Peninsular Thinking

Old buildings, they’re like that box of chocolates in “Forrest Gump” — you never know what you’re going to get.

The old Slip 45 building, now being transformed into a public market, has hatched more than its share of surprises. The discovery of asbestos caused a delay last year. A new hitch has impeded progress on the market — billed as a Pike Place-style venue — but the project is still on track, says local businessman Don Ryan, who leases the building from Seattle-area property owner Mansour Samadpour.

Samadpour in 2012 agreed to invest in renovation of the building at 715 Bay Street. Ryan had hoped to open the market last summer, but he and Samadpour, whose investment has crept from $300,000 to nearly $600,000, used the delay to improve the design. Ryan now is shooting for this summer … sometime.

The latest hitch, which has slowed work to a crawl, was the discovery of two walls back to back where the facade of the building is to be built. The property, although listed by the assessor as a single structure, is made up of at least two, possibly three buildings, Ryan said. The assessor’s office says it dates to 1935.

The wall configuration means the façade must be re-engineered or redesigned to meet city standards for structural integrity. Once the city of Port Orchard, construction can resume at full speed ahead, possibly by next week, Ryan said. Vendors will then build their own kiosk-style spaces inside the market, which will offer fresh produce and flowers, cheese, seafood, beer, meat and more.

Ryan remains intentionally vague about pinpointing an opening date, because you never know ….

Down on the 600 block, another project under wraps is chugging along, according to the couple who plan an “Old World-style” pub on the corner of Bay and Harrison Street (the former Jordan’s Western Wear store).

Stacy Bronson and Dave Tagert, formerly of South Kitsap, opened the Devilfish Public House in Chehalis in 2007 and, emboldened by their success, are planning a second incarnation in Port Orchard.

“We’re not a bar or a saloon or a tavern,” Tagert said.
The Devilfish will be a quiet little gathering place that caters to an older crowd (35+), a place where you can engage in conversation without competition from the big screen or a loud band. The occasional acoustic group might be part of the mix. Microbrews from around the country and hearty pub fare (nothing fried) will be on the menu.

Tagert and Bronson are remodeling the interior themselves, and it will take as long as it takes, they say. Like Ryan, they are hoping to open this summer … sometime. Meantime, brown paper on the windows hides what’s going on inside the former deli.

Both veterans, Bronson and Tagert are looking to hire cooks and bartenders, with preference given to military spouses. The name Devilfish (for octopus) harkens to Tagart’s days as a commercial diver.

The building long owned by the Cohen family is now in the hands of Doug Zimmermann of Seattle.

The DeKalb Pier refurbishment, another Bay Street work in progress, should be complete by early July, said City Engineer Mark Dorsey. The city will replace the viewing platform and some of the crossbeams underneath, and make the platform handicapped accessible.

Share on Facebook

Here are some events coming up this week in Port Orchard that you may want to take note of.

Candidates workshop, Thursday
The city of Port Orchard will host a candidates workshop from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, 216 Prospect St.
Anyone thinking about running for any local elected office can learn about how to file for office, rules for reporting campaign contributions and other information.
Filing week begins Monday. Check the Kitsap Sun on Sunday for a more detailed story on filing week.
For more information, contact the city clerk at (360) 876-4407.

Library renovation fundraiser
Last summer, a new roof. In September, the Port Orchard Library will undergo a major interior renovation.
The library will be closed Aug. 30 through Sept. 30, during construction.
The library will get new carpet, more nooks and crannies in which patrons can read or work on laptops, and repairs on downtrodden features, such as ceiling acoustical tile.
The whole project will cost $100,000, of which roughly $70,000 will come from Kitsap Regional Library’s capital budget. KRL officials have planned for more than a year for the project, according to Kathleen Wilson, branch manager.
The Kitsap Regional Library Foundation will provide up to $10,000, and the Port Orchard Friends of the Library will donate roughly $30,000.
Friends of the Library recently received a $1,000 donation from Kitsap Bank. Fred Meyer earlier donated $5,000. With these large donations, the Friends of the Library is about halfway to its goal.
Friends of the Library will hold a comedy night fundraiser featuring Dwight Slade at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Clubhouse at McCormick Woods, 5155 McCormick Woods Dr. SW. Tickets, at $20 per person, are available through brownpapertickets.com, at the library or at the door.
Donations can be made at any Kitsap Bank branch or at the Port Orchard Library. For information, call 360-876-2224.

Share on Facebook

The city of Port Orchard allows residents to have up to three dogs and up to three cats per household. Licensed kennels are excluded from the pet limit.

But what about the family who moves into town with more than the allowed number of dogs or cats? Or the family that inherits a pet from a family member who moves into a nursing home or dies?

For those folks, the city offers a “pet variance.” Up to now, getting a variance has been a simple matter of filling out a form to document “hardship.” The city council recently revising the ordinance to factor in the impact of extra pets on neighbors.

The original proposal, discussed at an April 16 work-study meeting, was to require written permission from neighbors on either side of the residence slated for bonus pets.

The council discussed the issue of barking dogs, the most obvious potential source of annoyance. The city’s nuisance ordinance prohibits, “frequent, repetitive or continuous noise made by any animal which unreasonably disturbs or interferes with peace comfort and repose of property owners or possessors …,” Licensed kennels, shelters, vet clinics, pet shops and service dogs are exempted.

Councilman John Clauson pointed out that the number of dogs is not always the issue, when it comes to noise.

“You got five dogs that are little quiet dogs that live in the house, and you never see ‘em, I don’t care if you have 10 of ‘em,” Clauson said. “But you could have one sitting in your backyard that howls all night long, and I’m going to be unhappy.”

City Clerk Brandy Rinearson said the city’s contract with the Kitsap Humane Society covers barking dogs and yowling cats. Animal control officers from KHS are contracted to enforce this part of the city’s nuisance ordinance.

Public Works Director Mark Dorsey said health and sanitation also were concerns in allowing people to have more than three of any type of pet.

According to Rinearson, three was a somewhat arbitrary number set by the council that established the pet variance ordinance in 1999. Some cities have different limits (up to five dogs in one town she knows of); others have no ordinance limiting the number of pets allowed.

The council, after some discussion, decided it would be adequate to simply notify neighbors on either side if someone applies for a pet variance. The notification would come before the variance is approved. Members of the public can comment on any city council agenda item at the start of each meeting.

“My heartburn was we were constantly granting these with no process, and so the neighbors didn’t know,” said Councilman Rob Putaansuu. “So for me it’s about notifying the neighbors. I think you notice the issue so they know this is coming before us, and if they’ve got heartburn with it, here’s an opportunity to come and testify.”

The council agreed to place the amended ordinance on an upcoming agenda for formal approval.

Another “process” gap in the city’s code is how to handle the occasional request from a business for after-hours music and other goings-on. Such a request came before the council in early April, when Amy Igloi of Amy’s on the Bay sought permission to play music on her deck after 11 p.m. (the city’s noise curfew).

The city’s nuisance ordinance prohibits a host of public disturbances between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., including the sound of machinery and power tools like lawn mowers, blowers, grinders, drills and power saws. The code bans loud vehicles and music from both inside and outside buildings, along with “yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near the public streets” during those hours.

What’s missing, said City Attorney Greg Jacoby, is “a fair and reasonable process that’s applied consistently regardless of who makes the request.”

The city now issues special event permits, reviewed by staff and approved by the council. Jacoby said the council might choose to roll the music-after-hours requests in with special events.

Several people at the meeting raised the concern about “what if” authorized events became a magnet for complaints either because of mismanagement by the business owner or in spite of their best efforts and intentions.

Rinearson said then-Cmdr. Geoffrey Marti, now Port Orchard’s police chief, suggests that such events be allowed on a one-time basis only, not as recurring events.

