Monthly Archives: August 2008

Need a Job? Espresso Gone Wild is Hiring.

Espresso Gone Wild of Belfair is hiring, according to an ad on Craigslist

For those who may not keep up with the latest trends in coffee sales, the “catchy” theme, mentioned in the ad, involves minimum coverage, maximum exposure of the baristas, who — at Espresso Gone Wild of Gorst — provide service with a smile and a side order of eye candy.

According to the ad (shouted in all caps) baristas earn $9 an hour and an average of $100 to $250 a day in tips. Applicants should be “reliable, energetic, upbeat … and willing to go the extra mile for the customer.”

But wait, Mason County Commissioners this week ruled there’d be no “Pastie Tuesdays or Fridays” in the fair city of Belfair. Commissioner Tim Sheldon, responding to citizens’ concerns about the Gorst baristas’ attire (or lack thereof) researched zoning code and found that such “erotic entertainment” is not permitted in any part of the Belfair urban growth area. County officials, including Sheldon, said Gone Wild’s owners had agreed to comply with regulations.

“I’m getting the feeling they’re willing to change their approach,” Sheldon said. “We certainly have no problem with an espresso stand, but as it was originally proposed, it was erotic entertainment.”

Efforts by the Kitsap Sun to contact the company have been unsuccessful.

Serving pastries in pasties may be erotic entertainment by Belfair’s standards, but is it art? An Iowa judge has ruled in favor of a nude dancing club owner charged with violating that state’s indecent exposure law. Prosecutors failed to prove the club wasn’t a theater, said the judge, citing Iowa law that “allows nudity at theaters, museums and other venues devoted to the arts or theatrical performances.”

According to City of Bremerton attorney Roger Lubovich, who I contacted for the first story, the city – where the stand is located – has no code addressing attire in espresso stands.

“We have no regulations on anything like that. This is new,” he said, “God, what next? Oh, man, kind of got to write a regulation for everything. … I’m sitting here blushing.”

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s office was willing to take a hands-off approach to Espresso Gone Wild.

According to the article, which ran Feb. 15, “Kitsap County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Wilson said his department has received no complaints about the business.

‘I’m sure a lot of people consider this titillating,’ Wilson said. ‘Unless we get a complaint or we physically view it ourselves and say, ‘This is over the line,’ we’re not going to do anything about it.'”

The Gorst stand has attracted some unwanted attention. In April, workers reported a customer who took their picture without permission. And recently, a woman became angry with a barista for refusing to blow into her breathalyzer. Unclear in the second case is whether there is any connection between the woman’s request and the barista’s attire. Correction: The breathalizer incident took place at a nearby espresso stand Natte Latte, where the baristas wear hot pants.

In closing, let me just say that the concept of pasties raises two logistical questions in my mind:

“How do you keep them on?” and “How do you take them off?”

Ouch.

Here’s the full text of the ad.

ESPRESSO GONE WILD IN GORST IS GROWING TO BELFAIR AND NEEDS YOUR HELP
WE HAVE A GREAT “CATCHY” THEME THAT KEEPS OUR CUSTOMERS COMING BACK OVER AND OVER AGAIN (AS SEEN @ www.cowgirlsespresso.com)
WE ARE LOOKING FOR MOTIVATED PEOPLE THAT ARE READY TO WORK IN A VERY FAST PACE ENVIORNMENT AND THINK THEY MAY HAVE THE FOLLOWING TRAITS:
RELIABLE, ENERGETIC, UPBEAT, POSITIVE, HONEST, OUTGOING, DEDICATED, AND WILLING TO GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR THE CUSTOMER.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR FULL AND PART TIME POSTIONS TO BE FILLED LONG TERM.
WE HAVE THREE SHIFTS (MON-FRI 4 AM-NOON) (MON-FRI NOON-8) (SAT AND SUN 530 AM TO 7)
OUR EMPLOYEES AVG BETWEEN $100-250 IN TIPS DAILY
WE PAY $9.00 PER HOUR
IF YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD SUIT YOU PLEASE E-MAIL PICTURE AND RESUME TO cadigone@hotmail.com AND THEN CALL 360-265-2984
HURRY INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED SHORTLY

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Port Orchard Wants to Take $#!& From SKIA

Chris Henry

It really does come down to sewers.

Port Orchard Mayor Lary Coppola, in his South Kitsap Industrial Area Multi-Jurisdictional Implementation Proposal, issued March 27, spoke in a general way of shared costs and revenues from the proposed industrial park. But the city’s primary claim to its piece of the SKIA pie is as a provider of waste water treatment, he told Kitsap County Commissioners Jan Angel and Steve Bauer at a summit with city council members Monday at City Hall. A 2003 memorandum of understanding between the city and the Port of Bremerton gives Port Orchard the legal backing to support its stance, Coppola said. At stake is substantial revenue from sewer service provided to SKIA, money the city will need as it is impacted by increased traffic from the area, Coppola said.

