Stadium stalemate
Port Orchard
FRIDAY, april 13, 2012 n Vol. 121, No. 15 n www.portorchardindependent.com n 50¢
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
Inside
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
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Sports Coach resigns Legals
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CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
BRUCE DANIELSON
activities she reported as stemming from Keehn’s attempts to operate a business out of her home. Weaver said following an April 11 hearing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, certain conditions were placed on Keehn’s permit to mitigate Cronan’s concerns before she would be allowed to operate her business. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of those conditions, with the last being the letter from the (Kitsap County) Health Department,” Weaver said, explaining that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are SEE NEIGHBORS, PAGE A2
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
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TIM MATTHES
JEANETTE DALTON
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
and pension rates along with inflation as issues. In addition to the money saved on custodians, Patton said the district will dip into its reserve fund for $1.72 million. She said that’s not all bad because the district saved more than it anticipated in its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through not filling other vacant positions in the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. The board unanimously adopted the budget. Patton warned in previous meetings that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end
Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
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By CHRIS CHANCELLOR Staff Writer
The South Kitsap School District is a little closer to closing its $2.9 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent for business and support services, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting that the district won’t replace five full-time custodians who left the district after the last school year. She said that will save the district $250,000. Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district presented its last levy to voters in 2004. She cited escalating teacher salaries
chasing it last spring. City Development Director James Weaver confirmed that Keehn received a conditional-use permit to operate a onechair hair salon out of her home, which he described as “pretty innocuous” and something that doesn’t typically reach “the level of intensive use,” as far as impacts on the neighborhood are concerned. However, since November of 2007, Cronan has filed multiple complaints with the city regarding traffic, noise and other
Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business. shot in three of her home’s windows. Cronan, who lives on the 200 block of Flower Meadows Street in Port Orchard, said she believed the attack was part of an ongoing dispute with Keehn, whom she alleges has been running a hair salon out of her home without a business license and in defiance of a city “stop-work” order. Keehn, 30, said she filed for permission from the city of Port Orchard to operate a hair salon out of her home on the 2300 block of Flower Avenue soon after pur-
SEE Hoppity, PAGE A11
By CHARLIE BERMANT
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
Reporter
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Greg Skinner/staff photo
Gardener Joe Opinion Stormwater
Staff Writer
Expectations were turned on their head in two Kitsap County political contests during Tuesday night’s primary election, as the perceived front-runners came in third and were disqualified in their respective races. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap commissioner’s race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido. Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third (See related story, page A3).
By Brett Cihon
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
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By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
Staff Writer
Tensions between two Port Orchard neighbors that erupted after one attempted to open a home business last year led both women to head down to the Kitsap County Courthouse Monday and file restraining orders against each other. Shelia Cronan, 49, said she filed a restraining order against Amber Keehn after returning home from a camping trip Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been
Port Orchard Jr. dragster takes on the Easter Bunny Nationals
City says county left infrastructure in mess
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
‘Hoppity hop hop’
▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
Bethel annexation brings revenue, worries
Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a mouth full of mud and a zero score after falling off Strawberry Delight in the Saddle Bronc Riding competition Wednesday night at the Kitsap County Stampede. The fair runs through Sunday.
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(Right) Port Orchard’s Ian Theofelis, 8, straps into his Jr. dragster before driving Bremerton’s 1/8-mile dragstrip Sunday during the Easter Bunny National race at the Bremerton Raceway. (Above) Ian Theofelis, 8, bursts off the starting line on his first day of racing Sunday Easter Bunny National drag race at the Bremerton Raceway.
SEE Annexation, PAGE A13
came with a its share of
Inside this edition
Ian Theofelis spent easter just about like any normal eight-year-old boy in Kitsap County, with family and friends playing in the sunshine among many brightly painted and shiny objects. Those objects were a child’s version of the 300plus mph cars that grownups race for fun and money - mini dragsters. Mixed into a day of mostly adult drag racing of great American muscle cars that have been hybridized, built up and blown out for drag racing and top-fuel dragsters, were a dozen children, 8 years old and up, following in the burnout tracks of
Growing pains Page A2 Page A8
driving an 8,000-horsepower funny car and her sister test piloting other team cars, Ian didn’t feel too bad. “My motor held back,” he said convincingly. In his rookie year, Ian had only driven his Bob Davie built car twice before taking his test-and-tune run Sunday at the Bremerton Raceway. Those runs came the day before. His NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League approved frame and fairing are powered by an eighthorsepower motor from a power washer that has been tuned and built into a 38-horse-power Jr. drag car. Ian’s crossed the 1/8-mile track in 13.098 seconds –
their parents and personal Ian ran 46.5 mph on on heroes. his first pass. It was only his “This is my Easter,” Ian third time ever mashing the said. “I like it.” gas pedal to the floor of his The fastest time cross- purple and yellow half-scale ing the race distance last dragster. weekend at Ian had the Easter hopes of B u n n y beating Gig N a t i o n a l s “They love the H a r b o r ’s was 8.90 competition and the Madison seconds by adrenaline.” Sailly, 9, Cameron who was C a l h o u n – Robert Domaier, Coach piloting the f r o m dragster on Covington, the day’s even- the track next to him when tual winner. The fastest local the light dropped through run at the the 1/8-mile track yellow into green. The Jr. came from Bremerton racer sized engine felt underZack Domaier who blasted powered at first, he said. the track with a 9.0, hitting Considering his heroes a top speed of 69.5 mph at include the John Race famthe finish line. ily, which has one woman
Soccer
Opening weekend
headaches. “We get all the expenses right away but we don’t get Port Orchard has all the revenue until a little expanded its waistline. The Bethel Corridor later,” said Port Orchard North — 566 acres of land City Council Member Rob from Sedgwick Road to Putaansuu. Putaansuu met with Shelton Lane and from Port Orchard Mayor Tim BlackJack Creek to about 1,300 feet east of Bethel Matthes, city staff and city Road — was annexed council members John into the city at 12:00 this Clauson and Jerry Childs at a special finance commorning. The $139 million in mittee meeting March 4 to assessed annexed prop- discuss the Bethel annexaerties, which includes a tion. There, the group went over Walmart, all the revthe China enues and Sun Buffet “We get all the exp ens es and dozassociated ens of expenses right away with the r e t a i l but we don’t get all annexastores and the revenue until a tion for the r e s t a u - little later.” remainrants in der of b etwe en, – Rob Putaansuu 2012 and brings the beyond. city of Port Orchard a proPutaansuu, who said jected yearly tax revenue increase of more than he had been previously $1 million. With about “vocal” about saving 50 $800,000 in expenses, percent of the revenue the city could net about from the annexation, $200,000 for the general admitted it might take operation of the entire awhile for the numbers to settle down before money city. The expansion also could actually be saved. By GREG SKINNER
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