INSIDE | School board, athletic director honored [2]
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Opinion | Seahawks’ Tate visits Auburn Riverside to deliver a message [6]
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014
Saving par 3? Council wants consultant to study golf course BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
No for sale sign is going up yet at the city of Kent’s par 3 golf course. Despite city staff recommendations to sell the property, the City
Council won’t make any decision about whether to try to sell the course to a developer for at least another six months. Instead, council members directed city staff on Tuesday night to seek proposals from golf manage-
ment companies about what they might do to turn the Riverbend Golf Complex into a moneymaker. City officials are trying to find a way to resolve the financially struggling complex, which also includes an 18-hole course,
driving range and pro shop. The council spent more than 90 minutes discussing the issue at its workshop before asking staff to find a consultant to study the golf complex and possibly keep the par 3 course.
“It’s not a secret I’m not a big fan of consultant contracts, I don’t like to spend money that way,” Council President Dana Ralph said at the workshop to Parks [ more COURSE page 4 ]
City to spend $60,000 to find new CAO, finance director BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The Kent City Council voted 5-1 to spend up to $60,000 on a consultant to conduct a nationwide search to find a new chief administrative officer (CAO) and a finance director. The council agreed with Mayor Suzette Cooke’s request to hire a consultant to
GRCC flight students take off with pilot degree program
FLOORED
BY ROSS COYLE
Kentridge guard Deon Thomas exults as fans storm the basketball court at Kent-Meridian High School after the Chargers’ state-clinching 65-61 victory over Arlington in a 4A regional playoff last Friday night. The Chargers (25-1) advanced
to the state tournament, where they opened against No. 2 Garfield (24-1) at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday afternoon. Story, page 14. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
rcoyle@kentreporter.com
When David Watson’s and Michael Peterson’s stomachs start to growl during their
help fill the two high profile positions. Dana Ralph, Dennis Higgins, Bill Boyce, Deborah Ranniger and Brenda Fincher voted Tuesday night to approve hiring Karras Consulting, of Olympia. Les Thomas opposed it. Jim Berrios had an excused absence. Boyce said when he served on the Kent School Board it [ more CONSULTANT page 9 ]
classes at Green River Community College, they include Bainbridge Island, Yakima, even Portland, Ore., among the possible locales for a lunch break. Something, the men say, within “a reasonable distance.” [ more PILOTS page 9 ]
Kent firefighters ready to join big field in a difficult climb for others BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
Come Sunday, Kent firefighters will join almost 1,800 firefighters from the U.S., Canada and overseas for the 23rd Scott Firefighter Stairclimb up the Seattle Columbia Center. They’ll throw on all their 70 pounds of bunker gear and an oxygen tank and race to see who can climb 70 floors the fastest. That’s 1,311 steps, a swift vertical elevation gain of 788 feet.
Last year’s winner, 31-year-old Andrew Drobeck of Missoula (Mont.) City Fire, conquered the climb and the overall field in 10 minutes, 48 seconds. Like a pink ribbon marathon, the stairclimb is a friendly competition that combines a firefighters “race” with the chance to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Kent Fire Department plans to send 13 firefighters to the climb from [ more CLIMB page 4 ]
Poised, ready: From left, Art Weichbrodt, Erin Rhead, Capt. Ian Bird, Capt. Rick Cox and Joel Willits are five of the 13 Kent firefighters who will climb the 69-floor Columbia Center on Sunday. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter