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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2013
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System is tardy: Kent school traffic cameras delayed BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
School traffic cameras will get a late start in Kent. Kent city officials had hoped to have the first cameras operating when Kent schools opened on Aug. 29.
“They’re not up yet ...we’re waiting to hear from the contractor on an actual start date,” said city spokeswoman Michelle Wilmot in an email. “While we had hoped they would be installed and operational by the start of the school year, we’re likely looking at mid-October.”
Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions (ATS), Inc., contracted with the city to provide the camera services that include the equipment as well as mailing out tickets. ATS contracts with Des Moines, Seattle, Federal Way, Issaquah and more than 300 other communities in 21 states to pro-
vide traffic camera services. “We’re told the design and installation process at the video camera locations has taken longer than the contractor originally proposed,” Wilmot said. Charles Territo, ATS spokesman, said during a phone interview Tuesday that the company
ran into “equipment availability issues.” “Kent remains a priority,” Territo said. “We hope to have them installed by mid-October. These are very sophisticated pieces of equipment. We operate on an [ more CAMERAS page 4 ]
Council candidate pleads not guilty to theft charges has been very stressful to say the least and to say it’s a distraction is far too Kent City Council canmild. It’s very tough on didate Ken Sharp pleaded Ken that it has come to not guilty to seven counts this point. He is reconsidof first-degree ering all of his optheft for reporttions with regard edly stealing to withdrawing, $297,500 from suspending the his 93-year-old campaign or mother’s bank acgoing full-steam count and putting ahead.” the money into Sharp was his account. booked into the Sharp Sharp, 66, plans county jail after to reconsider his entering his plea options about whether to and released an hour later stay in the council race, on $1 bail, according to said defense attorney jail records. Sharp was Mark Prothero during not in custody when he an interview after Sharp entered his plea. Federal entered his plea Aug. 29 Way Police arrested and in King County Supereleased Sharp on June rior Court at the Maleng 21 for investigation of Regional Justice Center theft from his mother, a in Kent. Federal Way resident. “I think he’s considerIf convicted as charged, ing all of the options now,” Prothero said. “This [ more SHARP page 5 ] BY STEVE HUNTER
shunter@kentreporter.com
‘Like Niagara Falls’ Heavy rainstorms on Aug. 27 caused serious damage to the roof of a Kent business in the 8200 block of South 194th Street and flooded its floorspace. ‘It was like Niagara Falls,’ said Ray Fricks, owner of Crate Tech, Inc., in the North Kent industrial area. The business had a 40 feet by 40 feet section of roof come down in a warehouse
The Thresholds art project will remain standing at the Saar Pioneer Cemetery until Sept. 29. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
area shortly after 5 p.m. The building is a concrete tilt-up and the collapse happened in a corner of the building where drains were unable to keep up with the sudden accumulation of rain water. No one was in the area when the roof came down and no one was injured. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
Symbolic art installation to memorialize 89 unmarked graves BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
In an effort to memorialize the Saar Pioneer Cemetery unmarked graves, collaborative artists Frances Nelson and Bradly Gunn
will give unidentified gravesites an emblematic marker using a series of “thresholds” through the cemetery. The 89 white thresholds, roughly 6-feet tall by 3-feet wide, are connected with plywood lattice cuts that, according to Karen Bouton with the South King County Genealogical Society, are based off the layout of the [ more PROJECT page 4 ]
City looks at options to save golf complex BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The Kent City Council plans to take a few more rounds of discussion before picking an option to resolve the financially [ more RIVERBEND page 4 ]