Kent Reporter, October 21, 2011

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KENT .com

REPORTER

WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking CONQUERING CHANGE | Kentwood volleyball squad putting together a run in news, sports stories and weather updates. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011 the South Puget Sound League North [19] www.kentreporter.com

In the workshop with a real life Santa Claus The 78-year-old Kent man lives the philosophy of giving to others BY KRIS HILL khill@covingtonreporter.com

Vern Heinle’s 8-year-old grandson thinks he’s Santa Claus. His wife, Caroline, had a conversation with the little boy not too long ago. “He was convinced, he said, ‘He has a beard, he has a workshop and he builds toys,’” she said. And around the holidays, youngsters in need in the area may well think Vern Heinle is Santa, because the toy-building 78-year-old Kent resident will deliver 200 handmade wooden cars and trucks to the Forgotten Children’s Fund with some of his grandsons in tow. Vern Heinle began building toys for the Seattle-based non-profit four years ago after connecting with Jim Pelletier of Covington. Vern Heinle is a regular at Shari’s on Kent Kangley Road and 132nd Avenue Southeast in Kent, where Pelletier is the manager, and was encouraged to get involved in the restaurant’s efforts to support the Forgotten Children’s Fund annual Christmas drive.

BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

More than 270 volunteers proved Wednesday that Tudor Square Park in Kent can be rebuilt in a day. Volunteer crews put up a new 2.754-square-foot playground as well as three fitness stations and a walking path at the 4.7-acre park on the East Hill at 112th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 268th Street. Crews gathered at 8:30 a.m. and finished the project in about six hours. Kent Parks, Recreation & Community Services, Kent Parks Foundation, Tudor Square Neighborhood Council, Humana, Inc. (a health care company

Voters have a choice in two contested races for the Kent School Board, although one candidate says he has not had the time to actively campaign for a position and is unsure if he would serve if elected. Russell Hanscom said during a phone interview KENT Tuesday that he really doesn’t have the time to commit to be a school board director. “I’m not trying to win,” Hanscom said. “If I win, I might resign or I might not.” Hanscom is up against Larry Sims for the director District No. 1 position to replace Jim Berrios, who decided against running for reelection. In the other race, Leslie Kae Hamada takes on incumbent

SCHOOLS

Vern Heinle, a retired carpenter, builds a car out of wood. Heinle donates dozens of handmade wooden toys thanks to [ more SANTA page 3 ] Covington resident Jim Pelletier, who manages the Shari’s near 132nd Avenue Southeast and Kent Kangley. KRIS HILL, The Reporter

A day rebuilding Tudor Square Park

School board features two contested campaigns

based in Louisville, Ky.,) and KaBoom! (a national non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that has built more than 2,000 playgrounds in the past 15 years) joined forces to construct the playground. The customized playground, funded primarily by Humana, was created with personal drawings and input from children and seniors in the community. This marked the first of eight multigenerational playgrounds and family reunion gathering areas that Humana and KaBoom! will build in eight cities over eight weeks. The other playgrounds are in New Orleans, Greensboro, Albuquerque, Tucson, Nashville, Orlando and San Antonio. The walking paths and fitness stations at Tudor Square Park help promote good posture, balance and flexibility while the kid-friendly playground creates a multi-generational park. Reach Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600 ext. 5052. To comment on this story go to www.kentreporter.com.

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Ashley Snider, a Kentlake senior shovels concrete in to a post hole Wednesday at Tudor Square Park. CHARLES CORTES, Kent Reporter

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