The City Council this week approved a proposal for the City to open a free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at Town Square in early November to increase the testing capacity to keep our community safe and support the reopening of schools and businesses.

“The goal is to support our community. This is a public health threat,” Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage said during the Oct. 13 presentation to the Council.

The testing site, which staff aims to open on Monday, Nov. 2, will be available to anyone (with or without symptoms) by appointment only. The testing site will be open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the City’s Town Square, which is the location of the Farmers Market (next to City Hall at 280 Madison Ave). The effort is expected to increase testing capacity on the island by approximately 100 per week. The schedule may be adjusted based on the demand for testing.

“What we continue to hear is that it is difficult to get tested if you are asymptomatic – even if you’re a close contact, you need testing in order to return to work, or to travel,” LeSage said.

Volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Bainbridge Prepares, and other emergency management volunteers will oversee the testing process with support from the City’s Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage and COVID-19 Safety Officer Chris Rubin.

The City will work with the University of Washington Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology to process the tests; it’s anticipated processing of the tests will take 24 to 48 hours.

Any patients with insurance will need to provide that information, so the UW lab can bill the insurance company. If a patient does not have insurance, then the UW lab will receive reimbursement from a federal pool of money supporting COVID-19 testing.

Arrangements will be made at the site to allow testing for those without access to a car.

The City Council approved up to $50,000 for six months of testing. The project will cost approximately $10,000 to set up (includes the cost for personal protective equipment, supplies, testing materials and information technology equipment) and ongoing costs are expected to be $6,000 per month. The testing site will be supported through the City’s General Fund.

Watch the Oct. 13 presentation here.

Please follow the City's COVID-19 page for updates on the testing site and how to register for an appointment.

The City Council this week directed staff to work with a Council Ad Hoc Committee to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of a digital general store website to support Bainbridge Island businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is very clear that e-commerce has transitioned from being a growing way of doing business to being a critical means of business survival in the age of COVID," said Deputy Mayor Joe Deets who is leading the digital general store proposal as part of the Council Ad Hoc Committee's COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.

Deets estimates it will cost $30,000 to "kick start" the digital general store and does not intend it to be an ongoing cost to the City.

Previously, the Council approved $20,000 to support a “Save Our Stores” (SOS) campaign initiated and led by the Chamber of Commerce and the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association, as well as reimbursing these organizations, up to $5,000, for their COVID-19 related expenses.

The Council also approved $10,000 for the purchase of disposable and reusable face masks for distribution to local businesses.

The digital general store proposals will be reviewed by City staff and City Council Ad Hoc committee members. When the selection process is complete, the proposal will return to the Council for approval.

Learn more about the digital general store proposal here.

It's expected that City Council members will bring their ideas for changes to the proposed 2021-22 Budget during next week's study session as part of the ongoing budget deliberations.

The Council next week will also discuss a decision issued Oct. 15 by the Washington State Supreme Court to strike down Initiative 976 (described as the “$30 car-tab initiative”), as the City receives revenue from car-tab fees.

The Biennial Budget is the financial plan for the upcoming two years and expresses the City’s identified priorities and planned service delivery to the community.

The proposed 2021-2022 Budget and supporting materials can be viewed online at https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/1258/Budget.

See the timeline for discussion topics and opportunities for public comment on the Budget webpage.

The City’s contractor is continuing to make progress on the Wyatt Way Reconstruction project. The majority of work is still primarily focused on the west side of the project limits between Grow Avenue and Nicholson Place, where the last testing of the water mains is expected early next week before going into service. Also within this zone of the project, the contractor will begin the layout for curbs and sidewalks.

Within the work zone east of the Grow Avenue intersection, the contractor has completed installing a majority of the storm drainage improvements.

The current project schedule has the majority of work, including installation of drainage improvements, sidewalk and roundabout improvements at the Wyatt Way and Madison Ave intersection, extended through early December.

The Sustainable Transportation Plan project team will provide an update to the City Council next week seeking Council approval of the proposed goals and objectives for the plan. The goals will be used to finalize the gap analysis, evaluation framework, and the plan’s performance measures. The approved goals and objectives will also inform the scenario development approach and, through the evaluation framework, be used to score and select projects, programs, and policies for the near-term implementation plan.

The Sustainable Transportation Task Force will meet next Friday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon on Zoom. The meeting will include a presentation on the Climate Action Plan, then the group will be discussing the gap analysis work that was done by Task Force members. The analysis discussion will be divided into identifying the gaps and barriers in the existing infrastructure, as well as gaps in policies and programs.

The community will have an opportunity to provide comments to the Task Force at the Oct. 23 meeting.

Additional information may be found on the project webpage here.

At the Oct. 20 Council study session, staff will present an overview of the City’s practices related to transportation “levels of service,” including a discussion on the transportation “concurrency” program and Traffic Impact Fees. These are all tools used to help the City determine how and where to build transportation infrastructure on the island in preparation for future growth.

As part of the Sustainable Transportation Plan work, the City Council expressed an interest in understanding how the City uses levels of service to measure transportation impacts on the island.

