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INDEPENDENT PORT ORCHARD
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 ✮ VOL. 124, NO. 50 ✮ WWW.PORTORCHARDINDEPENDENT.COM ✮ 50¢
Council endorses SK school district bond measure Chamber of Commerce also offers its support
With newly sworn-in council member Scott Deiner manning the Position 3 seat in the City Hall chambers, the Port Orchard City Council voted unanimously to endorse the South Kitsap School District’s $126.992-million bond issue to build a second high school.
The Jan. 12 endorsement followed a presentation in favor of the construction bond by Superintendent Michelle Reid and a public forum discussion. The South Kitsap School Supporters group is in the midst of its Yes4SK “Invest
With Yes!” campaign to generate support for the bond. The group is conducting meetings and support events throughout the district. Deiner wasn’t the sole new face at the council table. He was joined by new mayor Rob Putaansuu and council
‘This Old Barn’
Howe Farm Park is returning to its agricultural past
Bob Smith / Independent
The barn at Howe Farm County Park is undergoing an extensive renovation that will highlight the park’s transformation into an agriculture-themed public space. By BOB SMITH
rsmith@portorchardindependent.com
When the creaky, listing old barn at Howe Farm County Park is fully renovated by the end of February, visitors will get a glimpse of a Kitsap County park that’s in the beginning stages of a transformation to the past. Known as the “West Wing,” the barn
is being restored to its original condition. Its foundation, structural supports, siding, electrical systems and roof will be replaced during the process. Work on rehabbing the barn started Nov. 18, said Ric Catron, parks project coordinator. Sun Path Construction of Bremerton bid $80,000 to do the project. Catron
KITSAP WEEKLY IN THE INDEPENDENT Inside.
OPINION
said contractor Walter Galitzi of Sun Path Construction has a “real love for restoration work.” Before Sun Path could begin work this fall on the 1920s-era barn, an overgrown mass of blackberry vines rising 12 feet high had to be cleared from the entrance. The prickly growth did serve a purpose over the years serving as an effective barrier to vandals and trespassers, Catron said. Once the overgrowth was cleared, the barn interior had to be cleaned out. Amid the tons of hay bails was a huge collection of what Catron called “miscellaneous debris.” Fortunately for the cleanup crew, they were able to use the barn hay to tamp down a layer of mud on the ground and use it as erosion control during the construction. The emptied barn structure was in dire condition, Catron said. Many of the support beams and posts had rotted and collapsed, which caused the roof to sag dangerously. A cherry picker was brought in to help stabilize the west end of the barn with new 2x4-inch lumber. Soon, a new concrete foundation on the west end will be poured in the next week or two, he said, as will a new below-ground concrete retaining wall. Salvageable siding has been removed and placed inside the barn for protection. And new electrical service will be installed, as well. The barn, which is on the Washington State Historical Barn Register, also will FARM, SEE A5
Resolve to become involved. A4
members Clancy Donlin and Shawn Cucciardi. In other council action, an ordinance allowing up to 30 units per acre in mixeduse zones in the city was approved. The vote also gives the go-ahead for developing
up to 48 units per acre in what’s known as the Central Downtown Overlay District, or downtown Port Orchard. Nick Bond, the city’s development director, recommended the ordinance as a way to COUNCIL, SEE A10
Beheaded dog’s skinned body found By BOB SMITH
rsmith@portorchardindependent.com
The body of a small, 10-pound male dog was found skinned and beheaded Jan. 12 near the parking lot of the Port Orchard Walmart store. Kitsap Humane Society’s animal control officers responded to a call from a Walmart employee, who said the remains had been discovered by an individual in a wooded area at the south end of the store. A necropsy was performed by the agency’s veterinarian services staff, after which they reported the remains were of a 1- to 2-year-old dog, possibly cream-colored. The dog’s breed wasn’t determined during the necropsy. Rebekah Johnson, the
Humane Society’s spokeswoman, said the necropsy showed that the animal had been killed and desecrated by a person with a knife. “A person did this,” she said, discounting the possibility it had been done by another animal such as a coyote or large dog. “It’s clear that this dog was a lost pet and had been cared for,” she said. Port Orchard Police Cmdr. Dale Schuster said he was not aware of similar incidents happening in the area recently. Animal-control officers have begun an investigation, Johnson said, and are reaching out to the public for information or possible leads. Those with information can call 911 or Kitsap Animal Control at 360-692-6977 ext. 1208.
Gorst explosion injures Port Orchard employee GORST – An explosion knocked a man unconscious as he was cleaning up his welding work area at Viking Fence around 4:25 p.m. on Jan. 11. Coworkers and firefighters with South Kitsap Fire and Rescue tended to the man, who was later transported
to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma. Billy Price of Port Orchard has been identifed as the injured employee. According to SKFR, employees at the company stated the man had been weldGORST, SEE A2
SPORTS
SK bowling is a sport. Really. A11
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