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SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 23 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
A NEW NEST By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record
A new nesting space is awaiting the resident osprey of Waterman’s Field at South Whidbey High School. The birds of prey are expected to return from their southern migration in the next couple of weeks. Workers installed a new nest platform and post this week, replacing the osprey’s previous nest which weighed approximately 400 pounds and had caused the light pole upon which it was situated to bend. The new space is located in the same general area, slightly south of the field. The South Whidbey School District worked with the Whidbey Audubon Society, Puget Sound Energy and Osprey Solutions to relocate the birds’ nesting space. The post installation cost of $3,000 was funded by Puget Sound Energy; the Whidbey Audubon Society donated $600 for the new platform; and the school district covered the remaining $3,100. Osprey had first settled into their digs at South
Whidbey High School over 15 years ago, and had continued adding materials to the nest year after year. In its previous location, it was potentially dangerous to both birds and humans. Droppings of twigs and bird feces from the nest presented potential hazards to passersby, and the structural integrity of the pole was compromised by the nest’s size and weight. There was also a potential risk of the nest igniting from the heat of the field lights, which could wound or kill the birds. Brian Miller, director of facilities and maintenance for the school district, consulted with the Seattle-based environmental consulting firm Osprey Solutions late in 2014, and presented the idea to the school board in December. The company, headed by raptor biologist Jim Kaiser, provided the school district with a new, sturdy nest platform and new post. Kaiser also assisted Miller and Puget Sound Energy with the installation this week, and ensured that the new plat-
form and post will be inviting to the birds upon their homecoming. In order to encourage the birds to rebuild their nest, Kaiser placed materials from the previous nest onto the platform. Members of the Whidbey Audubon Society also attended the new nest installation, and commended the efforts of all parties. “What a nice project to be a part of,” commented Anna Swartz, a Whidbey Audubon member. Mel Walters, head of the Puget Sound Energy Avian Protection Program, said the company has successfully completed about 60 similar projects statewide. It is a move that is as beneficial for the birds as it is for the company and residents, he said, as safe relocation lowers the risk of power outages or hazards. “We’re used to doing power lines, but we do birds’ nests too,” said Puget Sound Energy foreman Todd Proudlock, joking that it was a relatively stress-free day for the crew. SEE OSPREY, A5
Superintendent to ask board to drop identification policy By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record The days of a controversial South Whidbey School District policy to identify public records requesters online may be numbered. The school board is set to discuss a slew of records related issues next week, including a recommendation from the district’s chief to drop the identification portion of the policy. While officials would continue to report the estimated cost of fulfilling records requests, along with a description of the information sought, the names of requestors would be replaced with either a number or a letter. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25, at South Whidbey Elementary School. In a recent interview with The Record, Superintendent Jo Moccia maintained that the intent of the policy has always been to keep the board informed about the financial resources being spent to satisfy information requests. Given that singular goal, there is simply no good answer to critics who have questioned how naming requesters helps keep school board directors educated about district expenditures, Moccia said. One doesn’t relate to the other, so she’s suggesting it be dropped. Also, the policy has become an unnecSEE SCHOOL, A5
School district relocates raptors’ platform
Kate Daniel / The Record
Jim Kaiser of Osprey Solutions puts together an osprey nest platform near Waterman’s Field at South Whidbey High School on March 20.
Langley adds staff time for records By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Langley plans to remedy complex and more frequent records requests by increasing staff hours, establishing a better digital system and shifting some deputy clerk responsibilities. On Monday, the second day of Sunshine Week for open government, Langley Finance Director and Clerk Debbie Mahler informed the city council of her plan to add hours for a part-time employee to work the front desk more. In doing so, one of the city’s deputy clerks could help her with some
records requests. Mahler is Langley’s public records officer, and most of the requests will still be her obligation. “It’s not just the volume of electronic records, it’s that we don’t have a system,” Mahler said in a phone interview Thursday. “We don’t have any consistency.” Records requests can be as simple as asking for a copy of a city ordinance or as complex and broad as asking for any documents — spanning email, memos, and formal city documents — that contain certain words. In Langley, not all records
are digital so, depending on the breadth and scope of a request, it may mean going through physical pages. “The central records part of it is a challenge for any city because when you’re 100 years old you have records in boxes that no one has taken time to turn into microfilm or whatever,” Mayor Fred McCarthy said in a phone interview Friday morning. Having already budgeted for the change, Mahler told the council she would add 12 hours to a part-time employee, former police chief Bob SEE RECORDS, A5