Peninsular Thinking

For the fourth year in a row, Crosspoint teacher Carla Fontenot has challenged her students to tackle projects that make a tangible change in their neighborhoods, the community and the world. It’s a pretty tall order for third and fourth graders, but the kids have stepped up admirably, Fontenot reported in a recent news release about this year’s ideas.
Fontenot’s “Christian Leadership Challenge” started in 2009 as “a Bible lesson and morphed into a ‘life lesson’ for my students, my parents and myself,” said Fontenot.
Crosspoint, formerly Kings West Academy, is a private Christian school in Chico. In 2009, the year of the name change, there was a big focus on leadership. During the Bible lesson, Fontenot asked her class if they thought they were old enough to make a difference in the world.
They brainstormed and came up with “little things,” ideas like helping a neighbor pick up litter or helping a relative watch a dog.
Branching out, they discussed collecting food for a food bank or raising money for the humane society. Pretty soon, that original group of students was on fire with ideas like finding a cure for cancer.
Fontenot devised three categories: neighborhood, community, world, and set guidelines that students’ projects couldn’t cost their parents money (except maybe stamps and gas), and they couldn’t benefit monetarily themselves.
“I was surprised at how the students took off with the ideas, Fontenot said.
Karis Melin’s 2009 project to collect stuffed animals for sick children at Harrison Medical Center has been continued by other students in each following year. Parents have jumped in enthusiastically.
In other notable projects, Emma Rose Brown in 2010 made bracelets and note cards to sell for an organization called HOPE International, and Hayden Wallis in 2011 set up a challenge to see which classroom could collect the most food for the food bank, with his family offering a pizza party to the winners.
Here are the projects proposed for this year:
Emily Devine’s goal is to collect 40 new stuffed animals for Harrison Hospital. She has a collection box at the school.
Landon McArdles’ helped with a church program called “Feed the 5,000.” He helped set up and take down the program’s booth at his church. Landon exceeded his goal of helping to secure 20 sponsorships. Twenty-six children were sponsored for the meal program.
Trevin Foley is collecting items for Bremerton Foodline. He will go door to door and ask for one donation per house and will collect items outside of a grocery store. His goal is to collect 100 items.
Owen Wyatt is collecting board games for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. He wants hurt kids to have fun. His plan is to try to get 50 board games. He is going to ask his family members to donate games.
Marshall Hainer is collecting canned foods to donate to the South Kitsap Food Bank. He is calling his project “Let’s Feed Those in Need.” Marshall hopes to collect 100 cans of food from neighbors.
Emma Frey-Erickson is collecting items for the Kitsap Humane Society. She is asking for donations of pet food, beds, and toys for cats and dogs. Her goal is to collect 25 items.
Blessing Rene is collecting books for children in Africa. She will raise money to send gently used books abroad.
Nick Johnson wants to help endangered species by raising money. He is still working on a plan and a goal.
Anyone who wants to help these students meet their goals can call Crosspoint at (360) 377-7700.

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Brynn writes:

Wednesday night architect Steve Rice unveiled his vision for a new library in Silverdale.

At the request of the Kitsap Regional Library, Rice has been working for two years on a design for a new library. First he was tasked with creating concept for a library around 17,000 square feet (roughly the same size as the Sylvan Way library). That’s back when KRL asked voters to approve a levy increase that would in part help pay for the construction of new libraries in Silverdale and Kingston.

When that measure failed, the library board went back to the drawing board for how it could expand the current Silverdale facility, which has been a desire of the library system and the community since 1998. Ultimately the board agreed to enter into an agreement with the county that would include hiring a consultant to conduct a feasibility study. (See my story from Dec. 12 for more details on the agreement).

The purpose of the study will be to gauge how much the community is willing to contribute to a capital campaign to build a new library in Silverdale. It will also survey the constituency to determine whether people support building a new library, or if they’d rather see KRL move into a larger, existing space in Silverdale.

While I’ve reported it repeatedly, it seems some people still think to build this library KRL will be increasing taxes. KRL will not ask for a levy increase, or increase taxes to build a new Silverdale library. However much the community says it’s willing to donate to the cause will be what KRL uses to fund its expansion. (The model will be similar to the one used to build the Haselwood Family YMCA — $12 million in public donations was raised to help build the facility).

If the community determines it would prefer to see a new facility built, KRL board members have said they’d like to see the facility built on the Central Kitsap Community Campus, where the YMCA currently stands. The Y was the first phase of the campus. The second phase will be the addition of a new library (assuming that’s what the community wants) and potentially the addition of a performing arts center.

