A Sound Publishing Monthly Magazine
November 2012
Look Inside Check out the November edition of Veterans Life
Sports
Wolves play Central Kitsap in first round of playoffs
A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8
Page A10
Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business.
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
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By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
Staff Writer
Independent
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
FRIDAY, October 26, 2012 n Vol. 121, No. 42 n www.portorchardindependent.com n 50¢
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-
Senior Reporter
South Kitsap School District officials expect to identify their next superintendent in about four months. According to a timeline released last week by Northwest Leadership Associates, which is the search firm SKSD’s board of directors hired to handle the search, a contract is expected to be offered to the next superintendent Feb. 27. Plenty must occur before that date, though. Among those is a survey available to parents at SKSD’s website (www. skitsap.wednet.edu). NLA president Dennis Ray said during a meeting Wednesday at the district office that the survey, which will be available until Nov. 5, will help guide the search process. “We will use that to draft a position description,” he said. Ray said the position will be posted on websites that are popular among educators on Oct. 26. The application deadline is Jan. 22. SKSD is seeking to replace Dave LaRose, who left in July to become the superintendent of California’s Culver City Unified School District. Bev Cheney,
Hoffman said he supports annexation into both junior taxing districts. “This will give us a local voice for library issues,” Hoffman said. “We can finally get a library in Silverdale.” Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Weninger said the best service for the entire area would be provided if the city incorporates and annexes into the district. If the city did not annex, Weninger said the fire district would be cut
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
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By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
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form of government, with seven council members. A city manager would be hired by the council to run the executive branch. Finding the right city manager would be the first critical task for the newly formed city, Hoffman said. Public safety would be a top issue to work out if the measure passes. If a city is formed, residents could vote to annex into the Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue district and the county library district.
SKSD officials outline superintendent search deadlines
▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
BRUCE DANIELSON
Hoffman said during a phone interview Wednesday the issue was held up by urban growth boundary changes caused by remand from the state Grow th Management Hearing Board, but it is now headed for the ballot. According to documents from Citizens United, if the incorporation is approved by voters, the county will call for an election for city officials. Hoffman said the plan is for a council-manager
“There are some laws to enforce that type of thing, but we do run into issues if its’ a vessel that’s owned by somebody that’s Native American. The main thing here is the boat is sunk and it’s a priority for us and DNR to take action and we do have the authority to do that under (state laws dealing with) derelict vessels.”
By CHARLIE BERMANT
TIM MATTHES
JEANETTE DALTON
sure is planned for the Feb. 12 special election, according to Marcus Hoffman, a spokesman for Citizens United for Silverdale.
the boats are abandoned. For financial reasons they just abandoned them and rely on local governments to deal with the aftermath and it’s a problem.” Marti also said that Port Orchard police will be diligent. “Fortunately we don’t have a lot of these because we try and stay on top of boats illegally anchoring in the city,” he said.
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).
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
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Residents of Silverdale will decide next February whether to set up a city. An incorporation mea-
Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
there’s a lot of paperwork involved, but we’re working as fast as we can to get the boat out of the water because it is a priority,” Marti said. Marti said that there is a sort of silver lining in this case in knowing where the registered owner is, even if he is in county lock-up. “We do have access to the owner,” Marti said. “A lot of times
If the measure passes Kitsap County could lose nearly $8 million editor@soundpublishing.com
Dennis Box/Staff Photo
A 32-foot cruiser began sinking over the weekend in Sinclair Inlet and was nearly under the water Tuesday morning. The owner was incarcerated in Kitsap County jail.
Silverdale city vote heading to ballot By Dennis Box
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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
A 1964 32-foot Owens cabin cruiser sank off the shore of Port Orchard over the weekend and officials were hoping to haul it out of the water sometime Wednesday or Thursday. Port Orchard Police Department Commander Geoffrey Marti said Tuesday that the boat’s owner, Steven Holt, is currently incarcerated at the Kitsap County Jail. Marti also said that city officials have had problems with the boat in the past. “I’d like to have the boat destroyed, but the owner is not cooperating in waiving his right to the boat so we’re gonna have to go through a process to seize the boat,” Marti said. Port Orchard police and the Department of Natural Resources were working together to find a contractor to pull the boat out of Sinclair Inlet. “It’s one of those things where
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
kmoore@soundpublishing.com
Staff Writer
By KEVAN MOORE
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
The owner sits in county jail while boat disappears
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
Boat sinks in Sinclair Inlet
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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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.
Inside
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
Veterans Life
See SKSD deadline, A3
in half. “If the city left it would make if difficult with some response times,” Weninger said. In a position paper written by Weninger and David Fergus, chairman of the fire district board of commissioners, they wrote the district would remain neutral on incorporation. But they also wrote that “impact to the level of fire protection services to the region could be See Silverdale, A16