REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 | Vol. 112, No. 36 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
WILKES’ WAIT IS OVER
WING POINT HOME DESTROYED IN BLAZE
New elementary school opens for eager students BY BRIAN KELLY Bainbridge Island Review
If Tamara VanWinkle sounded a little frazzled or fatigued at last week’s Bainbridge Island school board meeting, she had every right to be. VanWinkle, the director of facilities and capital projects, had just finished the madcap marathon of getting a new elementary school finished in time for the start of classes on Aug. 29. Sadly, there was a stumble at the end. Ongoing construction and the possibility that students might not be safeprompted the Bainbridge Island School District to postpone the opening until Sept. 4. VanWinkle told the school board the city had wanted to give the district an occupancy permit, and worked up until the last minute in the hopes that it could happen. It didn’t. Still, VanWinkle said the delay was actually a good thing in the end. “It wasn’t the right thing for the teachers,” she said. The school staff needed to feel good about their teaching environment, but like the building, Wilkes employees just weren’t ready. “Those first days are so critical to the success of our students,” VanWinkle added. Workers and school staff put in a yeoman’s effort to get the school ready. There were many late nights toward the end, and staff from other schools and the district office came by to help. When needed furniture didn’t arrive, the contractor borrowed desks and other furnishings from the Bellevue School District, all in an attempt to make the Aug. 29 deadline. The school opened to rave reviews from parents, staff, and most importantly, students, this week. As they filed into Wilkes, their voices could be heard above the sound of heavy machinery outside. “Cool! Awesome! It’s beautiful!”
SOCCER KICKS OFF: Spartans set high goals for this year’s season. A15
Mike Ellis sweeps a stairway at Wilkes Elementary as the school gets ready to open.
Charles Hemingway photo
Flames from the Wing Point Drive fire could be seen along the Winslow waterfront. Smoke from the blaze floated into Eagle Harbor.
Heavy machinery cited as likely cause BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
Brian Kelly /Bainbridge Island Review
A young Wilkes student spends part of his recess watching the heavy equipment continue work at the new school Wednesday.
An Eagle Harbor home was a total loss after flames tore through its walls and scorched a nearby tree Tuesday evening. The fire left the home on Wing Point Drive charred from its basement to the second story, and a smoky haze floating through the air in Eagle Harbor. Investigators with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department have called the fire accidental and point to a piece of excavation machinery, located underneath the structure, as the likely source of the fire. “We believe that it is where the fire originated,” said Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter. The house, an estimated value of $385,000, is a total loss, Carpenter said. The 2,500-square-foot home was originally built in 1920 but has recently been under construction for a remodel. It was not occupied at the time of the fire. Around three hours after construction crews SEE BLAZE, A9