REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
UNSTOPPABLE: Katie Raben is outstanding on the mound for the Spartans. A11
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 | Vol. 112, No. 15 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
ALL’S FINE AT THE FARM
Tani Creek Farm not impacted by sludge spill BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
A Fort Ward organic farm wants to separate itself from misconceptions over the recent sewage spill. Tani Creek Farm is a family operation run by the Sassenfelds. It sits on a serene hillside on the south end of Bainbridge Island overlooking fields of kale, spring onions, potatoes, mustard, chard, spinach and more. Beyond the greens are duck ponds filled with egglaying ducks. Large white geese sit along the shore not far from cattle and goats who all enjoy a rather nice view of Rich Passage. The serene image was tainted by word of the recent sewage spill into local wetlands and Tani Creek, leading to the misconception from some that the farm may have been effected. “We are to the west of Tani Creek Road. The wetlands and Tani Creek are to the east of it,” said Helmut Sassenfeld, co-owner of the farm. “The wetlands or the creek do not touch us. Our farm is almost a kilometer away.” The farm grows a significant portion of a healthy diet — and it’s all organic. The operation fills subscriptions as part of its community-supported agriculture program. Produce and meat from the farm is also featured on menus at prominent island restaurants and cafes. But when news broke of the nearby Fort Ward sewage spill, Tani Creek Farms’ orders suffered. “Pretty much, this is the first week that I haven’t had any restaurants order anything,” said Max Sassenfeld, coowner and head farmer. “And we have multiple orders every week.” When the sewage spill was discovered more than a week ago, sludge had leaked into the wetlands next to the Fort Ward treatment facility. It was contained there. While no pollution from the spill was found in neighboring Tani Creek or Blakely Harbor, the Kitsap Public
City of Bainbridge Island photo
Bainbridge Island officials said former Civil Service Commission Chief Examiner Kim Hendrickson has handed over police files that she said she forgot she had stored in her garage. The files had been originally kept at the police department and marked for destruction.
Hendrickson turns in missing police records Former city contractor kept personnel files marked for destruction in her garage BY BRIAN KELLY Bainbridge Island Review
Richard D. Oxley / Bainbridge Island Review
Under the glow of heat lamps, Helmut Sassenfeld holds a baby goose, less than a day old, one of the many animals at Tani Creek Farm. While the farm shares the same name, it lays almost a mile away from the site the public has been cautioned about. Health District officials put out a cautionary warning for the water bodies. Understandably, the public was wary of the farm that shared the same name as the creek, co-owner Helmut Sassenfeld said.
There is just one problem: The farm is nowhere near Tani Creek. “The farm is called ‘Tani Creek’ because it’s on Tani Creek Road, but we SEE FARM, A13
A Bainbridge Island woman who has led a highprofile quest to reform the Bainbridge Police Department apparently took home dozens of personnel files from the police department that were marked for destruction. According to a city memorandum made public April 11, Kim Hendrickson allegedly admitted taking
home civil service files from the police department that had been stored in a Civil Service Commission filing cabinet at the police department. Hendrickson, the founder of Islanders for Collaborative Policing, was at one time the secretary/ chief examiner for the Civil Service Commission, the independent body that reviews potential hires for SEE RECORDS, A18