Previously there was talk that a new library would be located where the Silverdale Community Center now stands. The idea was the building would be built into the hill — the community center would be torn down to make room. But during Wednesday’s presentation, Rice offered a new location for the proposed building.

At 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, Rice envisions the new library to again be built into the hill, but this time located in the southwest southeast corner of the campus site, directly across the grassy area from the YMCA. Here’s a couple architectural drawings from his presentation.

The first depiction shows a side view of the library, facing southwest, featuring the main entrance to the library on street level to the left, the view of a proposed gallery space and the entrance from the grass area — or village commons — to the right. While the building is proposed to be one story, there is an upper floor space for a community meeting room with views over Silverdale Way toward Dyes Inlet.

The second depiction shows the view looking from the second floor of the YMCA above the front door looking down the village commons toward the library. The entrance to the library from the commons is visible, and so is the back of the library, which Rice proposed would offer a presentation space facing the commons.

As I reported in my story, Rice proposed making the village commons/grass area more appealing to the public by adding walkway features, rose gardens and an outdoor amphitheater space that would be attached to the library building.

One of the big questions about this location though is parking. The building would eliminate 24 parking spaces to fit into the campus design, and wouldn’t add any parking. It wasn’t financially feasible to add an underground parking garage, Rice said.

Already parking is often filled on the campus site because of the heavy use of the YMCA, and many people at Wednesday’s meeting questioned how the site could handle more use with library patrons. County Commissioner Josh Brown said eventually a parking garage would have to be added to the 12-acre site, which has been the intention all along. The question is, who will be responsible for building (and paying) for it?

If the library locates on the campus a study will be done to determine the library’s peak hours and the YMCA’s peak hours. Programs would then be planned around those peak times, to try and minimize the parking problems, Brown said.

Obviously parking will be a big issue on this site until more can be added, and that’s something KRL board members and Kitsap County officials will have to address if they proceed with building a new library on site.

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Brynn writes:

Each year the Clear Creek Task Force holds an annual salmon adoption event to help raise money to pay for trail maintenance throughout the year.

A plain, wooden salmon is given to those who wish to “adopt” it, then they are asked to decorate the fish and return it for judging. The money spent on the adoption goes to the trail. If you’re thinking about adopting a salmon, the deadline to turn it in is Sept. 17.

Here’s the details from the Task Force:

Celebrate Clear Creek: Salmon Run Adoption Certificate

Salmon sponsors purchase artboard for $15, $25, or $25 for the “Catch-All” category. After decorating both sides of a salmon and naming it, the salmon art is donated back to Clear Creek for judging, awards and prizes. Vote for your favorite Salmon online at www.clearcreektrail.org.

Judges award first, second and other winners, award prizes and auction off Salmon Art at Celebrate Clear Creek on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Clear Creek Interpretive Center located off off Levin Road and Bucklin Hill Road.

Salmon run proceeds will benefit development and maintenance of the Clear Creek Trail system. Salmon can be picked up at the following locations: Old Town Custom Framing, 3255 NW Lowell St, Silverdale WA 98383, 360 698-1507; Clear Creek Interpretive Center, for times visit www.clearcreektrail.org.

For more information: clearcreektrail@yahoo.com

All entries must be returned by September 17, 3 p.m. to be eligible for auction and prizes.

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Looking for something to do tomorrow evening? Why not check out the first-ever night Beach Seine event, hosted by the Clear Creek Task Force.

Here’s the details:

What: Help pull a 100-foot fish net (seine) from shore and discover what and how many fish live in the waters at the northern most part of Dyes Inlet waiting to feed some salmon. Fish and other kinds of marine life from the Near Shore Habitat provide young salmon with their food and shelter for up to 2 years before they migrate out of Dyes Inlet. Paul Dorn, the Suquamish Tribes Salmon Recovery Coordinator, will work with us as we net, identify, measure, and record data from the beach seine. Our catch with data from other Kitsap Near Shore Habitats will help us understand more about this vital underwater habitat we rarely visit.

Where:  Old Mill Park, Silverdale
When:  Aug.16th, 5:45 p.m. ‘til 7:30 p.m.
Bring: Boots (hip or waders are best); gloves, a towel, rain gear, sunscreen.

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Brynn writes:

Three Sheets Northwest highlights Silverdale this week in its regular “In Migael’s Wake” segment, which takes a look at local cruising destinations around the sound.

Here’s what Migael Scherer has to say about the stop:

The Silverdale Waterfront Park is the main attraction for boaters visiting the far north end of Dyes Inlet. Stout wooden floats attached to steel-and-concrete pilings extend into deep water from a tidy park. Silverdale’s charming Old Town is a block away, a sleepy reminder of the days when this was a logging and poultry-producing area.

