Kingston • Eglon • Hansville • Indianola • Little Boston • Port Gamble
COMMUNITY NEWS Vol. 29 No. 9 • September
S’Klallam Early Childhood Education Center
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KingstonCommunityNews.com
Village Green Senior Apartments
Building for the future S’Klallam early childhood education center may be finished in mid-February
By Megan Stephenson
Staff Writer
of the foundation, said the project is an example of what’s possible when public and private organizations align around a vision: Meet community needs for affordable housing and education and recreation programs in a central location. “We have a great project,” Jewett said. “People are working hard to make this thing happen.”
KINGSTON —SoundRunner passenger ferry service will end Sept. 28. Kingston port commissioners voted Aug. 22 to end their investment in the service. “I think we spent a lot of money [learning] we don’t have a market for our service,” Commission Chairman Marc Bissonnette said. “It’s an expensive lesson.” Commissioners were up against a current of vocal disapproval from some residents and lack of resources outside their port budget to keep the passenger-only ferry service running. “Our gas tank is empty,” Commissioner Pete DeBoer said. “We just haven’t had any help.” To give the passenger ferry service more time to build ridership, the commission voted in April to continue subsidizing it using funding earmarked for SoundRunner in 2013-14. SoundRunner cost $429,377.54 to run between January and July 31. Ridership increased from the low 20s to an average 34 morning riders and 47 evening riders. Port Manager Kori Henry, who is also SoundRunner executive director, said the service saw 60 evening riders twice the week before the commission’s
See APARTMENTS, Page 9
See Ferry, Page 3
EDITOR
From left, Head Start teacher Chad Sullivan, his daughter Liberty, and Health Nutrition Services Manager Karron McGrady look out the window of the old Head Start building, Aug. 20. The building will be replaced by a new childhood education center. The totem pole, carved to honor longtime educator June Jones, will be erected in front of the new center. Richard Walker / Staff
35 senior apartments at Kingston’s Village Green expected to be completed in fall 2013 partnered with Shelter Resources, Inc., of Bellevue on the project. This event is significant on several levels: It’s Martha & Mary’s first housing project outside of Poulsbo. And the $600,000 Martha & Mary paid for the land is enabling the Village Green Foundation to install infrastructure, among them road and utilities. Nick Jewett, executive director
inside KCN reporter Kipp Robertson covers (and races in) Hansville’s Coaster Games. — Page 14. Pie in the Park raises $14K for Village Green Foundation. — Page 17.
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KINGSTON — In fall 2013, at least 35 residents age 62 and older will have a new affordable housing option available to them in Kingston. And the view’s pretty good, too. More than 70 people gathered on Aug. 9 for the groundbreaking of the Martha & Mary Village Green Apartments, which will have one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors. Martha & Mary
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See EDUCATION, Page 9
Final sailing Sept. 28 Without a partner, this season is likely SoundRunner’s last
By RICHARD WALKER
LITTLE BOSTON — The old, 1,500-square-foot building had a long, productive life. It’s widely understood to be the oldest building on the Port Gamble S’Klallam reservation, but there are different estimations of when it was built. Retired educator June Jones believes it was in the 1920s or ’30s. If built pre-1935, that would mean people were still living at Point Julia when it was built. An earlier North Kitsap Herald story put the year of construction as 1939. In the ensuing years, according to Early Childhood Education director Jacki Haight, it was a community hall, grocery store, smoke shop, gathering place. It was previously located where the Head Start playground is now; it had a big basement then, said Jake Jones, master carver and S’Klallam chairman in the 1970s. He said the Tribal Council met there when he was chairman. Head Start moved into the building in 1986. Workers began dismantling the old building Aug. 21 to make room for a new $1.1 million early childhood education center. But the old building will continue to be a part of the community, and not
2012
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