Thanks to the help of a prominent volunteer program, the Coupeville Wharf building will get a facelift next year.
The building at the end of the pier in downtown Coupeville will be the focal point of the Field School that is organized by the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing.
Volunteers will learn various aspects of preserving historic structures when they replace the siding and windows on the south side of the longstanding building at the end of the pier in downtown Coupeville.
Leaders for the Port of Coupeville will soon have a crucial piece of information needed for a conservation easement for the Greenbank Farm.
Commissioners for the Port of Coupeville, which owns the Central Whidbey farm, approved a $9,000 contract recently with Edmonds-based Terra Valuations to conduct an appraisal of the farm’s property.
Work is starting on information needed for establishing a conservation easement at Greenbank Farm.
Commissioners for the Port of Coupeville, which owns the farm, recently approved a $9,000 contract with Edmonds-based Terra Valuations to conduct the appraisal.
Leaders at the Port of Coupeville and Greenbank Farm want the conservation easement so it would add another layer of protection to the agricultural, recreational and environmentally sensitive lands that make up the bulk of the farm’s acreage.
Beer aficionados on Whidbey Island have a local place to support and diversify their passion for brewing suds.
Whidbey Island Home Brew Supply opened recently on Fidalgo Avenue in Oak Harbor and provides all of the equipment and ingredients to brew the alcoholic concoction people have been enjoying for thousands of years.
As the state budget process gets rolling, reductions on Whidbey’s ferry routes are being considered.
Washington State Ferries was asked by the governor’s office to come up with $5 million in budget cuts for the upcoming biennial budget.
Sheriff Mark Brown has to look for a new corrections officer who would be willing to work for one year.
The Board of Island County Commissioners approved a $67 million budget after a public hearing Monday night. That approval included funding for the single position, but Brown said it could be difficult to find someone willing to go through the academy before starting his work at the jail for a position that will last a single year.
Oak Harbor resident Jo Balda enjoyed a bit of recognition when she participated in a Monday afternoon bowling league. She, along with her fellow league members, took time to celebrate her 90th birthday.
Oak Harbor’s newest nonagenarian reached the 90-year mark Wednesday, but her friends have been celebrating the occasion in the days leading up to the event.
One thing surprised Oak Harbor school leaders when classes started in early September: There were fewer than expected students in the schools.
The first enrollment count taken four days after class started shows there was the equivalent of 5,118 full-time students in Oak Harbor schools. That number is 182 students less than what was projected in the district budget.
“It’s the biggest drop we’ve seen for about six years,” said Lance Gibbon, assistant superintendent for the Oak Harbor School District. He presented the enrollment numbers during a recent school board meeting.
A bull elk decided to explore Whidbey Island and residents are taking notice.
The wandering elk, which are rarely seen on the island, has been hanging out near Strawberry Point on North Whidbey. He’s been hiding in the grass and enjoying the apples on nearby trees.
“It’s been pretty low key. We knew it would be a matter of time,” Ralph Downes, an officer with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, said about reports of the animal being spotted on Whidbey.
A long stretch of shoreline has been cordoned off at Cornet Bay in Deception Pass State Park while workers complete a project that will give the beach a more natural look.
Work crews have spent a month removing the creosote-log bulkhead that lines more than 800 feet of shoreline adjacent to a marina, parking area and boat launch on Cornet Bay Road. In its place will be native plants that planners said will give the area a more natural look.
It appears a lot of people came to Deception Pass to swim at Cranberry Lake.
After closing the popular swimming hole in August due to high levels of E. Coli bacteria, the number of people visiting one of the busiest state parks in Washington has dropped.
“It’s had a huge effect on attendance,” said Jack Hartt, manager of Deception Pass State Park. Although he didn’t have hard numbers available, on sunny warm days when the parking lot should have been packed with cars, it’s only been about one-third full.
Berries could once again be an abundant fixture at the Greenbank Farm.
The owners of a small Central Whidbey farm are hoping to lease land from the publicly owned farm so they can plant berry bushes that will comprise a U-pick operation open to the public.
Five Acre Farm, on Hwy. 20 between Coupeville and Greenbank, wants to lease 7.5 acres of land and plant rows of loganberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries on the farm of the one-time largest loganberry producer in the United States. The small farm would also request an option to lease an additional 7.5 acres.
Amid the work training farmers for a life in agriculture is a project that could be a boon to organic farmers on Whidbey Island.
The Greenbank Farm is home to an Agriculture Training Center that teaches farmers how to establish and operate a successful farm.
As part of their studies, several students and teachers are developing varieties of organic seeds catered to thrive on Whidbey Island.
