City of Poulsbo December E-Newsletter |
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Please visit out website for the latest information and resources related to COVID-19. |
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A message from Mayor Erickson |
The City of Poulsbo is moving forward as we face the challenge of the pandemic. We are working collaboratively with many organizations to adapt to our ever-changing environment. I know times are tough for many and we all have a heightened responsibility to help each other. I am very proud of how the people of Poulsbo have responded to these new challenges.
Governor Inslee’s last guidance, which closed indoor dining in our restaurants, brew pubs, and bars, was tough for many of our small businesses. Many adapted to outdoor dining with tents and heaters. Please swing by, pick up some takeout, or enjoy the new experience of tent dining.
The holiday season has arrived in Poulsbo. The Historic Downtown Poulsbo has new lights decorating the Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park. More lights are still coming to help brighten the park even more and increase the holiday cheer.
Unfortunately, the horse drawn carriage will not be available this year, but the Santa House is open! Santa will be there to visit with the kids on Saturdays and Sundays, with new protocols to keep everyone safe. Santa’s mailbox is right by his house. Kids can write a letter to Santa, drop it in the box, and they will get a reply if they include their mailing address.
We will all miss annual events such as Julefest and the Christmas bazaar, great traditions of the Sons of Norway. But you can get a bowl of pea soup and ginger cookies at the Sons on December 5 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. God Jul!
On Viking Avenue, the tradition continued with the West Poulsbo Tree Lighting. This year Santa drove by in a car sponsored by Hudson Motors and we waved as the lights went on at 6:00 pm on November 27.
A big shout out and thanks to the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association, CenturyLink, and the City of Poulsbo Public Works Crew for all the hard work in decorating our downtown and another huge thank you to the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce and the City of Poulsbo Public Works for putting up the lights on Viking Avenue. I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the decorations this holiday season.
Other things happening in Poulsbo include a new housing development coming soon to our community. Poulsbo Meadows, a new neighborhood which is located at Mesford Street and Noll Road, is the latest offering from Quadrant Homes. The model homes are now in construction and I expect a sales agent on site shorty. Crystal View, which is located on Sunrise Ridge Avenue, has spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and Liberty Bay. Constructed by Lungren Homes, three model homes are currently in construction. More information can be found at https://lungrenhomes.com/crystal-view/#overview.
Our walking pathways along Finn Hill and in Fish Park will be completed soon. Working with a series of funding sources, beautiful new boards walks are near completion in Fish Park allowing for greater access to the more northern areas of the park. Along Finn Hill is a large shared-use pathway which is part of a series of walking connections that link all the neighborhoods of northwestern Poulsbo.
The City is dedicated to creating more walking facilities throughout our community. When our residents walk through different neighborhoods, it builds community cohesion. We all understand what each other’s homes look like; the ambience of each neighborhood is accessible to all. It is not just about “my neighborhood”, it becomes “our neighborhoods” and a shared vision for the entire town.
I have started to hold my open office hours via Zoom on Saturday mornings, 9:00 until noon. If you want to speak to the Mayor, please send me an email at berickson@cityofpoulsbo.com, and I will reply with a Zoom meeting invitation. This is a tradition I have maintained since June of 2010. Listening to the citizens I serve is always enlightening and helpful to me. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to join me in a Zoom chat.
Wishing all of you a happy healthy holiday season!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
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To help stop the spread of COVID-19, the City of Poulsbo customer service counters in City Hall have been closed since March 23, 2020 until Phase 3 of the Governor's Safe Start Plan. The Public Works office, Parks & Recreation office, Police Administration office, and Municipal Court office counters are currently closed, as well as restrooms in some City parks. City staff are still working and available by email or phone. To learn more on how to reach us, click here.
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Housing, Health & Human Services (H3) Update |
Kitsap Public Health and the County Emergency Operations Center will be operating a drive up COVID test site in the garage of Poulsbo City Hall on select Fridays starting on December 4. Reservations are required and can be made, after December 2, on the Kitsap County website: https://www.kitsapgov.com/Pages/Kitsap-COVID-19-Test-Site.aspx. Tests are free to the public--and we are so pleased that this service is available to Poulsbo (and other) residents. Public parking will not be available, in our garage, on Fridays when testing is occurring.
The Poulsbo Cares program continues to assist home-bound individuals who need help with shopping or errands during the COVID-19 outbreak. Poulsbo residents who would like to learn more about services are encouraged to call the City's HELP line at 360 517 5037. The phone is staffed M-F 8am to 6pm.
Please--avoid Holiday gatherings. Public health and hospital officials urge local residents to stay safe and socially distanced during this holiday season. “There is very real potential for our hospitals and clinics to become overwhelmed in coming weeks and months unless we take decisive action as individuals and as a community to slow the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses,” Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow said. “Now is simply not a safe time for us to gather with people from outside our households. I urge Kitsap residents to avoid gatherings, for the sake of their families, neighbors, and the frontline workers who are putting themselves at risk to keep our community healthy.”
Thank you! Fishline Comprehensive Services has provided help for many people during this difficult year. We are particularly grateful for their establishment of a new mobile public shower service during a time when other showering facilities are closed to the public. More about this important program—and ways you can help--here: http://fishlinehelps.org/programs/fresh-start-mobile-shower-program/
Please contact Kim Hendrickson at the City's Department of Housing, Health and Human Services with any questions: kimberlyh@cityofpoulsbo.com.
