PATRIOT BREMERTON
KITSAP WEEKLY INSIDE: Park’s hidden gem – the work of muralist Jim Mayo.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 | Vol. 18, No. 39 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢
IN THIS EDITION
Stove fire causes major damage to rental Disabled fire alarms prevented early warning to firefighters BY MICHELLE BEAHM MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
NEWS WSF recruiting new employees
A11
OPINION Area libraries are a great resource
A4
NEWS H&M clothing store to open Dec. 17
A2
NEWS Port Orchard theater looking for new owner
A7
BREMERTON — An unattended stove caused major structure damage, but no injuries, in a house fire Nov. 24. Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Prichard with the Bremerton Fire Department said that the fire on 20th Street and North Cambrian Avenue started when one of the two renters left a pan on the stove to get hot in order to cook oyster stew. Prichard said that she left it unattended for seven to 12 minutes, causing a fire to start. Prichard said the woman left the stove to do other tasks while waiting for the pan to heat, and returned because a smoke detector was going off. She said there were “moderate smoke conditions,” according to Prichard, and “probably about a two foot high by one foot circumference fire on the stove.” According to Prichard, the fire was getting near the vents and was working its way to the kitchen cabinetry, so the woman knocked the pan onto the floor and tried to smother the fire with a blanket. However, the fire was still going on the stove and was starting to climb the wall, so Prichard said she grabbed a pillow to try to put that out. “She actually stepped on the blanket and caused some burns to her clothing while trying to extinguish the fire,” Prichard said. “She’s very lucky she didn’t get hurt by trying to put the fire out.” Prichard said that the next day, the woman reported possible smoke inhalation, but had insisted she wasn’t injured the day of the fire. Prichard said after that, her neighbor yelled at her
Firefighters spray water into a Bremerton home Nov. 24. to exit the house, which was fully involved in the fire by the time Bremerton Fire arrived. He said there was about $200,000 of damage to the structure and contents of the house. “Basically, the inside of the home was pretty well gutted,” Prichard said. Both renters were displaced and are in temporary housing. The owner of the property was notified later the day of the fire. Prichard said that much of the damage could have been prevented had the woman not disabled most of
Chris Tucker / staff photo
the house’s smoke alarms. “She had disabled all but, I think, one in the back bedroom,” he said. “Early notification of the fire probably would have taken place if the one near the kitchen had been operational. “That would be the take-home point: Make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home … Here’s another case where, again, they were disabled and they … would have prevented the fire from getting as big as it did.”
Grant will help restore Kitsap/Bremerton 2016-20 Bremerton waterfront consolidated plan approved
BREMERTON — The City of Bremerton will receive a grant from the State Transportation Improvement Board for $4,942,722 to reconstruct Lebo Boulevard. The project will revitalize the boulevard from Lower Wheaton Way to the city limits, and will include widening sidewalks, bike lanes, street lights, on-street parking and street trees. The estimated overall cost is $5,814,469, meaning the grant will only pay for 85 percent of the project. The rest of the money will come from the utility capital funds and the street capital fund. If necessary, the Transportation Benefit District could also become a partner in SEE LEBO, A9
BY MICHELLE BEAHM
MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Michelle Beahm / staff photo
Renovations will be made along Lebo Boulevard from lower Wheaton Way to the city limits.
BREMERTON — The Bremerton City Council approved the 2016-2020 Kitsap County/City of Bremerton Regional Consolidated Plan at the Nov. 23 special meeting. The consolidated plan must be adopted and submitted every five years, in compliance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. The plan is a prerequisite to receiving federal funds and serves as the city’s application to HUD for those funds. The approved plan includes a community needs assessment, housing market analysis, a strategic plan and an action plan.
“The action plan is a one-year document, which will detail how the funding that the City of Bremerton provides will meet the needs that were outlined in the strategic plan portion,” said Sarah Achaoui, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) manager, at the special meeting. “The action plan basically just outlines all of the needs of the strategic plan and will be adopted every year.” This plan will take effect Jan. 1, 2016, and expire Dec. 31, 2020. According to the consolidated plan packet, “The strategic plan addresses HUD’s goal to provide decent housing, a suitable living environment and expand economic opportunity.” SEE PLAN, A9
The Bremerton Patriot: Top local stories, every Friday in print. Breaking news daily on BremertonPatriot.com and on Facebook