REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
KITSAP WEEKLY INSIDE: Park’s hidden gem – the work of muralist Jim Mayo.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 | Vol. 32, No. 8 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
IN THIS EDITION
CK sixth graders to move to middle schools BY CHRIS TUCKER
CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
CENTRAL KITSAP — All CK School District sixth-grade students will move to middle schools for the 2016-2017 school year. The space that becomes available by moving sixth graders to middle schools allows
CKSD to accept state funding for reducing K-3 class sizes. The CKSD board of directors voted unanimously in favor of the move during their Nov. 24 meeting. With the addition of sixth graders, the student population at Central KitSEE SIXTH GRADERS, A9
““The clincher (is) we know that in K-3, kids must have a solid foundation. The state is providing us resources. We’ll need another 22 classrooms next year. If we don’t find a space then we just get to say no to the dollars.” – CKSD Superintendent David McVicker
CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN
NEWS WSF recruiting new employees
Courtesy photo
A rendering of what the new library may look like.
Purchase of land for new Silverdale library finalized
A11
OPINION Area libraries are a great resource
A4
NEWS H&M clothing store to open Dec. 17
A2
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Santa Claus and Miss Silverdale 2015 Madison Gilmore count down the final seconds for the tree lighting Nov. 28.
Crowd celebrates 61st annual tree lighting BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
NEWS Port Orchard theater looking for new owner
A7
SILVERDALE — Hundreds of people gathered outside Silverdale Antiques for the 61st annual Christmas tree lighting. Santa Claus arrived in a fire engine to greet the children. Shortly afterward, Santa and Miss Silverdale 2015 Madison Gilmore led the crowd to count down the seconds for the tree lighting. Brothers Rich and Roland Arper are two of the many folks who work to keep the tree’s colors shining brightly for the winter season. “We’ve worked on it, oh golly, I’m guessing 20-25 years that we’ve been participating and doing it,” said Roland, who is a member of the Silverdale Dandy Lions. Rich is with the Silverdale Rotarians. The Arper brothers are carrying on a tradition put in SEE TREE LIGHTING, A9
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Silverdale’s 131-foot-tall Christmas Tree shines after being turned on Nov. 28.
SILVERDALE — A future new library for Silverdale is one step closer to reality after the Kitsap Regional Library board of trustees voted to finalize the purchase of the selected 1.3-acre site on the corner of Blaine Avenue and Bucklin Hill in Silverdale during its Nov. 22 meeting. The new property borders an estuary, salmon spawning stream and a network of trails. It presents an opportunity for KRL to partner with other community organizations to build a library with an strong connection to the natural environment. “The Library is a central partner to everything we are doing in Central Kitsap right now,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Ed Wolfe. Private donations enabled KRL to move forward with its plans to build a new library for the Central Kitsap community. “We are excited by the opportunity to be stewards of this land and protect a piece of our environment. The possibilities for a new ‘nature smart’ library—connecting our community to the natural world with new ways to understand and interact with this fragile ecosystem—are endless,” said Library Director Jill Jean. After hearing public comments in May, the board voted to proceed with the earnest money to purchase the property. Since then, the Kitsap SEE LIBRARY, A9
The Central Kitsap Reporter: Top local stories, every Friday in print. Breaking news daily on CentralKitsapReporter.com and on Facebook