Wolves on target
Gardeners retire
McCombs vets eye final workdays
To the East
Boys top P.A. in rivalry game, eye league title B-5
A-7
Traveler’s Journal takes explorers to Asia
B-1
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
SEQUIM GAZETTE www
Sequim’s Hometown Newspaper
com
Teacher with Sequim roots accused of having sex with Tacoma students
75 CENTS
Vol. 41, Number 8
Room to grow
Powell trial begins April 24 by MATTHEW NASH Sequim Gazette
Meredith Claire Powell, 24, a teacher with Sequim roots, faces two counts of child rape in the third degree and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. P o w ell, a 2007 Sequim High School POWELL graduate and University of Idaho graduate, had been teaching math at Lincoln High School in Tacoma since Sept. 4, 2012. She pled not guilty to the charges in Pierce County Superior Court on Feb. 7, a day after being arrested. Powell was released to her mother in Sequim until her next court appearance on Feb. 25. According to court documents, the Tacoma School District reported Powell to Tacoma Police on Monday, Feb. 4, for an alleged inappropriate contact between her and a 17-year-old student. Powell had written a letter to the boy’s girlfriend apologizing for “promiscuous” and “unprofessional” comments and texts sent to the boy. Police contacted Powell at home prior to her arrest, according to the documents. She waived her Miranda rights, telling police the boy was her student last year and he came to her classroom for math help and to talk about life issues.
See TEACHER, A-8
Faculty trained to defibrillate
BY PATRICIA MORRISON COATE Sequim Gazette
With more than 75,000 square feet of empty space, Bell Creek Plaza hosts the largest collection of available retail space in Sequim. Sequim Gazette photo by Mark Couhig
Sequim hosts three-plus acres of available retail space Demand for space uneven throughout city limits by MARK ST.J. COUHIG Sequim Gazette
The departure of Krush, the bar/ restaurant that closed three weeks ago, left another empty storefront in town and opened up an additional 4,000 feet of lease space in an inventory that was already capacious. The Sequim Gazette recently conducted a very simple survey of commercial rental space available within city limits — specifically space available for retail operations. Given the number of nooks and crannies in the city and the constant movement of commercial operations, the survey isn’t likely to be perfect. The difficulty also is increased by the fungibility of many of the properties: some of the spaces last used for an office also are suited for use as retail space. And vice versa.
by MICHAEL DASHIELL Sequim Gazette
In 2012, the all-volunteer board at the Olympic View Community Foundation — then known as the Sequim Com-
Anyone, any time and anywhere. Those are the facts about sudden cardiac arrest. The brain has 4-6 minutes to receive oxygenated blood from the heart before cells start to die. To interrupt that possibility is why the Sequim School District recently has purchased 10 Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs and placed them throughout the district. “It just seemed like the responsible thing to do,” said Sonja Bittner, the district’s head registered nurse. During an in-service for all employees on Jan. 27, several dozen learned how to use the life-saving device from certified AED instructor Jeffery Hoyt of Cardiac Sciences in Kirkland. “If you can open a lid and put on the patches, you can save a life,” Hoyt said. Hoyt first explained the key differences between sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack; “Sudden cardiac
See AEDs, A-6
In mid-January the owners of Krush locked up the doors for the last time. Bob Torres, the leasing agent for the Rock Plaza, said it may take a long time to find a tenant for the space, and for other vacant storefronts in the shopping center. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Nevertheless, the results are interesting (see box, page A-8). According to the Gazette’s survey, there are currently more than 135,000 square feet of retail space for lease within city limits. That’s a little more than 3 acres under roof — just slightly smaller than the Sequim Costco. Demand for retail space is distributed unequally throughout the city. The success story in recent days has been found on the western
The plastic is back RIESAU
School district gains AEDs
munity Foundation — found themselves at a crossroad. “It was either build it,” says Sue Ellen Riesau, the foundation’s executive director, “or make an exit plan.” Since then, the Olympic View
part of the city, particularly within the Sequim Village Marketplace where Sequim’s “big box” stores are located. For example, the now fully leased strip mall that runs northsouth in the parking lot in front of Office Depot. The newest tenants include Ben’s Bikes and Fit for Life. Ed Sumpter, a real estate agent with Blue Sky Realty, points to those
See GROW, A-8
Certified AED instructor Jeffery Hoyt administers CPR with voice instructions from the AED while teacher Cheryl Daniels and Health Services coordinator Ardis Mangano observe. Sequim Gazette photo by Patricia Morrison Coate
Olympic View Community Foundation and Sound Community Bank tout Sequim credit card
Community Foundation has been in the rebuilding process, restructuring its grant process, redesigning its website and logo, reconnecting with community partners and, most recently, rebranding and remarketing a
credit card that helps restore funds to the community. The foundation and Sound Community Bank are touting a credit card program that brings 1 percent of all purchases back to the Sequim community.
Started in 1997, the program has reinvested more than $335,000 to the Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic View Community Foundation has
See PLASTIC, A-6
Sports B-5 • Schools B-8 • Arts & Entertainment B-1 • Opinion A-10 • Obituaries A-12 • Classifieds C-1 • Crossword Section C
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