State-required electrical upgrades at the Island County Fairgrounds will be paid for by Island County.
The $8,789 reimbursement was seen as a victory for the Island County Fair Association, the nonprofit organization that produces the annual Whidbey Island Area Fair in exchange for the use and management of the 12.8 acres.
However, the bulk of the fair association’s request — $18,841 to expose the ceiling of the Pole Building’s dining room — was not funded.
Responding to an inquiry about demolishing the Dog House Tavern by its owner, the Langley City Council approved an emergency moratorium on destruction of historic buildings Monday night.
Director of Community Planning Jeff Arango proposed the six-month ban, which was unanimously approved by the city council in a 4-0 vote May 5. Councilman Bruce Allen was absent while tending to a family matter, but the council still had its necessary supermajority for the emergency ordinance.
Running the Island County Fairgrounds costs too much, and the managing Whidbey Island Fair Association wants county funding as part of a restructured lease.
In a letter sent to the county commissioners on April 9, fair association president Diane Divelbess wrote that her group could not “in good faith” renew the lease as it exists without any county support for the property. The two-year lease is set to expire in June.
“The way we are now, we are managing but without sufficient funds to manage,” Divelbess said in a phone interview Thursday. “Up to now, the county has given us what [it] has been able to give us.”
About 75 people crammed into the Coffman Building at the Island County Fairgrounds to hear and see the plans for restructuring the facility’s management and revamping its structures.
Some of the most noticeable changes are a planned reduction from 27 buildings to 12 and paving of the RV park and campground south of the main fair area.
Animal safety and comfort, failed bonds and adequate demand were among the main concerns aired during a public presentation Tuesday about significant changes proposed for the Island County fairgrounds.
Easing restrictions on small farms and improving education were the top concerns among residents at a meeting with state Rep. Norma Smith this week.
At a meeting in Clinton, Smith’s hometown, ahead of the 63rd Washington State Legislature, a couple dozen people let their representative know what mattered to them.
A man wearing a black ski mask, camouflage jacket and pants stormed the Bayview Valero gas station Wednesday night and forced the store’s clerk to hand him $500.
The clerk was not seriously injured by the armed robber, though the Island County Sheriff’s Office reported the suspect jabbed the victim with the barrel of the weapon, leaving an impression in her skin that matches the diameter of a shotgun barrel.
“Endangering somebody’s life for anything doesn’t make any sense for anything,” said detective Ed Wallace.
The proposed site of a new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal moved forward last month with the Port of Everett Commission authorizing the acceptance of the fuel tank farm from the U.S. Air Force.
The former fuel tank farm, located one-third of a mile east of the current ferry landing, is the proposed site of a new $140 million ferry terminal.
Only $102 million is in the state’s budget through 2019, which would cover engineering and early construction. The state Department of Transportation, Ferries Division will need to drum up the other $38 million to fully fund the massive project.
With summer nearly over, the ferry lines to reach Whidbey Island are dwindling.
Line cutting remains a salty issue for many regular island commuters, and for good reason.
During 2012, 523 line cutters were reported on the Mukilteo side of the ferry crossing, with the bulk in the peak summer months.
A total of 231 line cutters were reported to the HERO program, a division of the Washington Department of Transportation which also cites high-occupancy vehicle lane infractions, in June, July and August 2012.
Shakespeare in the tent is on for this August and September.
Thanks to the support and open wallets of Bard fans, more than $32,000 was raised for Island Shakespeare Festival.
However, if passersby missed seeing a 2,400-square foot, 18-foot-high tent behind Langley Middle School, it would be understandable.
Former state Rep. Kip Tokuda went fishing on Deer Lake Saturday morning.
A heart attack claimed his life while he was angling from his small kayak.
When the robots rise against humanity, blame a handful of South Whidbey teens.
Five Whidbey Island kids bested some of the Northwest’s top teen minds at an underwater robotics competition.
