Bainbridge Islanders,
According to our Green House Gas Reduction Goals, 80% of the vehicles on the road should be electric vehicles by 2045. Towards this goal, the City is working to convert our vehicle fleet to full electric, and we support other public agency efforts to transition to electric transportation as well.
Last week, the City of Bainbridge Island wrote a letter in support of a Washington State Ferry’s federal grant application to pay for infrastructure at the Colman Dock in Seattle and the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal to support full electric ferry boats. The grant application seeks approximately $7.0 million to pay for a medium voltage charging infrastructure. The intention is to provide the utility upgrades, power distribution, and offshore structures needed to support automated vessel charging equipment for electric-battery boats.
Something totally different from the above, this week an old white phosphorus grenade was found on private property on South Beach Drive. The grenade was discovered by the Fire Department while they were fighting a brush fire in the area. It appears that it was buried for some time and may have been left over from the Fort Ward era. I am told that this type of grenade is intended to produce smoke, and the charge is used to disperse white phosphorus which ignites when it hits the air.
Finally, our thoughts are with the 15-year-old victim and his family of the bicycle crash this week on Baker Hill. I am thankful he was wearing a helmet, and I am grateful for the witness and the police and medical responders who helped.
Best,
Blair King
City Manager
