Record South Whidbey
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Simms throws complete game to topple Knights See...A8
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 33 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Attorney squabble may lead to High Court
South End teachers plan protest walk out By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record The Island County prosecutor, county commissioners and a land-use attorney may be headed for a constitutional showdown. In addition, the deputy prosecutor’s union is exploring the possibility of filing a grievance against the board. The kerfuffle follows the commissioners’ decision Tuesday to hire Kirkland attorney Susan Drummond as special counsel to advise the board on the ongoing update to the county’s comprehensive plan, which guides growth and development in the county. Maximum fees for up to two years of work are limited to $120,000, or $4,000 per month, without further authorization. In an added wrinkle, the contract indemnifies Drummond against any lawsuit that the county prosecutor may file against her. Vickie Churchill and Alan Hancock, the county’s Superior Court judges, approved the contract for special attorney services in a letter that addressed and brushed aside concerns raised by Prosecutor Greg Banks. They wrote that his objection — and threat of a lawsuit — are puzzling. “Such special counsel will actually aid his own office in carrying out its duties,” the letter said, “and is being appointed because, among other things, the prosecutor is apparently unwilling or unable to provide some of the SEE DISPUTE, A20
Plan update. “As it is, the existing plan doesn’t have a whole lot about Clinton in it,” Lynch said in an interview prior to the meeting. The comprehensive plan is the guiding document for planning and growth. It regulates zoning and development. Periodic and state required updates are opportunities for citizens and governments to make course corrections based on population growth and projections, as well as changing environmental codes. Now, it’s Clinton’s time to better determine where it will head in the next 20 years. “Clinton’s been told for 10 years, ‘Just wait for the comp
South Whidbey School District teachers will hold a walk-out next week in protest of the state’s lack of funding for public schools. The walkout is Wednesday, May 6, but because it was already scheduled as a halfday for students, classes will not be impacted and no end-of-year make up will be required. The afternoon was scheduled as teacher-directed work time, and teachers will make up this time, Superintendent Jo Moccia explained via email. The teachers will join thousands of other Washington State educators who have staged walkout protests over the past week. “By staging a walkout, we add our voices to all the other districts and communities around Washington State saying our students and teachers deserve better,” wrote Val Brown, spokesperson of the South Whidbey Education Association in an email to The Record. “We want to send a strong message to Olympia: Fund education now.” Teachers in at least 12 Washington school districts have either already walked out or proclaimed their intent to do so. Others, such as Seattle, Spokane and Everett are considering the action. Teachers in Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine, Mount Vernon, Conway and Anacortes walked out on Friday, April 24. School was closed in Lakewood and StanwoodCamano school districts Wednesday, April 22.
SEE CLINTON, A8
SEE TEACHERS, A20
Drilling for answers
Justin Burnett / The Record
J. Glenn Mutti-Driscoll, a hydrogeologist with Seattle-based Pacific Groundwater Group, looks at a core sample dug on a 24-acre property in Freeland Monday. The firm was hired by the Freeland Water and Sewer District to examine the property, which is owned by Jerry Stonebridge, to determine if it is suitable as the future location of a sewer treatment plant. The facility would treat water for the commercial core, and potentially additional parts of Freeland in the future. Monday’s testing will go on through the week, and involves removing core samples from depths of up to 105 feet. So far cores showed sandy, porous materials which are good for drainage. “It’s making me happy,” said Andy Campbell, district manager. This was the second phase of testing; the first phase include digging shallow trenches, and the latest will involve actual water filtration tests. If all goes well, district commissioners will likely agree to purchase the site at a predetermined price of $800,000.
Clinton Council ponders better days with roundabout, vision By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Getting help from the state to better control traffic and from the county to craft a vision were the top priorities discussed by the Clinton Community Council during a monthly meeting Monday. Eight volunteer members of the council’s board, led by Jack Lynch as president, met at the Clinton Community Hall to discuss their ongoing projects. Most of the larger items covered are years away from becoming reality, among them a roundabout at the intersection of Deer Lake Road and Highway 525, and getting vast input from the Clinton community to help create a vision for what the area should look like in the Island County Comprehensive