To read her full review visit the Three Sheets Northwest by clicking here.

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I am not sure these people ever left the store. (Photo by Larry Steagall, Kitsap Sun

On Saturday while gassing up at Costco I got the fool notion to stop by Trader Joe’s, which is described as the Krispy Kreme of grocery stores or the Wal-Mart for yuppies by its detractors and fans. I had only been to the store a couple of times when I was living in Camas and I didn’t really catch the vision of what so many people seem to appreciate, or idolize, or detest.

We had a few calls last week telling us we hadn’t done enough stories on Trader Joe’s leading up to its opening. Based on the crowd I saw on Saturday we did plenty. I managed to find a good enough parking spot. I had planned to go to Costco to get the meat I’d be barbecuing Sunday for Father’s Day, but thought maybe Trader Joe’s would have what I wanted and that maybe the crowd would be manageable to negotiate.

This is the part of the story where I reveal that I am a little claustrophobic. It’s situational. I especially get it when I’m carting around my kids. Put me alone in a crowd of people exiting Safeco Field and I’m fine. Put me in a grocery store with a 4-year-old boy and I’m fidgety like Robin Williams during a moment of silence. I managed to make it back to the meat and browsed enough to see that the store has a lot of things I would like.

No way, though, was I going to stand in line behind 18 people just to get out of there. I stood in a line that long to get out of Mexico once and I’m not eager to repeat it. That experience was tainted by the fact that I had to pull my car into the border patrol station so officers could search for illegal drugs, fireworks or people. At least I was traveling alone.

I’ll actually have to try some of the Trader Joe’s stuff before I render judgment. I want to try those frozen pizzas with the spinach and tomatoes. The prices really were decent. It looks like a place I would have loved when I was single. I wasn’t hauling around kids then. I was probably more patient.

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Brynn writes:

It sounds like there’s some confusion about where the southernmost boundaries fall for the proposed city of Silverdale. Without a clear road running east to west, it’s a little hard to tell people whether their home falls in the proposed boundaries, or outside. So far I’ve just been saying the boundary is just south of Newberry Hill Road.

While most of Chico and all of Eldorado Hills have been cut from the proposed city, there is still a section of northern Chico that is included in the incorporation boundaries. Citizens United for Silverdale, the group proposing the incorporation, recently changed the boundaries from the county’s 2006 comprehensive plan update with its extended urban growth area boundaries, to the county’s 2005 urban growth area boundaries that didn’t include much of Chico.

The change was in direct response to public input last month at a Boundary Review Board meeting where a number of people in Chico and Eldorado Hills asked to be removed from the proposed boundaries.

Without a specific street, it’s hard to say what homes are on the line, and what homes are outside. If you know your home was not in the 2005 urban growth area for Silvedale, then you’re not in the proposed city boundaries. If you have no idea, I’d recommend emailing the incorporation proponents with your address to see where you fall: UniteSilverdale@gmail.com.

Here’s my best attempt at trying to explain who is still in and who is out. If you live in the Emery Ridge development, or between Emery Ridge and Newberry Hill, then your home falls in the proposed city limits. If you live near Holly Park Drive, you might be on the edge, so send an email to inquire. If you’re significantly south of Holly Park Drive, you’re not in the city limits.

Here’s the map the group is using, but it’s hard to tell exactly what homes fall in or out. Reminder the BRB will hear the incorporation attempt again at its meeting this Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Silverdale Beach Hotel, 3073 Bucklin Hill Road.

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Brynn writes:

On Monday we made a trip to Clear Creek Nursery to get some replacement shrubs for a few of our plants that didn’t make it through the winter. Heading from Clear Creek Road to Greaves Way toward the interchange a sign caught my eye.

“Did that just say ‘Lost Goat‘?” I asked as we passed.

We’ve all seen “Lost Cat” and “Lost Dog” posters plastered to telephone poles and stop signs, but “Lost Goat”?

Thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, I went back on Thursday to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.

I wasn’t.

Bruce, a 2 1/2 month old mix Nigerian dwarf/Pygmy goat has been missing since Wednesday, May 25, according to his owner Heather.

Heather and her family live off Greaves Way, right across from Highway 3, on 7 acres. Bruce is the family’s first goat, and her four children — ages 1 to 9 — miss him terribly, she said.

“He’s bottle fed. He’s really friendly, he’ll run up to anyone, especially if he’s hungry,” she said. “He was one of the kids.”

Heather thinks Bruce went missing on May 25 after he was let out to roam the family’s property. (They also have potbellied pigs). Her father was helping her boyfriend install a new appliance and when he left, he didn’t put Bruce back inside, she said.

While he’s a goat, Heather said Bruce acted more like a dog. He followed the kids around, climbed up on their playground equipment with them and even helped mow the lawn. She’s not sure if a neighbor may have picked him up if they saw him roaming along side the road, or if he wandered into someone else’s yard and is now being cared for by them.

She’s called the Kitsap Humane Society repeatedly, but had no luck locating Bruce. He’s wearing a red nylon dog collar, but it doesn’t have her contact information listed.

Heather’s banking on someone seeing her signs and calling her to say they have  Bruce and will return him to their family.

“I’m hopeful,” she said, “but I don’t know.”

After seeing pictures of this adorable little guy, I knew I had to post his missing flier in hopes that I might help get him reunited with his family.

If you’ve seen Bruce, or have him, give Heather a call at: 360-551-7007.

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I’m convinced Washington is like Oregon, just a little less hip. Kitsap County is getting hipper all the time, with the introduction of Dave’s Killer Bread to local grocery stores.

Folks who stop by the Silverdale Costco Friday through Sunday may someday be remembered as the hippest of movers and shakers for their role in determining which of Dave’s killer products the store will carry. Samples will include Good Seed (one of Dave’s personal favorites), 21 Whole Grains, Peace Bomb, Powerseed, Sin Dawg cinnamon rolls and other of Dave’s organic, socially responsible products that have garnered a growing following of die-hard fans.

Dave himself is hoping to make an appearance at the store between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Dave Dahl is spread pretty thin these days expanding distribution of the bread that got its humble start at the Portland Farmer’s Market in 2005, tending to the family-owned company’s charitable causes and giving testimonials about his remarkable life.

Dave is an ex-con who got a second chance at life thank to “humility, medication and education.” Now, as the face of Dave’s Killer Bread, he’s spreading the company’s vision “to make the world a better place one loaf at a time.”

As a youngster, Dave helped out at the family owned bakery. The official name is AVB Corp. for “a very big corp.” It’s a joke.

Dave was clinically depressed and high strung. He didn’t like working in the bakery and he didn’t like his family. He turned to drugs, then crime, ending up in prison for a total of 15 years, during four stays.

During his last stint of incarceration, he “found anti-depressants” … and humility. “You have to actually want to change,” he said.

He learned drafting and became computer literate. When he was released from prison at age 43, on Dec. 27, 2004, he asked his family for an entry level job.

He moonlighted, experimenting with new products, which the company test-marketed at the Portland Farmer’s Market. When the market closed down for the season, fans begged for more.

“Within a few months, people were clamoring for it to be in stores,” Dave said. “A little store here, a little store there, it just snowballed.”

And how! The bread is now carried in lots of little stores and by major grocery chains, including the recently added Costco, in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California and Utah. Their plant in Milwaukie, Ore., produces 250,000 to 300,000 loaves per week, besides other of the company’s less edgy products.

Dave’s Killer Bread got its name in part from the nickname early customers bestowed. The “killer” is not literal, thankfully, Dave said. The only one he might have killed in his dark years was himslef.

Dave’s brother Glenn, the company president, wanted to call it Dave’s Bread. “I was cool with that,” said Dave. “But I knew we had to tell my story, because I was Dave. It was, ‘Who’s Dave?’ People thought, you can’t tell a story like that on a package of food. It turned out to be the opposite.

“My story really seems to resonate with people, because it’s ‘anybody can turn their lives around.’”

Dave’s Killer Bread just sounded right, and it stuck.

When he’s not making bread, Dave stays busy with speaking engagements and adding to the company’s ever-growing list of charitable causes. AVB Corp. donates 800 loaves of DKB to Loaves & Fishes, a meal program for the elderly. The company’s outlet store donates half its profits to various causes, and Dave’s is involved with a prison program, Project Pooch, that matches teenage inmates with dogs. The list goes on.

Dave stressed that while people focus on him when they think of Dave’s Killer Breads, “This is very much a family operation. It’s not just me taking credit for the success we’re having.”

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Brynn writes:

Yes it is true, we finally have confirmation from Trader Joe’s corporate: The Silverdale Trader Joe’s will open Friday, June 17 at 8 a.m.

Was that a pig I just saw fly by?

Since jumping on the Silverdale beat five years ago I can easily say the most common complaint I heard — if you could call it that — was that there was no Trader Joe’s on the Kitsap Peninsula. I often heard stories of TJ’s faithful shoppers making special trips to University Place across the Tacoma Narrows bridge, or hopping on the ferry to Seattle to hit up one of the many stores across the sound.

