FRIDAY, August 24, 2012 n Vol. 121, No. 34 n www.portorchardindependent.com n 50¢
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
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
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▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
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
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TIM MATTHES
CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
BRUCE DANIELSON
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
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
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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
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.
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
Reporter
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-
Camp to Belong Washington has run for four years at Miracle Ranch
By KEVAN MOORE
By CHARLIE BERMANT
Public hearing next week
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
See Camp, A10
Camp to Belong, which was founded in 1995, is designed to reunite siblings separated by foster care placements. Price grew up in the foster care system. She was separated from her sister
It is more than a symbol. For Camp to Belong founder Lynn Price, the “Right to Reunite” banner hanging from the lunchroom at South Kitsap’s Miracle Ranch is more like a mission statement. Price, who lives in Denver, visited last week’s fourth annual Camp to Belong Washington at the Crista Camp site along Horseshoe Lake.
Smaller UGAs proposed
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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Kimmy, 12, above, honed her archery skills while her brother, Kyler, 11, paddled on Horseshoe Lake during last week’s Camp to Belong Washington, which is designed to reunite siblings separated by foster care placements, at South Kitsap’s Miracle Ranch.
was when she was 8 months old. Her sister was about 2 years old. Because there were no specific policies about siblings seeing each other at the time, Price said she only saw her occasionally when their mother sought visitation. That finally changed when her sister, who was a freshman in college, asked her to visit. “She asked if she could introduce
Contact April VanGesen via email at avangesen@fosterfamilyconnections.org for information on Camp to Belong
Senior Reporter
Port Orchard
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
South Kitsap camp reunites siblings separated by foster care
Kitsap County is on the verge of approving new Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundaries for Port Orchard, Silverdale and Central Kitsap. The boundaries for most of the UGAs will be smaller than those approved in 2006. Following a ruling by the Central Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, the county was forced to reconsider UGA sizes, urban densities and future growth. In the proposed Port Orchard UGA, a substantial reduction of properties at the southern end toward Bielmeier Road, which has now been rolled up to just past Baker Road. In addition, a large chunk of the northeastern corner of the UGA was lopped off. In all, the Port Orchard UGA will shrink by about 22 percent. The final public hearing on the UGA changes is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday. County commissioners are then slated to deliberate on the plans beginning Wednesday. The county’s deadline for finalizing its comprehensive plan is Friday. The county has held 55 public meetings and open houses in the past year dealing with UGAs. The new recommended boundaries are largely based upon where urban infrastructure, such as sewer service, could be affordably
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
Page A2
Page A24
provided, where environmental impacts to critical areas and shorelines would be minimized and where existing suburban development in need of urban services was already located. Following two public hearings, commissioners chose preferred alternative boundaries for the county’s eight UGAs. The final draft documents were released May 10 and included an analysis of impacts to critical areas, roads, police, fire and other services as well as the ability to provide public facilities such as sewer, water, parks and schools. In Silverdale, which will be shrunk by about a third, a portion of the southern end of the UGA boundary that includes Chico Way, Eldoroado Hills and other vacant properties was taken out since the area’s sewer is nearly at capacity and a groundswell of people came forward opposing inclusion in the UGA. The area also has some steep slopes that cannot handle a lot of density. The Central Kitsap UGA, meanwhile, which roughly runs from Waaga Way to Riddell Road, will shrink by about 13 percent. “What you’re looking at is a lot of land with limited development capacity to start with,” said county planner Eric Baker. A stretch of shoreline area along the east side of Dyes Inlet, including Barker Creek, has been removed due to how costly and difficult it would be to install sewers. Chris Chancellor/Staff Photo
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