To the residents of Island County,

In response to recent media reports and community concerns, Washington State University seeks to clarify discussions it had, and is currently having, with the Port of Coupeville in its role as owner of Greenbank Farm.

In 2013, the Port of Coupeville asked WSU to consider submitting a proposal to assume management of Greenbank Farm. At that time, WSU commissioned a series of interviews with principals and community stakeholders about this proposition and developed an inventory of natural and infrastructure resources on Greenbank Farm.

The goals of the report were in part, to identify possible opportunities as well as challenges for WSU if it were to serve in a management role. A summary of this report is available for public review.

During the summer of 2014, discussions continued between the Port of Coupeville and WSU, particularly given WSU’s new role in offering expanded educational opportunities for residents of Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties. These discussions reflected the Port’s vision for Greenbank Farm and, in part, WSU’s new role as manager of the Everett University Center.

WSU was in the process of launching four academic majors at WSU North Puget Sound at Everett and intent on meeting the policy goals and statutory requirements under the authorizing legislation of Senate Bill 5636.

In August 2014, WSU sent a letter to the Port of Coupeville stating that as a public university, it could not perform certain functions required by the Port to manage Greenbank Farm. However, WSU did outline possible increased opportunities for the University to provide educational and Extension services to and for the residents of Island County.

These included suggestions for possible expansion of an educational presence on Whidbey Island, such as offering a hub for degree programs to assist students interested in earning a college degree, internships, agricultural research, farm-to-table educational offerings, and other Extension programming.

While the Washington State Legislature this year approved new programming for Everett in software engineering and data analytics, we may be willing to pursue funding for agricultural programs which was not approved, if there is community interest and support. The Port of Coupeville, in a letter to WSU dated Sept. 10, 2014, acknowledged that WSU was not able to enter into a contractual agreement to provide facility management at Greenbank Farm. The letter specifically noted that the Port would be altering its agreement with the Greenbank Farm Management Group in June 2015 and it “… expected that current tenants will want to continue to lease beyond 6/3/15. Therefore, WSU should focus on portions of the [Greenbank Farm] that are not currently leased or in use.”

WSU understood from this letter that the use of any space at Greenbank Farm was not to displace any current tenant.The Port’s letter also expressed encouragement that WSU was interested in enhancing the public benefit to citizens of Island County by providing education, research, and Extension services at Greenbank Farm.

Following these 2014 discussions, additional ad hoc meetings were held in the winter of 2015 with WSU and elected officials representing Island County government and legislators from districts of the North Puget Sound area. These discussions focused on possible uses of Greenbank Farm and/or other sites for offering WSU academic courses and extension delivery for Island County residents. Some of these meetings included representatives of stakeholder groups including the Island County Economic Development Council, the Ports of Coupeville and South Whidbey, Goosefoot and others to consider expanding educational opportunities on Whidbey Island.

As we enter into the summer of 2015, WSU has become aware of news reports intimating that WSU is planning to “take over” Greenbank Farm, evict tenants from commercial space, and/or restrict public access to the farm. This is not true; WSU does not have any such aspirations or plans. We are troubled by this dialogue and suggestions by some that WSU has shifted priorities away from local communities and programs.

The facts are that all the space at Greenbank Farm is currently under lease by the Port of Coupeville. We do not desire to displace current tenants, have no plans to do so, and in any case, could not given that the Port of Coupeville makes these decisions, not WSU.

WSU recognizes the unique characteristics of Greenbank Farm both in terms of the cherished asset it represents to Island County residents and opportunities it presents to expand WSU programming in the county. WSU is deeply committed to advancing our land-grant mission and working in partnerships with the communities we serve and with those who seek our engagement.

We are expanding degree programs through the growth of WSU North Puget Sound at Everett. We support the goals of the legislature and SB 5636, which recognized that the residents of Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties should have access to four-year degrees that will support the economic development and social welfare of the region.

We look forward to ongoing dialogue to bring expanded “for credit” courses and Extension programming to Island County, including possibilities at Greenbank Farm pending agreement of all the parties involved and consistent with the parameters of the various land use and master plans that guide the management of the farm.

Sincerely,

Rich Koenig, Director, WSU Extension

Bob Drewel, Chancellor, WSU North Puget Sound, Everett