Deckhand Injured In Holiday Accident Kirk Lunsford, veteran deckhand on the ferry Guemes suffered a broken femur in his right leg in a Thanksgiving Day ac- cident at the Anacortes landing. It was the last run of the shift at high tide in stormy conditions when his leg was caught between the boat’s bulwark and the landing ramp, he told The Star. Lunsford was immediately aided by deckhand Holly Bowman while Skipper Gary Casperson called for paramedics who were on the scene in minutes. Lunsford was released after two days in Island Hospital and expects to be recu- perating for six to eight weeks. Lunsford, 42, is married to Shawnee Hansen. The Beachcomber By Win Anderson Evening Star Publisher Murray Read’s cabin-building story this month shed a bit of light on the man’s remarkable life now eight years short of a century. Murray is still rolling up his sleeves for virtually every volunteer project on the island including, most recently, re- pairing cabinets in the Community Center and working on the fire hall addition. It was during the fire hall job that Jim Dugan overheard someone mention to Murray that a door jamb he installed was out of plumb. Skeptical, the old master looked it over and exclaimed, “That jamb isn’t out of plumb. It’s so plumb, it’s over plumb,” and gave it a whack with his hammer. The door fit perfectly. 0 Chuck & Sharon Larsen, of Anacortes, stopped by last month to ask permission to hunt on the place. Chuck’s hunting days on Guemes go way back to when his father James operated a dairy farm in what is now Ocean Acres. The Larsens are excellent repre- sentatives for the hunting community and are welcome at all the large farms: the Schoultzes, Benjamins, Bushes and Veals. Chuck adds to the lore of our con- tinuing Guemes West Side Story by noting (T urn to Page Two) Vol. 1 No.5 Guemes Island December 1995 Fire Department Squabble Could Unseat Fireman Al Bush By Win Anderson A long-simmering conflict in the Guemes Island Fire Department will come to a head at the December 12 meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Al Bush, a 20-year volunteer and commissioner-elect, will be faced with the choice of resigning as a firefighter or giving up his seat on the board. The choice results from a decision by Chair- man Dave Davelaar, long the subject of criticism by Bush. Davelaar went on record “saying he will not approve of anyone serving as both a commissioner and a firefighter,” according to drafi minutes of the November meeting. By state law, the position of commis- sioner/firefighter must be approved by a unanimous vote of the board. The comment by Davelaar was made following approval of a proposed policy resolution by retiring Commis- sioner George White that would elimi- nate the dual role after January 1, 1996. The resolution would not effect Bush, who was elected in November and would be seated in January. Davelaar’s announcement forces Bush to choose between giving up his elected position or interrupting his fire- fighting service—-and its pension plan. Only one other firefighter, Am Veal, has served more years on the depart- ment. “1 was upset. This is a low blow,” says Bush, who had not made a firm decision at press time. “They should have done this before the elec- tion. I thought long and hard about mn- ning because I’ve been a thorn in their side and I think if you (are critical) you should put your shoulder to the wheel and fix it." Davelaar, in an interview, said he feels it is a conflict of interest for any- one to serve in both positions and be- sides, “I think it would be extremely difficult for the board (with Bush as a member) to proceed with modernization of the department given Mr. Bush’s con- sistent objection to any change from the status quo.” On the contrary, Bush says, “I can work with people. The problem with this board is they don’t talk to the firefighters before they go out and buy something. I don’t see any conflict of interest. It’s in the board’s interest to have direct input from the department? Furthermore, Bush says, there is precedence as two other firemen have served on the board in the past. “I hate to see this,” he added. “This isn’t good policy. This is an ego thing. It will polarize the community and I don’t think that’s good. But it’s not that big of a deal and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.” rade in the Guemes Channel is scheduled for 4 p.m., Sat- urday, December 9. Once again there will be a commu- nity bonfire on the Anderson property at the Landing and the tower will be open . Bring your own marshmal- lows, hot dogs or snacks. , OCR Text: Deckhand Injured In Holiday Accident