Kingston • Eglon • Hansville • Indianola • Little Boston • Port Gamble
COMMUNITY NEWS Vol. 32 No. 1 • January
KingstonCommunityNews.com
Business district is being studied
Neighbor Aid donations lower than last few years BY KIPP ROBERTSON EDITOR
KINGSTON — ShareNet’s Neighbor Aid fundraiser reached about $30,000 in donations as of Dec. 12. That is the lowest it has been in about three years. “It is running low,” ShareNet Executive Director Mark Ince said. Around the same time last year in 2013, $35,331 w a s donated. By Januar y 2014, the total grew to $73,334, the second-most raised in six years. The fundraising effort’s main goal is to provide money for day-to-day operations. The annual budget is approximately $150,000. Eight to 10 percent of the budget comes from grants, 5 to 7 percent comes from federal programs, and the rest comes from Neighbor Aid and individual contributions through the year. The campaign technically ends Dec. 31. However, See NEIGHBOR, Page 15
2015
Chamber of Commerce could spearhead efforts BY KIPP ROBERTSON EDITOR
The dredge barge operated by American Construction Company pulls sediment from the Kingston marina, before placing it into the dump barge Dec. 9. The majority of the dredge project is expected to be complete by mid-December, with all work required to be finished by Dec. 30. Kipp Robertson / Staff photo
Dredge will open up marina Project expected to be complete by Dec. 30 BY KIPP ROBERTSON EDITOR
KINGSTON — The benefits of the Port of Kingston Marina dredge could be seen immediately once it is complete. The water depth will deepen with
the dredged sediment removed, which is expected to be complete by Dec. 30. Deeper water will make it easier to move in and out of the marina in Apple Tree Cove, Port Manager David Malone said. “It has become really tight and you have to almost dogleg to miss all the areas that were [shallow],” Malone said. There are areas where boats would scrape against, or become
stuck on sand bars. Larger boats and boats with a deep draft — the minimum depth a boat can navigate through — have been known to completely avoid mooring at the marina because of the shallow water, Malone said. “You have some boaters with a deep draft and they hear about [running aground] … The last thing you want is your big beautiful
KINGSTON — The Greater Kingston Area Chamber of Commerce is thinking of ways to pull businesses together. One of the chamber’s goals for 2015 is to explore the possibility of a business improvement district. It’s a potential solution to draw more people to Kingston without putting pressure on chamber members, while keeping businesses active in the community, Chamber Executive Director Colleen Carey said. A business district would help with things such as collective advertising and encouraging local residents to shop in the area, Carey said. “We have a ton of tourist traffic through our town in summer months … And we really need to get our locals engaged in
See DREDGE, Page 9
See BUSINESS, Page 10
Pope wants Natural Resources to pay for more of mill site cleanup BY KIPP ROBERTSON EDITOR
PORT GAMBLE — Pope Resources is suing the state Department of Natural Resources, saying DNR is
liable for cleaning up stateowned aquatic lands near the former sawmill site in Port Gamble. Pope Resources claims because DNR owned the
aquatic lands surrounding the sawmill site at the time hazardous substances could have been released there, DNR is “strictly liable, … for all remedial
action costs.” Pope Resources originally entered into an agreement with DNR and Department of Ecology to provide $5 million to
clean up the site, according to the lawsuit. However, Ecology “pressured” Pope to conduct a more extensive cleanup. Total cleanup costs are expected to be
about $17 million. Pope Resources is asking for DNR to pay remedial action costs incurred See BAY, Page 12
INSIDE OUR NEW YEAR’S GIFT TO YOU: KCN’S 2015 CALENDAR Page 18
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