Marti said his officers get many complaints about noise after 11 p.m., coming from both inside and outside Bay Street establishments.

Two city residents who were at the meeting testified to the remarkable ability of noise to carry up the hill from Bay Street.

“I hear the music all the time. It wakes me up,” said Bek Ashby, who is a member of the Port Orchard Bay Street Association, a business owners group.

The council was in a quandary as to how to proceed on the after-curfew music question. Rinearson offered to see how other cities handle the issue and get back to them at a future meeting.

Share on Facebook

Amy’s on the Bay in Port Orchard has been closed since Monday, due to an undisclosed problem underneath the building, owner Amy Igloi said Wednesday.

“It’s kind of a sensitive issue,” she said.

Beyond that, Amy was unwilling to comment except to say she is working with the Mentor Company, which owns the building, her insurance company and the Mentor’s insurance company on a resolution.

Jennifer Mills of the Mentor Company said it was a plumbing leak that has been fixed. The restaurant is expected to open soon, Mills said.

Amy is hopeful she’d be able to re-open Friday morning.

“My first and foremost goal is to open the doors and be in business,” she said. “But I have to ensure the safety of my customers and staff.”

Amy’s, a popular destination for both locals and visitors, will celebrate its seventh anniversary on April 28.

Share on Facebook

Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend is a finalist for the vacant Poulsbo police chief position. The city of Poulsbo announced on Tuesday that Townsend’s name had been added to a shortlist of five other finalists.

Townsend applied for the job and was added to the finalists list by Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, according to a news release from the city.

Townsend has been Port Orchard’s police chief since 1999. The announcement of his application to Poulsbo comes less than a month after the chief publicly commented on recent tension between Port Orchard’s Mayor Tim Matthes and the city council.

Townsend, referring to the recent voluntary departure of the city’s development director, also noted stress within the staff. James Weaver, who joined the city in 2008, took a job in January with the city of Bainbridge Island for comparable pay and less responsibility.

“There seems to be an adversarial relationship between the city council and the mayor and department heads,” Townsend said. “All of this is impacting staff’s ability to do their job. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more staff departures in the future unless there is progress to fix the problem.”

Matthes on Tuesday issued a press release on the news Townsend is looking for a new position.

“Chief Alan Townsend is well respected in our community. I have had a great working relationship these past twelve months with him,” Matthes said. “I am very impressed with his professionalism and dedication to our police department. I am not surprised that he is on the short list of qualified candidates for Poulsbo Police Chief. There is no doubt he will be hard for Port Orchard to replace. The City of Port Orchard is interested to see what decisions will be made by the City of Poulsbo and Chief Townsend.”

The city meanwhile is conducting a wide-ranging search to replace Weaver. Associate Planner Tom Bonsell is serving as acting development director in the interim.

Share on Facebook

Port Orchard public works officials on Wednesday will answer questions about a major, long-term capital project to replace degrading septic systems within McCormick Woods.

A meeting is set for 6 p.m., with a second meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 5, both at city hall, 216 Prospect Street.

The development’s 605 poorly functioning septic systems use hybrid technology. The “STEP” tanks — for septic tank effluent pumping systems — draw off liquid effluent to the city sewer line. Solids remain in the tank.

The STEP systems were approved for lots too small for regular septic systems by Kitsap County in the 1980s, when McCormick Woods was in the planning stages. Because of how the system works, decomposition of waste starts in the tank, causing strong hydrogen sulfide odors and corrosion at the pump station. Corrosion from the STEP systems threatens the integrity of sewer lines and equipment throughout the city, Public Works Director Mark Dorsey has said.

The city will swap out all “STEP” systems within the development over the next several years. Replacement of the septics has been on the city’s capital sewer projects plan since 2010 and will be paid for out of a sewer rate hike implemented that year.