Coppola asked Angel, representing South KItsap, for an official statement of support for the city’s position. But Angel declined, saying, “I’m just going to put it on the table, the Port of Bremerton, part of the City of Bremerton and Port Orchard are all in my district. That’s why the county has stepped back and not taken a position, because we didn’t really feel it was our place to do so.”
Coppola said the city is prepared to dig in and defend its $21.5 million investment in Karcher Creek’s waste water treatment plant, made in large part with SKIA in mind.
“We’ve invested $4.5 million from our treasury and the balance in bonds, and we’re not walking away from that,” said Coppola.

Read the complete story later at kitsapsun.com. Read Bremerton Beat reporter Andy Binion’s post on public perception of conflict between Bremerton and Port Orchard here.

Other issues of mutual interest discussed at the summit included:

McCormick Woods annexation: Angel said the county supports the annexation, even though it would mean reduced revenue for the county. Discussion centered on how the county and city would share responsibilities and revenues (in the form of impact fees) from the area.

Under an inter-local agreement between the county and Kitsap cities, transfer of revenue would be phased in over three years, with 75 percent going to the county in the first year of annexation, 50 percent the next and 25 percent the next. Councilman John Clauson suggested responsibility for maintenance of roads to be assumed by the city could be similarly phased in.

Angel said the board of commissioners needs to discuss the annexation and make its recommendation.

Council members requested that the board put McWoods high on its list of priorities. “I would just comment maybe the sooner the better,” said Carolyn Powers. “We have a lot of people out at McCormick Woods chomping at the bit, and we can’t do it on our own.”

Bethel Corridor: The county is taking a survey to see if taxpayers would support any of several measures to fund major improvements to the 1.7-mile stretch of road that is South Kitsap’s major commercial thoroughfare. If not, the project that has been in the works since 2000 will be kaput.

“If people aren’t willing to pay anything, we don’t have a project,” Angel said. “A lot of people believe there is money to do this project. There is not.”

Coppola said that a number of Bethel property owners have approached the city about annexation. The city is likely to eventually annex the whole Bethel corridor.

Givens Center and Veteran’s Memorial Park: The county has offered the Givens Center to the City of Port Orchard, not as a gift. No suggested sale price has been mentioned. The city is analyzing the potential benefits and liabilities of the proposal, said James Weaver, the city’s director of planning and development. Jan Angel said she began talking with Copploa about the proposal when he took office in January.”I was hoping you were going to offer a price tonight,” said Angel, mostly in jest.

“I thought you wanted to give it to us,” said Coppola, also joking.

Angel said it would also be logical for the city to assume responsibility for Veteran’s Memorial Park, which is in city limits. The county understands that the city is working to create a parks department and that they would not be likely to take over the park until that had happened.

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Donate School Supplies in South Kitsap

Chris Henry

Summary: Places to donate school supplies for low-income kids: South Kitsap Helpline, Starbuck’s on Lund Avenue South Kitsap School District main office or any SK School.

I received this item from Sally Santana, Kitsap Sun religion columnist, who is an advocate for the homeless.

Sally writes:

Friends, SK Helpline needs school supplies & backpacks for our low-income and homeless kids. They are distributing them out August 25 to 29. If you can help, drop off items at the food bank or Vintage to Vogue Store, or mail in a check with “School Supplies” in the memo line, to:
South Kitsap Helpline
1351 Bay St.
Port Orchard, WA 998366

Me again:

And according to South Kitsap School District, the Starbuck’s on Lund Avenue is also collecting for supplies to be distributed through Helpline. The district is also collecting supplies and donations.

Callie Travis of the District writes:

Last year over 26% of SKSD kids qualified for government lunch programs.
Schools provided lunch when their parents could not afford to.
Help us collect enough school supplies to help each of these families.
YOU CAN HELP:
Purchase any amount of basic school supplies and donate here
for a local boy or girl in need.
Make a monetary donation for the purchase of supplies at any
South Kitsap school.
Contact Callie Travis, Community Relations assistant, for more
information and other ways you can support our schoolchildren.
Please call 360-874-7003 or email travisc@skitsap.wednet.edu.

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Meeting on Belfair Espresso Gone Wild Tonight

Chris Henry

I just confirmed this information. I won’t be at the meeting, but will follow up tomorrow to see what the upshot was.

