Vol. 125, No. 56
News-Times Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015
WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75 CENTS
Your hometown newspaper for 125 years
Muzzalls inviting public to Farm Day
page 12
Ousted IT director won’t face charges Ask for overpayment back, Almberg suggests By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
ROSE
A Washington State Patrol investigation into the former director of Island Transit didn’t uncover any criminal wrongdoing, the Island County prosecutor concluded.
But Prosecutor Greg Banks calculates that former IT director Martha Rose was overpaid by nearly $7,000 as part of her separation agreement. He said the agency probably can’t do anything to recoup the money because the board of directors ratified the payout amount as part of the settlement. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now,” Banks said. Oak Harbor Councilman Rick Almberg, however, offered a suggestion.
BRIDGE WORK ON TRACK
SEE NO CHARGES, A9
Photo by John Fisken/Whidbey News-Times
Contractors grind off the asphalt on Deception and Canoe Pass bridges on Sunday night, the first of the nighttime closures. The bridge is closed from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for five days this week for repaving. Deception Pass Bridbge will be back open Friday night. See story about the project on page 10 of today’s edition.
Transit board uncertain about iffy state funds By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
Uncertainties about a $2.3-million state grant has led to uncertainties about the future of the only bus route off Whidbey Island. Whether or not it will end — only to restart again — depends on when Island Transit officials can get their hands on $2.3 million in state funds designated for the route. As it stands now, the two 411 routes that connect Whidbey and Camano islands with Skagit County will end Aug. 3 because state funds are running out. But the board could decide to keep the route going — to effectively cancel the route cancellation — if staff members can get the answers by the regular meeting of July 24. The routes are vital to many Island County residents who use them to get to work, medical appointments and government services in Skagit County and beyond. ISLAND TRANSIT’S Board of Directors held a workshop Monday to discuss several ongoing issues, including the fate of the routes, collectively known as the tri-county connectors. State Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, and Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island, recently came to the rescue with $2.3 million to restore the route as part of a transportation project bill. Both the Senate and House passed the bill with the funding intact. The governor is set to sign it on Wednesday. SEE IFFY FUNDING, A9
Building a place she can call her own
Island County Habitat joins forces with Oak Harbor company to build home By RON NEWBERRY
A
rnewberry@whidbeynewsgrouplcom
Photo by Ron Newberry/Whidbey News-Times
Melissa Brown is all smiles at the construction site in Oak Harbor where Habitat for Humanity of Island County is building her a home with help from IDEX Health & Science.
s the walls went up, so did Melissa Brown’s spirits. She wore a perpetual smile and seemed almost in a daze as she watched the framework of a dream start coming together Saturday. “Wow,” she said, staring at the wooden
skeleton of new construction. “This is so cool.” Brown, a 33-year-old single mother of two young children, has never owned a home before. Yet by the end of the year, she and her children will be moving into their new house in Oak Harbor built by Habitat for Humanity of Island County and its mostly volunteer workforce. The three-bedroom residence is one of
four Habitat for Humanity homes being built on Lateen Street. What makes the Brown project unique is that an Oak Harbor company has essentially adopted the family. IDEX Health & Science is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Island County on the home project. IDEX donated $10,000 toward home SEE HABITAT HOME, A10