A salute to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge. Through their efforts, Bainbridge Island has been certified by the State Arts Commission as Washington State’s ninth certified Creative District. This designation will focus a spotlight on Bainbridge Island’s creative arts community and will provide a boost to Bainbridge Island’s many organizations and individuals who are a part of Bainbridge Island’s creative class.

Sociologist Richard Florida has written extensively about the emerging “creative class” and hypothesizing that the foundation of the new economy depends upon the growth and nurturing of the creative class. He suggests that with low-cost labor available internationally, what will set our economy apart is its creativity and innovation. The creative class is broadly defined to include science, fine arts, design, technology, food and many other aspects of right-brain activity. According to Florida, as we move from an era of industrial production, the new economy is creativity. Those communities who support the creative class will be the most vibrant and significant.

The City of Bainbridge Island supports arts and humanities in its Cultural Element, which is one of the elements, or chapters, of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Cultural Element establishes a policy of financial support for the arts and humanities. Before the end of the year, the City will award more than $300,000 of funding for cultural and arts activities for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 through the cultural funding grant process. A future City Manager’s Report will highlight the recipients of these grant funds. 

The designation of the Creative District is intended to improve the livability of the community for existing residents, and it will show what a fun place Bainbridge Island is to live, work and visit. Again, well done, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge.

The Office of the Washington State Auditor on Oct. 26 will present to the Council the financial audit results on the City of Bainbridge Island for 2020. The auditor issued an “unmodified" or "clean" opinion, which is in accordance with applicable Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

One deficiency was found related to the City’s internal controls for land assets. The report found the City "lacked an effective process for ensuring capital assets it no longer owned were properly removed from the capital asset listing and excluded from the financial statements." In response, the City has implemented additional procedures to strengthen internal controls over capital assets.

The audit also reviewed the City’s federal grant compliance related to COVID-19 relief funds and did not identify any deficiencies.

The Office of the Washington State Auditor is responsible for providing transparent examinations of how state and local governments use public funds.

Celebrate the new Sound To Olympics Trail Sakai Connector at a dedication and “trail mixer” event at 12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3. The trailhead is at the northwest corner of the High School Road and State Route 305 intersection near the Chevron station.

The event is hosted by the City of Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation and Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District. Light snacks will be served, including the Parks Foundation’s homemade “Because We Love Trail Mix.”

The Sakai Connector is the second Bainbridge Island leg of the Sound To Olympics Trail, a regional nonmotorized trail that will link the Winslow ferry terminal with the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.

The short, paved connector runs from the intersection north to Sakai Park, where it links up with trails in the park’s wooded lower bowl. Those trails lead through the park, around scenic Sakai Pond and up to Madison Avenue and the school campus.

The City Council this week directed the City Manager to develop a public engagement opportunity to collect feedback from the community related to design options for the Eagle Harbor Drive nonmotorized improvement project at the Head of the Bay from Finch Road to the shoreline frontage.

During the Oct. 19 discussion, staff presented the Council with refined options and costs for designs, including paved shoulders, separated bike lanes, an over-water option, and a recommended alternative that would provide a bi-directional and multi-use path on one side of the road. The recommended option was developed to limit costs and environmental impacts while providing a facility that comes close to meeting an all ages and abilities standard for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Council expressed concerns about the recommended alternative; primarily, that the design would include multiple road crossings and would potentially not be used by a wide range of cyclists, particularly commuters.

Staff will begin work to seek feedback from the community, then report back to the Council with additional information to guide a decision on a final alternative.

Watch the Oct. 19 discussion.

Following a prohibition of new hotels in the Winslow Mixed-Use Town Center earlier this year, the Planning Commission was asked by the City Council to determine if a hotel use is consistent with the Winslow Master Plan and the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission on Oct. 14 determined the use is consistent and requested to continue working on a determination regarding whether it should be a permitted or conditional use.

The Commission would also like to review use specific standards and the definition of "hotel". The City Council will be updated on the Planning Commission’s recommendation. The Council will determine if additional review will occur as part of the review of the Winslow Master Plan or as a standalone review and decision. The Winslow Master Plan was identified as one of the Council's highest priorities in 2021.

The Planning Commission on Oct. 14 also continued discussion on a future landmark tree ordinance and, specifically, if trees should be designated based on aesthetic or historic value. Future conversations on the proposed ordinance will occur at the Nov. 18 Planning Commission.

Watch the Oct. 14 discussions.

The Oct. 28 Planning Commission Meeting agenda includes a Public Participation Meeting for the Vincent Road Transfer Station Employee Restroom and Breakroom Building. The proposal includes construction of a two-story employee restroom, breakroom, and personal equipment locker storage facility at the Vincent Road Transfer Station. The proposal received a preliminary recommendation of approval from the Design Review Board.