Sheldon to Address Citizens’ Concerns About Espresso Gone Wild

Sister store in Gorst features “pastie” days.
By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon will meet at 6 p.m. tonight (Monday) at Belfair Elementary School with citizens worried about a proposed Espresso Gone Wild stand in Belfair.
The stand’s sister store in Gorst features scantily-clad barristas. The Gorst location features “Pastie Tuesdays and Fridays.”
The citizens group voiced their concerns about the business, located on Highway 3 in Belfair, at the July 30 meeting of the Mason County Board of Commissioners.
Heather Fredrickson, a member of the group, said she senses public discomfort with the paste-on breast ornaments and other skimpy attire, such as is worn by women at the Gorst store.
“In general, the community feels uncomfortable with its location,” she said. “We don’t feel like adult entertainment is what we want at the gateway to our community.”
The Belfair stand opened approximately a week ago, but was temporarily closed shortly afterward.
Sheldon said county planners determined there were some code violations. The owner is resolving them, he said.
Following up on the group’s complaints, Sheldon and his staff researched zoning code and found no provision for “erotic entertainment,” which is how the county classifies the attire in question.
At first, county staff thought such use was only prohibited in mixed use areas, which is where the stand is located, but such use is prohibited in all areas of the Belfair urban growth area, Sheldon said.
In a letter to owners Phillip Olson and Jerry Wilson, the commissioners rendered their ruling, saying, “Given the absence of allowances for this use, either outright or with a special use permit, it is the county’s interpretation that the use is prohibited.”
Attempts to contact the owners were unsuccessful.
Sheldon said he had not personally heard from the owners, but he understood they now plan more modest attire for their Belfair branch.
“I’m getting the feeling they’re willing to change their approach,” said Sheldon. “We certainly have no problem with an espresso stand, but as it was originally proposed, it was erotic entertainment.”
Betty Wing the county’s director of operations, confirmed that the owners planned to modify the outfits for Belfair.
“They said they just didn’t expect the backlash they’ve gotten,” said Wing. “They indicated they will comply with the regulations.”
Espresso Gone Wild is at the edgy end of a growing trend in the greater Seattle region toward the use of provocatively-dressed barristas to sell coffee. The Gorst location regularly draws a steady lineup of cars on Tuesdays and Fridays, when some but not all servers wear pasties.

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Friday Afternoon Club: Your Chance to Tour Manchester Condos

Chris Henry

The Anchors at Manchester will hold a Grand Opening ceremony from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

The complex features 11 luxury condos that have been at the center of a controversy over building height in Manchester.
The condos boast “unobstructed, panoramic views of Seattle, Bainbridge, Vashon & Blake Islands, Mount Rainier & the Cascades create a one-of-a-kind living opportunity … custom design interiors … boat launch, pier/dock, park & beach at your doorstep and elevator access to single story living with commercial space on the ground floor,” according to a press release from Windermere.

“Priced from the $500,000’s.”

Location: 8075 East Main Street, Manchester WA 98353
Directions: From Westbound on HWY 16 take Sedgewick exit; R on Sedgewick; L on
Long Lake; R on SE Mile Hill; L on Colchester; R on Main; Anchors at Manchester
on Left

For more information contact Aisha Hopkins, Windermere RE/GH 253.606.0701,
aishah@windermere.com or visit www.anchorsatmanchester.com

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Matthes Ad (designed by Neatherlin) to Be Pulled from Cable

Chris Henry

The Kitsap Sun has requested a campaign ad for Tim Matthes, Republican candidate for South Kitsap Commissioner, be pulled from cable television stations, where it has been running for the past couple of days.

The ad begins with a Kitsap Sun logo and the title of a letter to the editor, “County Government: We’re in Trouble,” by Marion Larm of Poulsbo

Deb Smith, director of marketing for the Kitsap Sun, called Matthes earlier today asking him to pull the ad because it uses the Kitsap Sun logo without permission. Smith cited another ad she saw that used the title of a letter to the editor by Vivian Henderson, director of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners. Matthes is a member and past president of KAPO.

“By juxtaposing headlines from letters to the editor and using voice-over with our logo, the commercial improperly attributes their opinions to us,” said Smith in an e-mail.

Matthes said the ad was designed and submitted to the station by Randy Neatherlin, Republican candidate for the 35th District. Matthes said he was unaware he had done anything wrong in approving the ad.

“My intent is to take everything off there, at least the offending portions,” said Matthes. “I’m going to change it. I have to modify it and take anything off that has to do with the Kitsap Sun.”

On Friday afternoon, Matthes was trying to contact Neatherlin and also an attorney to see what the law says about campaign ads.

Managing editor Jeff Brody said clearly Matthes is not entitled to use the Kitsap Sun logo without permission. The only time that would be appropriate is if the Kitsap Sun had actually endorsed a candidate, Brody said.

Democratic candidate Monty Mahan received the endorsement of the Kitsap Sun’s editorial board over the past weekend.

Neatherlin, contacted later in the day, was surprised at the Kitsap Sun’s objection to the ad, material for which he pulled from the Kitsap Sun Web site

Neatherlin, a business owner whose “sideline” is making advertisements for other candidates, said use of newspaper headlines in campaign ads is a routine practice. He has used it before and never run into problems, he said.

Neatherlin apparently did not differentiate between headlines on articles and editorial titles. “From everything I understand, it’s 100 percent legal,” he said. “It’s common practice for political ads.”

Neatherlin said he would not speak for Matthes, but would defer to his wishes on the matter.

A note on the photo above: Matthes submitted this campaign photo to the Kitsap Sun. It shows the candidate seated at a table with the Kitsap County logo in the background. Matthes is a member of the county’s board of equalization.

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