Golf course pipe becomes geyser
The fairway on a hole at Holmes Harbor Golf and Beach Club looked like Old Faithful early Sunday morning when a leak sprung in a pipe.
A six-inch irrigation pipe containing reclaimed water burst under the fairway on the first hole, sending water 40 to 50 feet into the air, said Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Mike Cotton.
“They had plenty of water on the first hole and flowing down the hill. But it did not endanger any homes,” Cotton said.
The pipe had been sending water into the air for at least an hour. Eventually, golf course staff arrived, located the valve and shut it down for repairs.
Accident shuts down Highway 525
Highway 525 was closed for about 45 minutes Friday night after two cars collided near Casey’s Red Apple at Bayview.
A man driving a sedan south on Highway 525 slowed down after two other cars pulled out of the Red Apple parking lot onto the highway.
But the driver of a Chevy S-10 pickup, who was about to head north on the highway, pulled in front of the oncoming car and was struck, said Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Mike Cotton.
The driver of the pickup was transported to Whidbey General Hospital and the driver of the sedan went home with no injuries after his air bags deployed, Cotton said.
“One car went into the ditch by the Exxon station. The south bound car was disabled and stopped in the middle of the road. It had significant damage,” he said.
Talks to cover Freeland’s future
Freeland Chamber of Commerce president Chet Ross will speak with Friends of the Freeland Library about the future of Freeland next week.
The annual meeting will take place 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 in the library meeting room.
The public is invited to meet the board members and learn information about the group that supports the Freeland Library.
Refreshments will be served.
Freeland developer requests waiver
A Clinton contractor working on a Freeland construction project has asked the Freeland Water and Sewer District to modify a developer agreement.
Curt Gordon, owner of Island Asphalt & Sitework, Inc., approached district commissioners at their last meeting and asked them to set aside a requirement that would force his client to pay for water main extensions across Myrtle Avenue.
Gordon’s client is developing a 7,200-square-foot office building on Myrtle Avenue. Gordon said the extensions might not be used for years.
“I don’t see the advantage to the district to having these because it is hard to project what or when development will happen there,” Gordon said.
“I don’t see the commissioners having but two choices in this matter,” said Andy Campbell, the district’s engineer. “Waive your requirement and then change their policy, or stay where they are at with it.”
The district agreed to look at its specifications for its next meeting but did not make a decision about the waiver.
School board wins one, loses one
The state giveth, the state taketh away. That was the word from South Whidbey School District business manger Dan Poolman last week.
While the state has increased the amount of money per student under the provisions of
Initiative-728, reduced enrollment means the actual dollars are lower this year.
I-728 appeared on the Nov. 2, 2000 ballot in Washington state and voters approved the measure by nearly 72 percent.
Under the initiative, school districts were authorized to use funds to reduce class size; provide extended learning opportunities; provide additional professional development for educators; provide early assistance for children who need pre-kindergarten support and provide building improvements relating to class-size reductions.
Projected revenue to the district will drop in 2009 to $844,736 from the $871,650 that was received in 2008 because of lower enrollment.
District-wide, there were 63 fewer students over the 2007-2008 school year attending South Whidbey schools. That’s down from 1,870 last May to an average of 1,807 in April 2008, district officials said.
District gets set to log trust land
The South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District is getting Trustland Trails ready for public use. The district is seeking a permit to clear a 110-by-160-foot area one mile from the entrance to the trails on Craw Road and Highway 525.
“It’s a perfectly flat space that will be used for trailhead parking,” parks director Terri Arnold explained.
Roughly 5,000 board feet of lumber will be cleared and a 900-foot section of land will be graded for the project.
The trails wind through 200 acres of land in the Maxwelton Valley. The property was acquired last year by the parks district.
Senior center to hold driving class
The Bayview Senior Center will hold an American Association of Retired Persons-approved safe driving class in May.
The course runs from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, May 21 and 22 at the Bayview Senior Center on Highway 525.
The class is for mature citizens who are interested in improving their driving skills. It will cover rules of the road, roadway conditions, defensive driving and normal age-related physical changes that can affect driving.
Materials cost is $10 and reservations can be made at 321-1600.
Clinton chamber kicks off new year
The Clinton Chamber of Commerce invites all Clinton businesses to attend its new year kick-off meeting.
The meeting will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 1 at the Hong Kong Gardens restaurant in Clinton.
The chamber has been revitalized with a new board of directors which will be taking office on May 1. The meeting is an opportunity to meet the new board members, ask about joining the chamber and show support of the chamber’s efforts for businesses in Clinton.
For details, call 341-3929.
