Blakely Ave. gets upgrades
With the start of school just weeks away, the city hopes newly installed improvements on Blakely Avenue will make the area safer for students and drivers.
The project, scheduled to wrap up this week, included a new sidewalk linking Blakely Elementary School and the Blakely Heights neighborhood, as well as a pull-out and drop-off area south of Baker Hill Road, to ease congestion in the school parking lot.
New traffic islands at each end of the 20 mph school speed zone are designed to make the zone more visible. As an added reminder, new solar-powered LED beacons will flash during school hours.
According to a city press release, the project was the first to utilize permeable materials for its gutter system, an alternative to the traditional pipe and catch basin approach. Additional landscaping work will be completed in September.
The Blakely project was funded through a federal transportation grant administered by the Puget Sound Regional Council.
BCF awards 20 new grants
The Bainbridge Community foundation announced the recipients of its 2008 Community Grant program.
All told, $69,238 were awarded to 20 island organizations, chosen from among 30 applicants.
The Health Housing and Human Services Council garnered the highest award, receiving $6,000 for training programs.
A full list of funded programs will be available on BCF’s website.
This year $38,000 in matching contributions came from the foundation’s donor-advised funds.
For more information, see www.bainbridgecommunityfoundation.org or call 842-0433.
Rebuild begins on trail system
A once-stalled park district trail project will get under way next week, thanks to a glut of donations and volunteers.
A four-day work party to rebuild decrepit portions of the Manzanita Park trail off Day Road West will begin Monday. The Kitsap County Conservation District is volunteering a group of experienced trail builders for the project and the Bainbridge Island Saddle Club, which shares the park, has raised $2,000 for the effort. To get involved contact Dan Hamlin at dan@biparks.org or 842-3373.
