buses among challenges By JESSIE STENSLAND
By JANIS REID
SEE LETTER, A5
Photos by Janis Reid/Whidbey News-Times
Father, son team Jerry and Mark Saia assist Saturday in sailing a 90-year-old schooner they plan to bring back to Coupeville for tourism and education.
Sailing home Businessman brings historic schooner back to Whidbey By JANIS REID Staff reporter
S
aturday was a day of firsts for Mark Saia. Saia and his father, Gerry, took turns at the helm of a boat, named Suva, built in