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Poulsbo's Fish Park Phase IV |
The improvements at Poulsbo’s Fish Park along Bond are going well, and the project is scheduled to wrap up by mid-December. Temporary traffic revisions on Bond Road is allowing for safe construction and finish work. We ask that the public remain behind the construction fencing for just a bit longer.
The two new boardwalks are almost done, with handrails and finish work coming up. The sidewalk along Bond Rd. is done and chain-link fencing is installed along the west side of the sidewalk. The vegetative buffer along the sidewalk will get plants in January/February. The trail definition on the southern most parcel at the south end of Boardwalk 1 is underway.
Asphalt was recently put down on the renovated parking lot, and finish details will be completed soon.
Volunteer projects this winter will include two new platforms built by community organizations including the Poulsbo-NK Rotary Club and Poulsbo Lions Club. Kitsap Audubon and Steering committee volunteers have also created six new interpretive signs that will be installed in December. Native plantings by volunteers will be planted to help restore and enhance the vegetation within existing degraded buffer areas of Dogfish Creek and the Liberty Bay estuary. Once completed, this project will provide public access, environmental improvements and education to ALL parcels in PFP's 40 acres.
The community history of support by volunteers, organizations, schools, businesses, grantors, government and the City is immeasurable to Poulsbo’s Fish Park. The City Council awarded the contract to W.S. Contractors of Buckley in July.
This project is being funded by the City of Poulsbo and two state grants: one through the Recreation and Conservation Office and one through a senate appropriation thanks to the support of Senator Christine Rolfes.
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Poulsbo Event and Recreation Center (PERC) |
Our community rocks! Thank you for the incredible response to the community preference survey regarding the PERC. We gathered almost 2,000 responses which we are now going through. Give us some time to review the data and come up with a summary of the information. Please sign up on the email list on the website for future communications and future survey information on the PERC!
The Poulsbo Events and Recreation Center (PERC) is a concept for a multi-use recreational, educational, and events center. The vision for the PERC grew from the community’s expressed desire for new recreational facilities, more tournament-scale sports fields, and a regional center for events and business functions from across the greater Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula. The PERC is also the opportunity to connect secondary and higher education systems to new meeting and use space to support their missions.
The Kitsap Public Facilities District has provided the City of Poulsbo with the funding needed to study the feasibility for a PERC in Poulsbo. A key part of this study is gathering community input on the project. The PERC is envisioned as a 15,000 to 20,000 square foot facility that will cover three main areas:
- Indoor recreation that may include offices, classrooms, fitness, aquatics and administrative space for Poulsbo Parks and Recreation programs and youth activities
- Outdoor recreation and plaza areas that may include multi-use lighted, all season sports field(s) for tournament capabilities for soccer, lacrosse, football, ultimate and other field sports; a skate park; a welcoming plaza to create a sense of space; water features; and other features that provide a community preference for outdoor sports and recreation
- Event space for trade shows, corporate meetings, exhibitions, weddings, and institutional functions such as lecture series’ or off-campus collaboration events.
The PERC is envisioned as a 30,000 to 40,000 square foot building for events, in-door recreation, and Parks and Recreation offices and programs. The building will be connected to 3 to 4-acres of multi-use lighted all-season sports fields with tournament capabilities for soccer, lacrosse, football, ultimate, and other field sports. Other outside sports areas; a plaza; and water features are being considered.
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Building & Engineering Update |
SR305/Johnson Parkway Project Update
A roundabout at the intersection of Johnson Road and SR305 is being built to improve traffic mobility and to provide safer access to SR305. Also included is the construction of a non-motorized tunnel crossing to provide the only separated pedestrian and bicycle crossing of SR305. A newly constructed road (Johnson Parkway) will connect South Noll Road traffic to the new roundabout. The newly built Johnson Parkway will provide a safe connection between east and west for schools, neighborhoods, and regional non-motorized networks.
Utility relocation will continue within the construction zone through early December 2020. Access to SR305 from lower Johnson Way is expected to be closed temporarily starting late December 2020, with the closure lasting up to six months. Resident access will be maintained. This closure will allow for access of the contractor to the roundabout, increased safety of the crew and will expedite the construction timeline. A large contractor presence on site is expected mid-December.
Two lanes of traffic will remain open along SR305 during the day with occasional flagging delays. The construction zone will have a temporary speed reduction to 35mph. Please plan ahead and we thank you in advance for your patience as we move into construction.
Finn Hill Shared Use Path
After a couple weeks of delay the contractor will be back out on site to finish the boardwalk and wrap up project. They anticipate bringing materials back in on November 30th to finish the boardwalk and the remaining work will take about 4 weeks to complete. At time this time they will also be doing final site cleanup and punch-list items.
In addition, the City has worked with the contractor to come to agreement on re-paving a portion of the roadway which is not suitable and up to standards. This repaving work will occur in the springtime when conditions are more favorable, and we can ensure we get the highest quality end product. This will remedy areas where the road is bumpy and doesn’t drain as it is intended.
We appreciate everyone’s patience with this shared use path project and hope our citizens enjoy this new non-motorized route through the City.
Developer Projects
Commercial and residential development throughout the City is continuing at a steady pace.
The 46-lot development of Poulsbo Meadows’ Final Plat has been approved by City Council. The City expects building permits to be submitted soon and house construction to follow.
Overall, Poulsbo is experiencing more construction activity than is usual for this time of year.
Happy Holidays from the Building and Engineering Department!
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The City of Poulsbo is currently hiring for the following position: Police Officer (Entry Level). Click here to learn more details about the open positions. |
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