Kirk Lunsford, veteran deckhand on the ferry Guemes suffered a broken femur in his right leg in a Thanksgiving Day ac- cident at the Anacortes landing. It was the last run of the shift at high tide in stormy conditions when his leg was caught between the boat’s bulwark and the landing ramp, he told The Star. Lunsford was immediately aided by deckhand Holly Bowman while Skipper Gary Casperson called for paramedics who were on the scene in minutes. Lunsford was released after two days in Island Hospital and expects to be recu- perating for six to eight weeks. Lunsford, 42, is married to Shawnee Hansen. The Beachcomber By Win Anderson Evening Star Publisher Murray Read’s cabin-building story this month shed a bit of light on the man’s remarkable life now eight years short of a century. Murray is still rolling up his sleeves for virtually every volunteer project on the island including, most recently, re- pairing cabinets in the Community Center and working on the fire hall addition. It was during the fire hall job that Jim Dugan overheard someone mention to Murray that a door jamb he installed was out of plumb. Skeptical, the old master looked it over and exclaimed, “That jamb isn’t out of plumb. It’s so plumb, it’s over plumb,” and gave it a whack with his hammer. The door fit perfectly. 0 Chuck & Sharon Larsen, of Anacortes, stopped by last month to ask permission to hunt on the place. Chuck’s hunting days on Guemes go way back to when his father James operated a dairy farm in what is now Ocean Acres. The Larsens are excellent repre- sentatives for the hunting community and are welcome at all the large farms: the Schoultzes, Benjamins, Bushes and Veals. Chuck adds to the lore of our con- tinuing Guemes West Side Story by noting (T urn to Page Two) Vol. 1 No.5 Guemes Island December 1995 Fire Department Squabble Could Unseat Fireman Al Bush By Win Anderson A long-simmering conflict in the Guemes Island Fire Department will come to a head at the December 12 meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Al Bush, a 20-year volunteer and commissioner-elect, will be faced with the choice of resigning as a firefighter or giving up his seat on the board. The choice results from a decision by Chair- man Dave Davelaar, long the subject of criticism by Bush. Davelaar went on record “saying he will not approve of anyone serving as both a commissioner and a firefighter,” according to drafi minutes of the November meeting. By state law, the position of commis- sioner/firefighter must be approved by a unanimous vote of the board. The comment by Davelaar was made following approval of a proposed policy resolution by retiring Commis- sioner George White that would elimi- nate the dual role after January 1, 1996. The resolution would not effect Bush, who was elected in November and would be seated in January. Davelaar’s announcement forces Bush to choose between giving up his elected position or interrupting his fire- fighting service—-and its pension plan. Only one other firefighter, Am Veal, has served more years on the depart- ment. “1 was upset. This is a low blow,” says Bush, who had not made a firm decision at press time. “They should have done this before the elec- tion. I thought long and hard about mn- ning because I’ve been a thorn in their side and I think if you (are critical) you should put your shoulder to the wheel and fix it." Davelaar, in an interview, said he feels it is a conflict of interest for any- one to serve in both positions and be- sides, “I think it would be extremely difficult for the board (with Bush as a member) to proceed with modernization of the department given Mr. Bush’s con- sistent objection to any change from the status quo.” On the contrary, Bush says, “I can work with people. The problem with this board is they don’t talk to the firefighters before they go out and buy something. I don’t see any conflict of interest. It’s in the board’s interest to have direct input from the department? Furthermore, Bush says, there is precedence as two other firemen have served on the board in the past. “I hate to see this,” he added. “This isn’t good policy. This is an ego thing. It will polarize the community and I don’t think that’s good. But it’s not that big of a deal and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.” rade in the Guemes Channel is scheduled for 4 p.m., Sat- urday, December 9. Once again there will be a commu- nity bonfire on the Anderson property at the Landing and the tower will be open . Bring your own marshmal- lows, hot dogs or snacks. , Z ArchiveInABox,Final test,Box 1,Box 2,1995-12.pdf,1995-12.pdf Page 1, 1995-12.pdf Page 1