I heard rumors from people who said they were told by TJ’s managers that the corporate office wasn’t interested in Kitsap because we didn’t fit the demographic. But then when World Market opened a few years ago in the Kitsap Mall I wondered if maybe, just maybe, that might get the attention of other, similar retailers.

Then the Facebook fan pages came along, and Kitsap residents admitted to sending repeated emails TJ’s corporate asking for a store. Then about a year ago the rumors started. A store manager at the University Place TJ’s said they were opening a Silverdale store. I immediately called the company spokeswoman, but she said the company had no plans for Kitsap, we weren’t even on their radar screen, she said.

That left me to write this blog post in May 2010: “The Truth About Trader Joe’s” that said Trader Joe’s was NOT coming to Silverdale. But, by the next week I was writing a retraction of sorts after a trusted source in the community called me to say he in fact talked with representatives from TJ’s that were in Silverdale looking for vacant retail space to bring a store.

I called corporate again and was still told no, no TJ’s in Silverdale. Then the building license surfaced and we had confirmation, the store was coming. Most recently we received an email from a reader who said the store was scheduled to tentatively open on June 17.

While the former Circuit City building where the store will open was a little more than 26,000 square feet, the Trader Joe’s will take up about half that amount of space. This is still significantly larger than most of its other stores, which fall around 6,000 to 7,000 square feet.

For those who are still in disbelief, here’s the official press release:

Trader Joe’s to Open New Store In Silverdale Scheduled for Friday, June 17th at 8am

(May 24, 2011) Monrovia, CA – Trader Joe’s, a unique, neighborhood grocery store with foods and beverages from the exotic to the basic, is scheduled to open a new store in Silverdale, Washington  located at 9991 Mickelberry Road (inside the Mickelberry Plaza).  The store is scheduled to open Friday, June 17th at 8am and is approximately 13,300 square feet in size.

Trader Joe’s is pleased to announce the appointment of John Alvey, as Captain (Store Manager).  John comes to the new store from the Trader Joe’s in Bellevue and has been with the company for more than a decade.  First Mate (Assistant Store Manager) is Chris Melsha from the Olympia location and he has been with the company 21 years.

Trader Joe’s was originally named in recognition of its distinct grocery buying process, because they search the world for great values and distinctive products. Crew members (store employees) consider themselves “traders on the culinary seas.” Crewmembers sport brightly colored Hawaiian-themed shirts, adding to the light-hearted air of the store.

Many area residents after the store opens can expect to receive a copy of the Trader Joe’s “Fearless Flyer” in their mailboxes. The Fearless Flyer is a somewhat irreverent description of a timely selection of Trader Joe’s products. It’s been called a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine. Each edition highlights a selection of Trader Joe’s products that the company buyers believe are worthy of customer interest, including comfort foods and items that are organic or have other special attributes.

Trader Joe’s carries an extensive array of domestic and imported foods and beverages including fresh baked artisan breads, Arabica bean coffees, international frozen entrées, 100% juices, fresh crop nuts, deli items, and vitamins and supplements, as well as the basics, like milk and eggs – all at honest, low prices.

Trader Joe’s is truly a grocery store unlike any other.  Trader Joe’s is a  “store of stories,” meaning every item in the store has its own virtues — high quality ingredients, great flavor or simply an extraordinary price — many items often feature all of those qualities.  Another significant point of difference, all of Trader Joe’s prices are everyday prices. Trader Joe’s doesn’t have “sales” for a few days, only to hike the prices back up again. Their prices change only when their costs change — there are no fancy promotions, discount cards or couponing wars.

So how does Trader Joe’s offer unique groceries at prices everyone can afford?  By offering more than 1000 items under the Trader Joe’s private label, which includes Trader Darwin’s vitamins (For the Survival of the Fittest), Trader José’s salsas, Trader Giotto’s marinara sauces, in addition to specially purchased items.

Also, Trader Joe’s buys differently than other grocers – they purchase from manufacturers, not through distributors. They’ll take a brand name product, take out the preservatives and artificial colors and ingredients, and put it under their Trader Joe’s label to sell it at a real discount.

Trader Joe’s introduces approximately a dozen new items every week, heightening the store’s adventurous appeal.  Our buyers travel around the world searching out unique products at great values. In order for an item to be sold in a Trader Joe’s store, it must pass the scrutiny of a discerning tasting panel. Thousands of items are tasted each year to find products that both appeal to the culinary adventurer and microwave aficionado.

So there you have it. In less than a month we’ll all be able to attend the grand opening, and those who’ve never been to a Trader Joe’s before can see what all the hype is about.

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