REPORTER
DO THE TIME WARP: ROCKY HORROR ON SATURDAY IN THIS EDITION
CENTRAL KITSAP
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 | Vol. 30, No. 3 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
198 pets find homes as shelter exceeds goal
CELEBRATING HAWK ELEMENTARY
147 cats, 50 dogs and one bunny find their ‘Mega Match’ BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Austin Brown, of Bremerton, came to the Kitsap Humane Shelter on Saturday because he was looking for a friend for his 5-year-old cat, Mia. Shurrina Galvez, of Bremerton, brought her son, J.J., on his third birthday, and daughter, DeniseShurri Maclin, age 7, to look at kittens and puppies. And just about every other visitor during the three-day adopt-athon hoped to leave with a new member of the family. All of them were helping to empty the shelter during the Mega Match Adopt-athon. The Mega Match is an ASPCAsponsored national adoption event to find as many homes for animals as possible in just three days, said Rachel Bearbower, marketing and events manager for KHS. Kitsap Humane Society’s goal was to send home 111 animals to forever homes, which was three-times the number of pets adopted on the
Leslie Kelly / staff photo
A 3-year-old dog named Roxy sits in her cage prior to being adopted. same weekend last year. And they met that goal by 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. In all, they adopted 198 animals (147 cats, 50 dogs and one bunny) during the three days. Seventy-seven animals were adopted Friday, 70 on Saturday and 51 on Sunday. For Brown, the adopt-a-thon was motivation to get to the shelter. “I’ve been wanting to find a companion for my other cat for sometime,” Brown said. “But I just hadn’t done it. When I found out about the adopt-a-thon, I knew now was the time.” He had come out Friday and was considering a smaller cat that would fit with his five-pound Mia. But just as he arrived on Saturday, that cat was leaving with another family. So he wandered looking at the other available cats. His mother
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Mick Hersey, left, and Doug Nelson, right, and students Clay McKagan and Francis Sharp, hoist a U.S. flag upward as part of a ribbon cutting celebration at the new Hawk Elementary at Jackson Park school on Oct. 20. Hersey and Nelson are both with the John Paul Jones Chapter of the Washington State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. McKagan and Sharp are sixth graders at the school. Hundreds of school children were inside the gymnasium that day to watch the ribbon being cut and to listen to a speech from Marilyn Harrelson, who is the daughter of Medal of Honor recipient and teacher Bud Hawk. The school is named in Hawk’s honor. Hawk died in 2013. “His smile would have been huge,” Harrelson said of her father regarding the school’s name. For another view of the event, turn to page 9. was on the way to the shelter to help him make a decision. “I just need a smaller cat, maybe a kitten,” he said. “I don’t think a big cat would work because Mia is pretty small.”
As he looked at a tortie kitten named Sam, more than 75 volunteers were helping potential pet parents make their matches. “We’re making sure to counsel everyone who comes in today just
as we do every day,” said Bearbower. “We want to make sure that we make the right matches because we don’t want these pets to be coming SEE ADOPTION, A9
Buffalo Wild Wings, new seating among changes at Kitsap Mall
Free WiFi, new shops also coming BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
A Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, new LED parking lot lighting, new seats and free wireless Internet are just a few of the numerous changes planned at the Kitsap Mall. The mall is one of 28 owned by Chicago-based Starlight Retail Partners, a company that was formed in 2012 to acquire, redevelop, lease, manage, market and operate the malls. Erin Leedham, general manager for the mall, said Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht saw opportunity in Silverdale. She spoke about the changes during the Central Kitsap
Community Council meeting Oct. 16. “[Sternlicht] saw a market that was out there that was being untapped,” Leedham said of medium-size “B Malls” like Kitsap Mall. Kitsap Mall is one of the first malls Starwood bought, she said. “We closed on seven more yesterday so we’ve gone from zero to 28 malls in two years which is unheard of … they’ll always tell you that malls move slowly; Starwood does not move slowly. “They knew that this area was a winning location.” Replacing the mall’s years-old soft seating is one of the improvements that will be made. “It gets used pretty hard,” Leedham said of the seating. “It’s like having a frat house all the time.” The old furniture will be donated to
Coffee Oasis. New plants will also be placed throughout the mall. While enjoying the comfy seats, mall-goers will also be able to use free WiFi. “All of us who have smartphones say, ‘Yay!’ because that saves us money,” Leedham said, noting that the free WiFi means cell phone users can avoid using their own data plans while at the mall. The restrooms will be renovated, and a family restroom – designed to help parents take care of their children – will also be built. A new play area including ride-along “Zoomer” animals will be available for children. Outside, new signs featuring a new logo will be installed at the entrances. A portion of the parking SEE MALL, A9
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Erin Leedham, general manager of Kitsap Mall, stands Tuesday where a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant is being built.
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