Wolves gearing up for winter seasons
A major Santa, brigade on the way Firefighters, makeover Explorers
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Quality Inn eyes big changes
collect food, toys
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SEQUIM GAZETTE www
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015
Sequim’s Hometown Newspaper
com
1 in 26
75 CENTS
Vol. 42, Number 48
More than 100 of the Sequim School District’s 2,627 students report they are homeless
Bringing their past Kiwanis experience and diverse backgrounds with a common passion for community involvement and an emphasis on children, Kiwanians Jack Gourlie, Wayne Boden, Philomena Lund, Mary Boden and Lily Lawson are among those revitalizing the Sequim-Dungeness Kiwanis Club. Sequim Gazette photo by Alana Linderoth
Kiwanis club makes comeback ‘Improving the world one child and one community at a time’ by ALANA LINDEROTH Sequim Gazette
A new wave of Kiwanians are working to fill any and all community cracks left behind after the Sequim-Dungeness Kiwanis Club dissolved more than two years ago. “All of us come to Kiwanis with a big love of children,” Philomena Lund, Sequim-Dungeness Kiwanis Club president, said. Not only do the members of the renewed club each share a passion to serve and support their community with an emphasis on youth, but each brings years, some decades, of previous Kiwanis experience. Kiwanis clubs aimed at “improving the world one child and one community at a time,” Lund said, are found in individual communities nationwide. However, each club is part of a bigger network operating under the umbrella
See KIWANIS, A-11
Sequim’s most vulnerable The struggles homeless youth and young adults face daily in Sequim are nearly invisible to many, but are far from absent. Within the Sequim School District, 101 students have self-identified as being homeless and even that triple digit number likely fails to capture all youth without a consistent home environment in Sequim, Jennifer Van De Wege said. Since April, Sequim High biology teacher and activity coordinator Van De Wege also has become the school VAN De WEGE district’s McKinney-Vento liaison. “It’s been eye-opening and there’s a big learning curve,” she said, reflecting on the mere months she’s been the district liaison. Of the self-identified homeless students, about a dozen are unaccompanied and about 15 are kindergarten age. “It’s the ‘littles’ that really make me sad because they’re not going to self-advocate,” she said. See HOMELESS, A-4
Sequim students and advocates struggle to handle homeless issues by ALANA LINDEROTH Sequim Gazette
Playfield parking plan to add 60-plus spots Family Advocates, City agree on project by MATTHEW NASH Sequim Gazette
More parking is a go at the Albert Haller Playfields and James Center for the Performing Arts. Plans were unanimously approved on Nov. 23 by Sequim city councilors who designated $140,000 in the city’s 2016 budget to help add 60-70 parking spots at the Water Reuse Demonstration Site north of Carrie Blake Park while increasing safety. City staff estimate the project cost-
ing about $318,000 to add a one-way road from the Interpretive Center off Blake Avenue traveling east to new angled parking that connects to existing parking toward Rhodefer Road. The effort to add parking stems from Phase II of the Sequim Family Advocates’ plans around the playfield. “We’re totally behind this latest proposal,” said Dave Shreffler, president of the Sequim Family Advocates. “It makes a lot of sense and it’s a better solution than what we had previously been discussing. We’re thrilled
the city has some skin in the game this time.” Shreffler said no dollar amount has been set yet, but he believes contributions from the Albert Haller Foundation, Sequim Family Advocates and other contributors will exceed the city’s contribution.
Plans unfurled Previously, the advocates returned $128,000 back to the Albert Haller Foundation, which granted the funds. Total, they had about $164,000 raised, including the grant for the project
See PARKING, A-2
A new $318,000 plan for parking adds 60-70 spots at the Albert Haller Playfields. Photo/map courtesy of the City of Sequim
Sports B-1 • Schools B-8 • Arts & Entertainment B-2 • Opinion A-12 • Obituaries A-11 • Classifieds C-1 • Crossword Section C
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