Examiner The Whidbey
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Thursday, June 25, 2015
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VOL. 20, NO. 46
Start date unknown for pending Madrona Way project By Megan Hansen Co-editor
A start date for construction of Phase 1 of the Madrona Way Project is up in the air at this point. Staff for Town of Coupeville is still reviewing bids and has yet to make a recommendation. A special meeting was held June 10 so the town council could approve a bid, however town engineer Greg Cane withdrew his initial recommendation and said he needed more time. Mayor Nancy Conard said at the special meeting they don’t know when a bid will be approved and had no estimate on when construction would start. Town Clerk Kelly Beech confirmed Monday it is still unknown when a bid will be approved and construction will begin. Conard is on vacation and several town council members are attending an Association of Washington Cities conference this week. The original estimated timeline for the project had construction of phase one starting the second week in June. Residents living on Madrona Way will be impacted by the project, which is being completed primarily from Broadway to Vine streets with some water line extension going toward Captain Whidbey Inn. Residents in the area can anticipate about six months of disruption, according to town staff. Part of Madrona Way will be closed off to through traffic and vehicle will be detoured during this time. The nearly $2-million project has been years in the making and was broken into two phases, which include installation of new water and sewer mains and construction of a sewer lift station. Phase two includes road reconstruction, installation of a storm drain system and bioswales, and installation of a pedestrian path. Drivers in the area will experience detours onto Vine and Sherman roads during the project.
Jessie Stensland photo
From left, Costa Lavigne, Tanissa Lavigne, Marco Lavigne, Jill Peterson and Rand Stamm help form a chain of protesters encircling the Island County Jail Sunday. The Lavignes traveled from Lopez Island to protest the death of their friend, Keaton Farris.
Protest sheds light on jail failures
By Jessie Stensland Co-Editor
Tourists stopped and stared as a wave of people wearing black shirts, many with signs, marched through Front Street on Father’s Day. More than 250 people, many of them from Lopez Island, took part in the protest of the Island County Jail, where 25-yearold Keaton Farris died from dehydration in April. The protesters handed out water bottles. Coupeville resident Fred Farris, Keaton’s father, addressed the crowd before leading the procession. “This was for everyone,” he said of the protest. “It’s not just about me and it’s not just about Keaton. “This is just the first step,” he said. Keaton Farris spent most of his life on Lopez Island but went to high school in Coupeville for his sophomore and junior years. He developed mental-health issues two years ago and was accused of forging a check, which is why he ended up in jail. Sunday’s protest was spurred by Detective Ed Wallace’s report, which was released last week; it describes how the jailers failed to follow basic policies, resulting in the death. Island County Sheriff Mark Brown,
who’s ultimately responsible for the jail, suspended jail administrator chief De Dennis for a month. He decided to retire this week. Brown fired Lt. Pam McCarty, who was the second-in-command at the jail. Two corrections deputies who falsified their logs quit earlier. After reading the report, Island County Public Health Director Keith Higman placed nurse Nancy Barker on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation. Barker is a registered nurse who worked at the jail. The nurse worked under the guidance of the chief medical officer at the jail, who is a physician’s assistant working under a physician, according to Undersheriff Kelly Mauck. Mauck said two nurses from Public Health work in the jail. The sheriff’s office is also working with
See PROTEST, page 4
Investigation shows death a result of ‘catastrophic’ failures “Catastrophic systemic failures” at the Island County Jail led to a 25-yearold man’s death from dehydration April 8, Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said. An exhaustive investigation by Detective Ed Wallace offers an unblinking look at how negligence and errors by both corrections deputies and jail administration contributed to Keaton Farris’ tragic death. The report was released June 18. Island County Coroner Robert Bishop reported that Farris died from dehy-
See REPORT, page 4