The Oct. 28 meeting will also include a review and recommendation on the Fort Ward stables project, and consideration of whether or not to extend the Housing Design Demonstration Projects Program, which is intended to promote the development of projects that increase affordable housing and meet green building certification standards. The program, which has been in place since 2009, is currently set to expire Dec. 31; it was originally approved as a three-year pilot program in the Winslow area.

Staff presented to the Council this week the first round of results from the 2020 Census, which tells us how many people lived on Bainbridge Island as of April 1, 2020.

The first results from the 2020 Census were released in mid-August, and included information related to redistricting (population, population numbers for different race categories, and group quarters).

The 2020 Census indicates that the Bainbridge Island population as of April 1, 2020 was 24,825, which is an increase of 1,800 people from the 2010 population of 23,025. More detailed demographic information such as 5-year age cohorts, household income, rental/ownership, and other information will be released in late 2022.

Watch the Oct. 19 Council discussion.

The Council on Oct. 26 will consider allowing bonus density for affordable housing built on property owned or controlled by religious organizations. The City Council has requested to discuss this because at least one religious organization has expressed interest to the City in potentially pursuing an affordable housing project.

The Council is considering the topic after the Washington State Legislature in 2019 enacted Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1377 to facilitate the development of affordable housing projects on property owned or controlled by religious organizations. The law facilitates affordable housing development by requiring a density bonus, subject to certain conditions. Although current City affordable housing regulations allow a certain amount of affordable housing on properties owned or controlled by religious organizations, including via a density bonus, the City may enact regulations to implement what is intended by the 2019 legislation. The applicable state law provision is RCW 36.70A.545. Such development is supported by the City’s Comprehensive Plan, specifically Housing Element Policy HO 3.4.

On Oct. 26, the City Council will be considering next steps related to implementing this law, including:

Below are some of the topics for the Oct. 26 City Council meeting.

The public is invited to contact members of the City Council to express concerns, questions and praise. Some council members are holding virtual office hours and others are available to meet upon request. Please visit the City Council page for more information on individual City Council members.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the potential for significant wind and rain on Sunday and Monday. Out of an abundance of caution, the COVID-19 test site operations at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church are canceled for Monday, Oct. 25. The safety of our volunteers as well as individuals who need testing is our first priority.

Beginning this Saturday, Oct. 23, Kitsap Public Health District and the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center will be operating a testing site at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds (sheep barn), located at 1200 Fairgrounds Rd NW in Bremerton. The test site will operate 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.

Please see the county's page for the complete list of testing site options.

In anticipation of full approval for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen boosters, we are scheduling our next booster clinic for Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Commodore Options School lower gym. This clinic will only offer Moderna and Pfizer boosters.

If you are immunocompromised and looking to book an appointment for your third dose, please call the Bainbridge Island Community Pharmacy or book an appointment online with Walgreens, Safeway, or Rite Aid. A full list of providers in Kitsap is available on the Kitsap Public Health District page.

The current guidance states that individuals are eligible for a booster if they are over 65, over 50 with certain health conditions or 18 and over and have an occupational risk. If you meet this criteria, you may get your booster dose six months (second dose on or before April 30) after your second Pfizer or Moderna vaccination or two months (initial dose on or before August 30) after your Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccination.

Appointments for the Oct. 30 clinic will open on Monday, Oct. 25 at noon and will be posted on the vaccine scheduling page.

Pfizer appointments will be available in the morning and Moderna appointments will be available in the afternoon.

We continue to monitor approvals for 5- to 11-year-olds and expect approval in early November.

As we approach pending inclement weather, it's important to know that if you have a public works emergency after hours that threatens public health, safety or the environment such as a sewer spill, loss of water pressure, flooding, downed stop sign or downed tree in the City’s right of way, please call 911. Kitsap 911 will contact our emergency personnel for response.

For non-emergency issues (e.g., potholes), please submit a report to SeeClickFix.

The Finance Department has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 2021-2022 budget. This award reflects the commitment of staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. The City has received this award for the last three biennial budgets.

“The City Finance Team remains committed to following governmental best practices that ensure transparency, professionalism and financial stewardship," Finance Director DeWayne Pitts said. "I am very proud of the hard work and commitment from staff, Council and residents to ensure this document remains a useful planning tool that expresses the City’s identified priorities and service delivery to the community.”

To receive the award, staff had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

The “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting.

The Government Finance Officers Association represents public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada. Its mission is to advance excellence in public finance.