I’m hoping that the new council-manager style of operation will show more balanced judgment. In what way? There is always a tug of war between citizens and big development projects. That’s why we have zoning laws and public hearings.

Unfortunately, developers have the edge in this process because that is their business. They understandably look out for No. 1. Often the rest of us go about our business thinking that the city is looking at the bigger picture and will make responsible decisions between development goals and other issues such as public safety and welfare.

Another factor is history, which should not all be confined to the shelves of the historical society. How did the community develop? Who did the hard work? Monuments are more often raised to “important” men, or memorials related to war. We talk about the Founding Fathers but what about slavery? Are they ever honored for their unwilling sacrifices to America?

What does this have to do with Bainbridge Island? On the public welfare issue, there are two recent developments that didn’t seem to take this into account. One is Harbor Square, the other is Island Gateway.

There are two realities about downtown Winslow. One is that people have made it known that we want it to be more walkable, which means wider sidewalks. The other major factor is the ferry and associated traffic. Both the Gateway and Harbor Square easements, or lack thereof, are such that any plans to smooth traffic such as widening the roads are now limited.

The other project is Strawberry Cannery Park. For a long time the site was a part of significant local industry, the well-known strawberries. This chapter in history could be honored in very simple ways.

The other issue related to the park is that it is subject to the intent of John Nelson’s will, whereby he gave his property to the city in gratitude for his life (of hard work at the shipyard, it should be noted) and included a stipulation for developing a “public park and place for the recreation, amusement and education of the people.” For 60 years his will has not been honored at his original property and now following the swap of these rights to Cannery Park, his wishes, and those of his living heir, Erik Lund, continue to be ignored.

This all leads one to ask, who is in charge here? After a daylong workshop to hear citizen concerns and ideas about the park, all of the ideas were ignored. Why?

Salmon restoration is a worthy goal and it is also a feel-good goal. At this site, it may be unrealistic. It is being used to access money from the Elliott Bay Trust and excavate a perfectly good piece of land, that is a perfect location for public enjoyment of Eagle Harbor.

Developers and other residents are all citizens and both have rights. It is the duty of city staff and elected officials to listen to both and to look out for the general welfare as well as the wishes of developers. I know from experience that some push for everything they can imagine which is to be expected, but the city’s planning and zoning process is meant to both balance, guard, even enhance community interests as well.

Kathryn Keve

Bainbridge Island