Kingston • Eglon • Hansville • Indianola • Little Boston • Port Gamble
COMMUNITY NEWS vol. 32 no. 4 • April
KingstonCommunityNews.com
‘This is a fine, fine day’ Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe celebrates Heronswood welcome pole, land into trust, hotel project By RICHARD WALKER
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ITTLE BOSTON — It’s not every day that you see something like this happen, one of the witnesses said on March 14. It seemed an uncommon day indeed. The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe dedicated a 12-foot welcome pole by S’Klallam artist Brian Perry at Heronswood, the 15-acre botanical gardens owned by the Tribe. The pole was a first for Perry and it’s the first S’Klallam art to be placed at Heronswood. Witnesses were called, welcome and honor songs were offered, and Perry’s family offered gifts to all in attendance. At the dedication, Port Gamble S’Klallam Chairman Jeromy Sullivan announced that the U.S. government had placed Heronswood into trust for the Tribe — meaning it’s recognized as being owned by the government of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, which now has complete legal authority over that land. And, in response to a question, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe general manager Kelly Sullivan said the Tribe was preparing to interview contractors for the proposed 100room hotel adjacent to The Point Casino and Event Center. “Ladies and gentlemen,” S’Klallam culture bearer Elaine Grinnell said, “this is a fine, fine day.” The welcome pole was secured in a unique way. Poles are commonly bolted to a steel strongback, or vertical beam. In this case, the day before the dedication, a notch was sawed into the center of the bottom of the pole; a crane then lifted and lowered the one-ton pole onto a channel beam standing up from a concrete base. Between the bottom
Community center project begins May 3 KINGSTON — Mark your calendar. On May 3 at 4 p.m., the Village Green Foundation will turn the first shovels of dirt to symbolically usher in the start of construction of the long-awaited 23,000-square-foot Village Green Community Center. According to the foundation, construction will take about 10 months. When completed, the community center will house a new Kingston branch library, senior center, and a Boys and Girls Club. It will also be the culmination of 12 years of community effort to transform a former Navy housing site
rwalker@soundpublishing.com
2015
into a center of community life. That effort — which included a complicated network of partners and roles — resulted in the development of Village Green Park and creation of a park district to maintain it; Martha & Mary’s development of affordable apartments for older residents; and now the community center and library. “We could not be more thrilled to be at this point,” board president Mary McClure said in an announcement of the event. “It’s been a long and at times difficult journey, but See CENTER, Page 2
One family mourns, another family hopes Funeral for one driver as another recovers from injuries By MICHELLE BEAHM
mbeahm@soundpublishing.com
One side of the pole at Heronswood depicts a welcome figure with two canoe paddles. The other side depicts a heron and a frog, symbols of the 15-acre botanical gardens. Richard Walker / Staff photo of the pole and the concrete base is a steel grate to prevent rot. A heron and a frog, both symbols
of the botanical gardens, are depicted on the side of the pole facing visiSee HERONSWOOD, Page 12
INSIDE FIREFIGHTERS CLIMB GREAT HEIGHTS TO FIGHT LEUKEMIA — Pages 9-10
KINGSTON — One week after a head-on collision in which he was killed, the family of Benjamin MacQueen of Sequim gathered for his funeral in his native California. The driver of the vehicle struck by MacQueen’s, James Norberg, was still in
the hospital being treated for injuries. Norberg, 53, of Kingston under went surgeries at Harborview Medical Center to repair his broken arms and legs. He is listed in satisfactory condition. Meanwhile, the Kingston community has launched efforts to raise money to help pay Norberg’s medical expenses. “He’s basically self-employed,” organizer Cheryl Steele said, “so he has nothing to fall back on. He See CRASH, Page 3
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