PATRIOT BREMERTON
Rock on: Concert series kicks off Aug. 1 Page 12
FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014 | Vol. 17, No. 23 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢
Courtesy photo
Firefighters work to extract the driver in a wreck in Illahee.
Utah man dies in Illahee crash
Kevan Moore/staff photo
Rebecca Uhtoff, center, the vice president of Bremerton Beyond Accessible Play, and other volunteers install new playground equipment at Evergreen Rotary Park that can be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages and abilities.
‘Better than a dream come true’ Beyond Accessible playground set to open next month at Evergreen Park BY KEVAN MOORE KMOORE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
When nearly 100 volunteers turned out recently at Evergreen Rotary Park to install new equipment for the Beyond Accessible Playground, it was proof positive that many hands make light work. The volunteers were able to accomplish in one sweltering day what would have taken city parks crews weeks to finish. “It’s hard to guess how long it would have taken our park crew to do something they hadn’t done before, but I think a month’s a fair guess,” Bremerton Parks Director Wyn Birkenthal said.
Kevan Moore/staff photo
John Larson was one of many volunteers who recently helped install new accessible playground equipment. “We would have had to string that work out for a pretty long time because our small crew still has to cut grass, pull weeds, empty garbage and service restrooms.” The new playground, the county’s first ADAaccessible play facility, comes to Bremerton thanks to the hard work of Bremerton Beyond Accessible Play, a group
of parents formed in 2011 that is dedicated to creating accessible play opportunities for children with special needs. When the new playground opens next month, it will potentially be utilized by as many as 3,500 kids with disabilities within the park’s service area. Previously, getting to the closest accessible playground required a 60
mile round-trip drive to the Gig Harbor area. Rebecca Uhtoff, Bremerton Beyond Accessible Play’s vice president, was thrilled by the overwhelming turnout of volunteers to install all of the new equipment. “We’ve been hard at work for the last threeand-a-half years advocating, fund-raising and building up community support and to put all of that into action in one day was such a blessing,” Uhtoff said. “The volunteers assembling a place for kids to play with friends and families without any limits is better than a dream come true. It’s hard to find the words to describe it all. There were lots of happy tears that were shed along with all of the sweat.” The installation of the equipment also coincided SEE PLAYGROUND, A9
A 45-year-old man from Utah died in a crash near the edge of Illahee State Park after the car he was traveling in crashed down an embankment July 21. The Kitsap County Sheriff ’s Office identified the man who died in the crash as David J. Ellenger of Utah. Around 3:06 a.m., Central Kitsap Fire and
Rescue responded to a report of a single motorvehicle crash in the area of Bahia Vista Drive and Sylvan Way. The vehicle left the roadway and went down two embankments about 200 feet down from the road. Ellenger was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Neither he or SEE CAR CRASH, A9
Crisis intervention program unveiled The public introduction of a new Crisis Intervention Officer program is scheduled on July 30 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Poulsbo City Hall Council Chambers. The event will showcase what law enforcement officials hope will be a significant improvement in how police respond to incidents involving those with mental health problems, such as drug addiction and mental illness. Against the backdrop of ongoing violent encounters nationwide involving the mentally ill, as well as the county’s decision to fund and develop pro-
grams to address mental health problems through a 1/10 of 1 cent sales tax increase, the program is an approach to help law enforcement handle calls involving crisis situations. It will provide greater safety for the officer, the person involved, and the public. CIOs will be specially trained law enforcement officers from each law enforcement agency SEE POLICE, A9