The presentation will outline how the different transportation measuring and planning tools relate to the Comprehensive Plan and development on the island, and will also review some options for moving to a more multi-modal approach.

Public comment on the topic will be taken at the following City Council meeting on Oct. 27.

Councilmember Kol Medina announced this week that he plans to resign from the City Council effective Nov 10. Medina, who represents the North Ward, announced his resignation during the Oct. 13 business meeting.

“It’s really a bittersweet moment for me. I’ve been going through a lot of emotions and conflicting thoughts about this for months now," Medina said.

Medina is leaving to take the position of President of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation in Walla Walla, where he spent his childhood.

Medina was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 to serve another four-year term. The Council will discuss options for filling Medina's seat during the Oct. 20 study session.

The City Council this week approved a resolution, initiated by Councilmember Christy Carr, declaring the Council’s support for the Wild Fish Conservancy’s proposal to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to lease aquatic lands in Rich Passage near Fort Ward Park.

The aquatic lands are currently leased for commercial marine net pen fin fish aquaculture, and operated by Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, LLC. The Wild Fish Conservancy is seeking to restore these aquatic lands to their natural state and restore full access to these aquatic lands for the public’s full benefit, use, and enjoyment.

Read the resolution here.

The City Council this week scheduled an Oct. 27 public hearing to consider a six-month extension of Small Wireless Facilities Design Standards Interim Official Control that is set to expire on Nov. 14. An extension is needed to provide time for the City Council to review the Planning Commission's recommendations regarding permanent small wireless facility design standards.

A public hearing on Ordinance No. 2020-22 must be held in order to extend the interim official control for an additional six-month period.

Originally adopted in May 2019, this interim official control creates interim small wireless facility design standards that comply with applicable federal regulations. Over the course of nine meetings, the Planning Commission finalized a recommendation to the City Council on permanent design standards to replace the interim official control. Additional time is needed for the City Council to consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation.

Friends of the Farms will present a proposal next week to the City Council related to intern housing on the City-owned Morales farm property, located at the corner of SR 305 and Lovgreen Road.

The proposal is intended to provide housing for up to six interns working on local farms. The proposed approach includes building small, new structures for the interns, to be located on the Morales property.

If approved, and when completed, this new housing will provide low-cost and predictable year-round housing for farm interns. There has been a farm intern program run by Friends of the Farms for several years, which is currently curtailed due to the challenges of COVID-19 and available housing locations.

There is no City funding currently requested for this proposal.

Below are some of the topics scheduled for the Tuesday, Oct. 20 City Council meeting.

If you would like to receive the City Council agenda by email when it's published, sign up on the Council Agendas webpage.

Planners work to improve the well-being of all people living in our communities by taking a comprehensive perspective. This approach leads to safer, resilient, more equitable, and more prosperous communities.

Throughout the month of October, we are celebrating National Community Planning Month to recognize the role that the City of Bainbridge Island plays in creating a great community. This includes the Planning department, City Council, and its supporting community volunteer committees (including the Planning Commission, Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Island Center Subarea Planning Process Steering Committee, Climate Change Advisory Committee, Green Building Task Force, and Race Equity Task Force).

Planning is more important than ever as communities continue to navigate the disruptive changes brought about by the pandemic.

This year's theme — Planning Is Essential to Recovery — highlights how planning and planners can lead communities to equitable, resilient, and long-lasting recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the American Planning Association website to learn more.

This week, the City of Bainbridge Island planning team is participating in the annual Washington/Oregon state conference. This year’s theme is Growing Together Virtually, recognizing the importance and challenges of planning for evolving communities, large and small, in these challenging and polarizing times. The conference provides an opportunity to share, learn from each other, and grow as professionals.

The challenges before us are significant:

Bainbridge Island planners will bring back information and ideas on how our community can best respond to these challenges.

Washington State Ferries customers are encouraged to participate in a Ferry Riders Opinion Group survey to share your thoughts on all things WSF.

The survey is hosted by the Washington State Transportation Commission and helps WSF hear feedback and suggestions directly from you.

The survey will be available through Oct. 26.

The Public Art Committee (PAC) has selected new outdoor sculptures that will be on display in Bainbridge Island’s downtown corridor and City Hall as part of the Something New III program.

The three sculptures chosen tfor this project are:

The Something New program provides both a dynamic public art experience and an ongoing opportunity for sculptors from around the Pacific Northwest to exhibit their work.

Every year, the project brings a collection of sculptures on loan to outdoor sites located around Winslow. The infrastructure at each site is permanent. However, the artwork on display is not. After each yearlong exhibition, new art is selected and rotated into place, bringing “something new” to Bainbridge Island year after year.

The Kitsap County Auditor's Office began mailing ballots this week.

Ballot drop boxes remain open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The Bainbridge Island ballot box is located in the Bainbridge Island School District office parking lot (between the district office and the aquatic center), located at 8489 Madison Ave NE.

Voters pamphlets are now viewable online at https://www.kitsapgov.com/auditor/Pages/elections.aspx