Examiner The Whidbey
First-place winner, 2014 WNPA General Excellence
50¢
Spring sports preview Pages 6-7
www.whidbeyexaminer.com
Thursday, March 12, 2015
VOL. 20, NO. 31
Acres clear cut as part of regrowth By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
Approximately 24 acres of forestland off Wanamaker Road have been clear cut to remove diseased trees and about 10,000 new ones planted in their place. “What they are doing is clearing out the bad stuff and putting good trees back in,” Island County Assessor Mary Engle said. The property, owned by the Eggerman family, is designated as forest land, which provides a tax break but also carries a responsibility to maintain healthy trees. The owners must also commercially harvest periodically as trees reach maturity. “It’s about giving back to the community by harvesting the trees and replenishing them,” Engle said. Steve Eggerman said that he “grew up looking at that forest” and that chopping it down isn’t always easy. But, he said, in 5-10 years it will begin to look like it always had.
See Trees, page 2
WGH signs contract with new CEO hire By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
Megan Hansen photo
Sara Sessions, right, took home her second win during the mussel-eating contest Sunday. She lost by a mussel on Saturday.
Mussel madness
‘Amazing’ weather brings in record festival numbers By Megan Hansen Co-Editor
Whidbey General Hospital’s new CEO will assume her duties April 20. Geri Forbes, most recently CEO of Doctor’s Memorial Hospital in Florida, will replace CEO Tom Tomasino, who has served as Whidbey General’s CEO for five years. “I look forward to helping lead the team Forbes at Whidbey General Hospital and Clinics and wish to express my appreciation to the hospital board, physicians, staff and community for entrusting me with the role of CEO,” said Forbes in a statement emailed by the hospital. “My family and I are excited to relocate to Coupeville as I assume my new role on April 20.”
See CEO, page 2
“Amazing” weather and national promotion brought record crowds to Coupeville over the weekend. An estimated 6,000 people filled the streets on Saturday and 3,000-4,000 Sunday, exceeding everyone’s expectations. “It is everything we have been working toward,” organizer Cindy Olson said. Olson, along with Coupeville native Lark Kesterke, operate Aqua Events, which has organized MusselFest the last nine years with the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association and Penn Cove Shellfish. The attendance was more than anticipated, even bringing in international visitors from the Ukraine and Canada. Olson said she believes the increase in attendance is partly due to national attention by USA Today. Organizers sold out chowder-tasting tickets by 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and, by day’s end, various groups were having to make supply runs. Penn Cove Shellfish’s mussel tent cooked
1,300 pounds of mussels in four-and-a-half hours on Saturday, said Karen Jefferds, assistant general manager for the shellfish company. “We were right down to the very last bag.” Proceeds from the tent go to the Coupeville Boys & Girls Club and a science scholarship for Coupeville students. The Coupeville Booster Club sold 700 pounds of mussels at its booth, said president Christy Kellison. “We sold over double what we’ve done in the past,” she said. “It was the nicest weather we’ve ever had. “The sun definitely helped.” Kellison said the club sold out early on Saturday and had to place an order for additional
mussels Saturday night. In all, Penn Cove Shellfish harvested 6,000 pounds of mussels for the event, including the additional 1,000 pounds it had to harvest Sunday morning, Jefferds said. The company generally harvests 4,0004,500 pounds for MusselFest, she said. That total includes mussels provided for the chowder-tasting contest, group booths, cooking demonstrations, mussel eating contest, and to the various restaurants for sale and to take-home orders. Restaurants served up 15,000 chowder samples in hopes of becoming this year’s win-
See Mussels, page 2