Project could start soon
Independent
Inside
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8 June 23 - July 4
A special supplement of the Port Orchard Independent
Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
Fantasy in Sand • Port Orchard • 2012
FRIDAY, June 22, 2012 n Vol. 121, No. 25 n www.portorchardindependent.com n 50¢
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
6QTFUT UIF PSEFS PG UIF EBZ EVSJOH QSJNBSZ FMFDUJPO
▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
By CHARLIE BERMANT
CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
%&$*4*0/
TIM MATTHES
BRUCE DANIELSON
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
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). JEANETTE DALTON
4DIPPM EJTUSJDU MPPLT UP CBMBODF JUT CPPLT
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
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
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
See ADVENTURE, A4
See OVERCHARGE, A2
U
Reporter
Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
▼
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-
Reporter
By Brett Cihon
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
▼
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
The ‘Ghost Sniffers’ find adventure in the woods of Kitsap County – and share it online
Garder Joe..................A6
Opinion.....................A6
Health care................A8
Sports ......................A10
Fathoms ..................A13
Legals ......................A24
out ghosts. Her 12-year-old brother Maxwell has Asperger Syndrom. On the show, his twin characters, Maximillian and Maxo, use their photographic memory to help solve problems. Each child has a disablity and each child has a superpower, Cris said. “Jen came up with the idea that kids with disabilities each have a different kind of power,” Cris said. “It’s something different.”
and we want to expand,” Cris said. In each episode of “Ghost Sniffers” the characters use given superpowers to combat a mystery or some lurking evil. Their superpowers are bestowed in companion to their real-life disabilities, which are also incorporated into the show. Faith, who lives with type 1 Diabetes and has an insulin pump attached to her body, plays Faith Forge, a ghost hunter with the ability to sniff
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
WHO YA GONNA CALL?
Six area properties were overbilled
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
By Brett Cihon
Inside this edition
Change for Kitsap.....A3
Landfill cleanup ......A5
The show came about when Faith, a fan of shows and books about ghosts, told Jennifer she wanted to be in a show about ghosts. She started writing and a couple of episodes were filmed late last year. In January, Jennifer and Cris held an open casting call for new characters at the Port Orchard Library. More than twenty local kids were added to the cast of characters and the show took off. With season one mostly filmed and some episodes garnering more than 3,000 YouTube hits, attention has turned to season two. One of the main goals for season two, Cris said, is for Ghost Sniffers to achieve nonprofit status. This would open the show up for receiving local and national grants, Cris said, from places like Fred Meyer, Wall-Mart and diabetes care provider Novo Nordisk. The first season was funded primarily through a Kickstarter funding campaign, donations and private funds.
nder a canopy of trees and in front of a mock pirate ship, “Ghost Sniffers” writer and director Jennifer DiMarco instructed her cast. “That was good, Faith,” DiMarco said to her 9-year-old daughter. “But this time I want you to mean it.” The four cast members riding the mock pirate ship prepared for another take. Faith tried her line again. “The-rrr she blows!” Faith yelled. DiMarco and the cast and crew were filming a trailer for season two of “Ghost Sniffers” Tuesday. The show, which features a cast of child and teen actors with real-life disabilities, already has 12 episodes completed in the first season. Now, “Ghost Sniffers” is looking towards season two with the hope, said season one producer Cris DiMarco, of attracting a bigger audience and expanding the scope of the show. “We want the characters to develop
Port Orchard
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.
Page A13
Port Orchard’s Finance Department is taking steps to correct a storm drainage assessment billing snafu that cost the owners of six area properties more than $100,000 combined. The owners of six area parcels received duplicate storm drainage assessment bills on a bi-monthly basis since 2009. The duplicate billings were due to an invalid parcel number in the Storm Drainage Assessment directory composed by the city. The duplicate bills were sent and paid for by Heritage Arbor
Contributed/Staff photos
Page A10
Page A7
Your Guide to this years activites
City to correct billing snafu (Right) Kristie Gronberg, 15, plays Sirus Spark in the online television series “Ghost Sniffers.” (Below) Kyra BoatwrightFrost, 14, acts out a scene from the show. The local series is gearing up to start production on season two of the series, filmed locally.
a good way to exit
Blackjack Trail
Coach of the year Fathoms O’ Fun
Fathoms O’ Fun