REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
KITSAP WEEK: DEFEAT THE HEAT Here’s how you can keep pets safe this summer
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 | Vol. 30, No. 41 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
IN THIS EDITION
CKFR to ask voters for $13.9M for staff, gear $7.2 million levy and $6.725 million bond will appear on November ballots BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
NEWS Stennis sails for inspection survey
Voters this November will be asked if they approve of funding a $7.2 million maintenance and operations levy and a $6.7 million bond to upgrade apparatus and fire equipment for Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue. CKFR states it needs the M&O levy in order to maintain existing levels of service and to cope with an increasing
population. If approved, the levy would authorize a property tax to raise $7.2 million over a four-year time period. For each of the four years, $1.8 million would be raised with a about 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, not to exceed $7.2 million total. For a property worth $250,000, the levy amounts to about $62 per year. “It’s basically a request to the public for a four-year maintenance operating
levy of $1.8 million per year to maintain our current staffing and to increase our response time in some areas, specifically Chico,” CKFR Fire Chief Scott Weninger said, referring to Station 64 in Chico that the district has struggled to keep staffed with paid firefighters due to previous reductions in staff. “It’s needed by the district if we’re going to continue doing what we do,” he said of the levy. The CKFR board of commissioners
unanimously approved of two resolutions – resolution 15-21 for the M&O and resolution 15-23 for the bond – at its July 13 meeting. Board Chair Dave Fergus agreed the levy was needed, and said an internal economic summit had been held to talk about the levy. “We ran through all of the possibilities for increasing our funding … I’m SEE CKFR REQUEST, A9
FINISHING TOUCHES
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Chris Tucker / staff photo
Markel Soikes, Morgan Michels, Nick Ogilvie and Paul Ogilvie, from left, paint over screws used to hold up the nine concrete panels on a newly installed mural at Farmland Pets and Feed in Silverdale July 14. The Northwest College of Art and Design was tasked with redoing the original 1989 mural, which had deteriorated over the years. The new mural includes a few changes including the addition of chickens, a dog, and a steamboat. The artists took several design measures to ensure the longevity of the new mural including application of a ultraviolet clearcoat. The artists used 172 shades of house paint for the project.
OPINION Be ready for the ‘Really Big One’
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Fast driving leads to arrest of wanted man SPORTS Pickleball a popular pastime
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Man pulled over by trooper, hit by stun gun and then swam away
BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
A man with warrants for his arrest was caught after he drove his rental van 25mph over the speed limit and drew the attention of a Washington State Patrol Trooper.
Aaron John Declements, 30, of Bremerton, was charged with possession of stolen property in the second degree. According to a WSP report, Declements was allegedly driving a U-Haul van 85 mph on northbound State Route 3 near the Newberry Hill exit
on July 5. The speed limit is 60. A WSP Trooper saw the speeding van, pulled the van over to the shoulder and watched Declements and his passenger switch seats. Declements told the officer he did not have a driver’s license and then told the officer his name was “Aaron James Olson.” Declements was armed with two knives, the report stated, so the officer told him to keep his hands up. Declements then bolted and ran down a
hill through some blackberry bushes and the officer gave chase. The officer fired two stun gun shots. The first shot missed, but the second one found its mark. Declements fell to the ground and according to the report said “Okay, stop, stop.” Declements remained on the ground for 10 seconds and then ran away a second time, climbed over the fence and jogged away. The officer returned to SEE FAST DRIVER, A9
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