The need to replace the STEP tanks has nothing to do with the city’s 2009 annexation of McCormick Woods. The city inherited maintenance of the STEP systems from Kitsap County in 1994, when a community drain field was replaced by a sewer line jointly owned by Port Orchard and what is now West Sound Utility District.

The STEP systems’ malfunction also had nothing to do with a sewer and water rate increase in 2009, shortly after the annexation. Before becoming part of the city, McCormick Woods was subject to a 50 percent surcharge on sewer and water services provided by the city. Once the annexation was complete, the surcharge went away, and the entire city — including McCormick Woods residents — had to absorb the loss of revenue.

For more information, contact public works at (360) 876-4991.

Share on Facebook

Choices, choices …

For holiday festivities Saturday, should one head north to Poulsbo’s Scandinavian Julefest and Kingston’s “Country Christmas,” or south to Port Orchard’s Festival of Chimes & Lights? Or should one attend all three and cram in a triple helping of holiday fun?

Chimes and Lights takes place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in Port Orchard. Note that Bay Street will be closed during this time. The theme this year is “A Hometown Christmas.” Events range from the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation, which kicks off at 11 a.m. at City Hall, to a pet parade that begins at the Kitsap Bank drive-thru at 4:45 p.m. For a full schedule of events and a map, visit the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce website.

Julefest is a longstanding celebration of Poulsbo’s Nordic heritage. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Sons of Norway will have arts crafts, traditional pea soup, folk dancing and singing. The location is 18891 Front Street. As the early dusk falls, revelers will gather by a bonfire on the waterfront to await the arrival of the Lucia Bride, accompanied by Vikings, of course. For information, visit the Sons of Norway website.

Kingston’s “Country Christmas” takes place Saturday, with Santa’s workshop up and running at 2 p.m. Arts and crafts for kids will be available at the Kingston Cove Yacht Club. At 4:30 p.m. at Mike Wallace Park, bands from Kingston Middle School and Kingston High School will perform. Bonfires will burn, and Santa will arrive by firetruck to flip the switch on the port’s botanical light display at 5 p.m. For information, call the Kingston Chamber of Commerce at 360-297-3813.

Share on Facebook

Fans close to Delilah Rene Luke know that in March she lost her recently adopted 16-year-old son Sammy to sickle cell anemia. A South Kitsap resident and downtown Port Orchard business owner, Delilah is better known as a nationally syndicated radio host. The self-described “Queen of Sappy Love Songs” is beloved by 8 million listeners for her ability to connect to the lovelorn, lonely and conflicted like an instant BFF.

On Thursday, Delilah will be a featured guest on Katie Couric’s new nationally syndicated talk show, “Katie.” The segment airs in the Seattle area at 4 p.m. on KING-TV NBC. A spokeswoman for the show promises a glimpse at “the woman behind the microphone,” whose love of life trumps “the many hardships she has faced.”

I first met Delilah in 2008 and soon found out that, despite her honeyed voice and upbeat on-air persona, she’s only about 30 percent sugar, with plenty of spice. She’s down-to-earth, funny and often irreverent. Delilah’s become a very real part of the South Kitsap community, sometimes rubbing neighbors the wrong way with her outspoken views and bold plans.

Sammy’s story, as Delilah relates it on her website, is both tragic and uplifting. When he was a toddler, the boy was found wandering the streets of a village in West Ghana. He survived on scraps of food given to him by school children and later was sent to an orphanage in the capitol city of Accra. A relative who was eventually located said he used to scream and writhe on the floor. The family thought he was possessed by demons and attempted an exorcism.

“When that didn’t stop his screaming, they put him out in the street to die,” Delilah writes. “Little did they know he was writhing in pain because of sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that afflicts many in West Africa. When the school children found him they named him ‘Dzolali,’ meaning ‘spirits fly.’”

Delilah met Sammy in 2010 through her work in Ghana with Point Hope, the nonprofit children’s welfare organization she founded. She was immediately taken by his broad smile and — despite all he’d endured — his “unconditional love.”

