City to hold growth meeting April 18

The City of Oak Harbor will hold a public meeting April 18 to discuss population growth.

The meeting will present information on projected personnel growth at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, explain how the Oak Harbor Public Schools are already responding to that growth and discuss residentially zoned properties, according to a press release issued by the city.

This substantial growth will affect the city’s housing market, schools, health care and retail services, and “will present opportunities for growth within these sectors,” the release said. The meeting will feature developers, builders and Realtors interested in learning about those opportunities.

“As the new mayor, I plan to lead our city to be more business friendly,” Mayor Bob Severns said in the statement.

The meeting is 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 18, at the Oak Harbor School District boardroom, 350 S., Oak Harbor St., Oak Harbor.

Free museum admission for April

The announcement was no joke despite the date it fell on.

The Island County Historical Society announced Friday that admission to the Island County Museum will be free the entire month of April.

Coupeville resident and museum volunteer Jackie Feusier is sponsoring admission fees for anyone who wants to visit the museum in April for the third year in a row.

She said she came up with the idea to attract more visitors to the museum and also as a good way to celebrate her own birthday month.

“I think our museum should be free for anyone, anytime,” Feusier said. “Unforunately, our wonderful museum struggles every year for adequate funding and isn’t able to offer free admission on their own.”

The museum is located at 908 NW Alexander Street near the historic Coupeville Wharf.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit islandhistory.org or call 360-678-3310.