Imagine 500 plus housing units covering the Greenbank Farm property. That’s what would have been possible if the citizens of this community had not stepped up to buy the Farm. They did step up with the help of many. In 1995, a group of citizens formed a Friends of the Farm Committee and engaged the Nature Conservancy and the Board of Island County Commissioners to start the process that would make our citizens’ dreams come true. Preservation, maintenance, conservation and utilization by present and future generations of this magnificent property.

Island County did not have enough money in the Conservation Futures Fund to fully fund the purchase. Since the Port of Coupeville is a taxing district and the Greenbank Farm is in that district, they went to the Port and asked them to partner in purchasing the Farm. The Board of Commissioners, knowing that a Port’s primary purpose is to promote economic development, subsequently sold 151 acres to the Port which included the buildings.

The citizens and Friends of the Farm Committee then established a non-profit corporation named the Greenbank Farm Management Group (GFMG) in 1997. The principal purpose of the GFMG was to manage the property and act as the citizens’ voice in farm operations. The GFMG original board members were: Tom Clendenin, Jim Howe, Joan Houchen, Bud Spangler, Marcia Comer, Jim Davis, Bob Mann, Vern Olsen and Delores Teutsch. The first farm manager was Gary Ando. GFMG membership has changed and other farm managers have been employed over the years. The Greenbank Farm Management Group has been faithfully fulfilling the vision of the citizens to maintain a property useful to all for the last nine years.

At the April 2006 meeting of the board of the GFMG, the resignation of the then farm manager (executive director) Laura Blankenship was accepted. The board membership stepped forward to see that operations and events continued without interruption while the search for a new farm manager was undertaken. In July, an interim part time farm manager, Cheryl Sagmeister, was hired. Subsequently, Cheryl has since been hired on a full time basis and the position title changed to operations manager. At the July meeting, the board also contracted with a consultant, Paul Samuelson, to work with the board on community relations and board development.

On Sept. 18, Port of Coupeville Executive Director Jim Patton wrote a letter to the GFMG stating that the Port wanted to audit the GFMG’s books. Specifically, they wanted to see a separate ledger accounting for all Port management payments to the GFMG and every disbursement against those funds. As president of the GFMG, I responded in a letter dated Sept. 28, 2006 stating:

“Before you begin your audit, however, I feel compelled to point out that the GFMG is a private non-profit corporation. GFMG receives both restricted and non-restricted funds. Any funds received from a donor which we are required to manage as restricted funds, are in fact accounted for in that fashion. While the Management Service Agreement between the Port of Coupeville and GFMG defines the scope of work for which the management fee is paid, it does not stipulate that the funds are in any way restricted. Consistent therewith, the GFMG financial records do not reflect that the management fee is restricted.”

It was certainly clear to the Port from past reports made to the Port that financial records of the GFMG are consolidated and that the Port payment was included in the general operations fund. A representative of the GFMG has attended every regularly scheduled Port meeting and provided the GFMG’s financial reports in the same format for the past two-and-a-half years. The officers of the GFMG brought to the audit meeting on Oct. 9, 2006 records that did not include a separate ledger for such a ledger does not exist. The Port’s executive director stated that being the case, this meeting is ended and left. A detailed recording of that meeting was made and a written copy is a part of the records of the Port commissioners’ meeting of October 11, 2006.

If there are issues with the labeling of funds and reporting of disbursements, let’s define and resolve them with a qualified opinion of what change is or is not needed and the GFMG will make it. It should be noted, however, the GFMG follows generally accepted accounting rules for non-profit organizations. Now is the time to put such issues to rest and get back to doing what the citizens who worked so hard to save the farm expect of their GFMG. The GFMG was formed to be the citizens’ voice. It is composed of dedicated volunteer board members committed to the preservation of the farm, to maintaining the rural character, to providing economic opportunities and to the utilization of the farm to the fullest extent by the citizens of Island County who funded it’s original purchase.

Enough is Enough: We need to move forward, not spin our wheels.

Tom Baenen is president of the Greenbank Farm Management Group.