With 11 children already, Delilah had not been looking to adopt again, and she wrestled with her conscience before initiating the mountain of adoption paperwork that set the ball rolling for Sammy’s adoption a year later.

“I knew in my heart that Sammy was special, talented, lonely and that I loved him, I just didn’t have a clue how special he really was at that time or how much more I would grow to love him,” Delilah wrote, on the Point Hope website.

Once home, Sammy blossomed. He was a talented artist and dancer, with Michael Jackson-like moves. He kept his room and belongings immaculate and often offered to help Delilah.

Sammy had some developmental catching up to do. “Once he was home to America, he could not get enough love and affection,” Delilah wrote. “He was like a little puppy, wanting to be held and loved on constantly.” But he quickly matured and outgrew his need for lap time with “Momma Bear.”

Sammy Young D’zolali Rene died March 11 in the arms of people who loved him.

I’ve interviewed Delilah on a number of occasions as her businesses and big personality have made their impact on South Kitsap. I can verify that a conversation with Delilah is one wild, loopy emotional roller coaster ride. It’s hard not to get swept along with the passion, the pathos and her infectious, throaty laugh. Looking at the world through Delilah-colored glasses, everything is possible, including fairy tale endings to impossibly sad stories like Sammy’s.

“On the first night that he was fully my son, Sammy told me through his tears that he never dreamed God would answer his prayers,” Delilah wrote. “He said, ‘Momma, I always thought I would die alone in the orphanage. That I would never know what it was like to have someone love me.’”

Through racking sobs, Sammy said he’d always feared no one would remember his life after he was gone.

Delilah promised him, “That he would be loved more than life by me and many others, and that people would know that he had lived.”

Share on Facebook

The city of Port Orchard is checking its roughly 6,000 water meters for accuracy after settling a dispute with the company that runs McCormick Woods Golf Course.

The city recently agreed to waive $780.16 in water fees that the public works department failed to properly record in 2010 and 2011. The undercharges came to the attention of the city’s utility committee this summer, when golf course manager Shawn Cucciardi attended their August meeting to ask about his bill. For reasons not clear in the staff report, C&M Golf LLC was overcharged by about $60 for water used so far in 2012.

The under-billing errors originated after a fire at the golf course in 2009, a suspected arson that destroyed numerous vehicles and equipment at the cart barn. The golf course requested a “service meter upsizing” with the new meter drop, but the new meter was improperly calibrated on installation.

The city has three types of meters that all look alike, Public Works Director Mark Dorsey explained. Without checking the serial numbers, it is possible for the worker installing the meter to incorrectly calibrate the system, he said. The McCormick Woods meter read the correct amount of water being used, but the correct usage was not picked up by public works employees’ meter reading equipment.

The city undercharged the golf club by $840.52. The utility committee, in its recommendation, subtracted the overcharge of $60.39 to arrive at the $780.16 figure. Chairman Rob Putaansuu said he felt like it was a fair resolution. John Clauson, a committee member, agreed.

“This was an error on our part,” Clauson said. “It took a long time for us to discover this error. … It certainly is our fault. It is the right thing to do.”

Mayor Tim Matthes and Councilman Fred Chang weren’t so sure. Matthes said that the statute of limitations on incorrect bills is six years. “We have the responsibility to capture that,” he said, adding that waiving the fee could set an unwanted precedent.

City Attorney Greg Jacoby corrected the mayor, saying the city has the option to collect, which expires after six years. But the city is not obliged by law to collect the money.

Chang said the amount of water consumed (and its value) was a substantial hit to the utility. “We’re not just your average service oriented company,” he said.

Chang said at the least the city should establish a consistent policy if other under-billings are discovered during the city-wide meter check. (None have been discovered so far.) Other council members agreed on this point but over-rode Chang, who alone voted against waiving the 2010 and 2011 fees.

Share on Facebook

The ribbon was cut on Port Orchard’s City Hall 13 years ago, but it’s not too late to buy one of the commemorative tiles or bricks on walkways outside the stately building perched above the Port Orchard Marina.

Each summer, in fact, there is a short window of opportunity to engrave bricks and tiles not already spoken for. If this were Arizona instead of Western Washington, we could buy bricks and tiles all year ‘round.

The answer to this riddle is temperature. According to city clerk Brandy Rinearson, in charge of peddling the memorials, temperatures that reach or exceed 80 degrees for at least a portion of each day are required to warm the bricks, or the materials will be too brittle and will crack during engraving.

The 6”-by-6” tiles in the plaza in front of the main entrance on Prospect Street each allow for a three-line message, with up to 15 characters or spaces in each line. The tiles cost $50 each. The 3.5”-by-7” bricks, on the lower level outside the police department, allow for 18 characters or spaces and cost $35 each.

There are 608 tiles total, with 152 yet unmarked, and a total of 672 bricks, with 320 up for grabs.

The city doesn’t make any money on the sale of bricks and tiles. The fees cover the cost of the engraving, which is done by the Kenadar Corporation of Tacoma. Kenadar requires a minimum of 10 bricks and or tiles per visit. The city last year sold about a dozen.

“In years prior to that, they didn’t really market it very well,” Rinearson said. “Last year, we really went for it and told everybody and anybody.”

Many of the bricks and tiles already engraved are predictable odes to and by city leaders, civic groups and business people. The family of former City Councilman Bob Geiger, who operated a pharmacy downtown for decades, is well represented, for example, as are the Vlists, longtime owners of a car dealership on Bay Street.

Since the purchase of the commemorative bricks and tiles was open to the public, however, many others represent ordinary citizens who otherwise might have faded into oblivion.

“Doris Lind-Perrine, World’s Best Mom.”

The Gauvin family writes, “London, Paris, Rome, Port Orchard.”

And if we’ve forgotten “Millie S. Cohen, Humanitarian, a Visionary,” we should not have.

The city also dedicated a time capsule at the opening of the new city hall on Sept. 11, 1999. Longtime councilman John Clauson recalls its contents as news articles of the time, a copy of the opening ceremony program, a list of then-council members and staff, the Fathoms O’ Fun court and other community information … oh, and a couple hundred dollars in bills of various denominations, to document the new bills that had recently been put into circulation.

The time capsule contains a video of the last council meeting in the old city hall and the first meeting in the new city hall. It also holds entries from a contest the city held seeking essays on “Why I Like Living in Port Orchard.”

“We were just trying to get a snapshot of what the community was at the time,” Clauson said.

How has Port Orchard changed since 1999? It’s bigger by about nearly 3,000 souls and about 10 square miles, what with annexations. Oh, and gas is a whole lot more expensive, Clauson notes. Otherwise, he says, the city retains that “small, hometown feel” that’s been its hallmark lo these many decades.

The time capsule, installed under the main entrance flagpole, will be opened in 2049, on the “new” city hall’s 50^th anniversary.

Oh, and in case anyone is thinking of pilfering the cash in the capsule, know that items are secured in several sealed plastic pipes that are installed in a box under a brass plaque … one level up from the police department.

The Port Orchard Masonic Lodge also installed a “cornerstone” time capsule on the Prospect Street side of city hall, to be opened in 2099, 100 years from the grand opening. The Masonic ceremony was held Aug. 21, 1999.

The new city hall was commissioned after a seismic survey showed the old city hall would not withstand an earthquake. The old building has long since been demolished.

Construction on the three-story, 28,370-square-foot building began on March 3, 1998. City hall was open for business May 22, 1999.

City officials at the time expressed pride that they would be able to pay off the $6.3 million building out of the city’s regular revenue and did not have to ask taxpayers for additional financing.

Commemorative tile and brick applications can be found online at www.cityofportorchard.us, or call the city clerk at (360) 876-4407

Share on Facebook