IslandWood to expand

IslandWood is expecting to break ground this fall on the construction of four new facilities to ease the backlog of schools waiting to join its popular program.

Fund-raising efforts for the expansion project at the south Bainbridge outdoor learning center have netted more than $4 million thus far.

“It’s a $7.5 million campaign and we are more than halfway to our goal,” said Ben Klasky, executive director at IslandWood. “We talked with our board and they funded it significantly, they contributed $2.5 million and we got $1 million from the state.”

Money from the state, which was approved three months ago, totals near $1 million and was allocated from House and Senate capital budgets. The remainder of the fund-raising monies has come from foundations, corporations and other private supporters.

The capital campaign is nearing a new phase where IslandWood will begin courting the public to make the expansion a reality.

“We’ll start the public phase pretty soon,” Klasky said. “We are waiting to hear from a few more foundations before we begin.”

That phase will consist of unspecified fundraising events and meetings with interested donors. It will also be when IslandWood reveals the building plans to the public.

“We’ve been talking about expanding for a long time, almost from the moment we opened” said Klasky.

“IslandWood is only five years old and it’s always full. We turned away ten schools this year and that number seems to be growing each year.”

IslandWood’s popular over-night program sees a 90 percent return rate from over 60 schools a year, making it hard for other schools to get off the wait list and into the program.

The design, which is still being tailored to the environment and building regulations, will consist of a dormitory lodge which will allow IslandWood to house one-third more students than the current 3,000 a year.

The ability to house more students will also make better use of the large dining room and great hall, which are under their capacity limits, said Klasky.

Construction will also include two more learning areas which will be added on to existing buildings and a small housing area to accommodate six more graduates.

“Since we are expanding our offerings to more kids, we need more grad students on site,” said Klasky. “Currently, we have 24 graduates working towards a masters in education or environmental science.”

All of the buildings will be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. LEED is a rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

– Sean Roach

Anti-nuke trek to cross island

Mid-July saw the start of an interfaith peace walk in Eugene, Ore.

By the end of this week, it will have proceeded from the point of origin through Portland, Ore., Hanford and Seattle to its final destination, Bangor, with a Bainbridge stop at lunch-time on Aug. 3 at the Nipponzan Myohoji Temple near Lynwood Center.

Area organizations including Ground Zero for Nonviolent Action and the Nipponzan Myohoji Order and have staged the three-week walk, whose aim as it gathers walkers at each stop is to promote the possibility of a nuclear-free future.

The walk is open to everyone. Lunch at the temple begins at 10:40 Friday, with lunch donations requested at the temple by 10 a.m.

After the meal, walkers will proceed to Suquamish for dinner, spending the night at the Suquamish UCC Church. The walk will re-commence to Bangor the morning of Aug. 4 after a ceremony at Chief Seattle’s grave.

For more information about the walk, contact the Rev. Senji Kanaeda at 780-6739. Also on Bainbridge is contact Kathryn Keve, 780-3528 or kbkeve@earthlink.net.

Discuss the streetscape

The city is hosting a workshop tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall to discuss the coming streetscape project.

The workshop will kick off with a presentation from city planner Chris Wierzbicki, before attendees break into teams to look at current plans and offer suggestions.

Construction on the project – which will replace aging infrastructure beneath Winslow Way – is scheduled to begin in spring 2009.

Planners hope to have the design 30 percent complete by the end of the year.

A new liner for an older pool

The Bainbridge Aquatic Center’s Ray Williamson pool will close Aug. 6 for resurfacing, with a target re-opening date of Aug. 19.

Bob Mathisrud, aquatic facility manager, said the current fiberglass liner is approaching 17 years of service.

The aquatic center would rather undertake the replacement now, when problems consist merely of stains and a worn gel coating, than wait for more serious age-related issues to occur. Mathisrud said the the average life expectancy off a fiberglass pool liner is 20 years.

“It’s time,” he said.

The Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, which has budgeted $90,000 for the job, contracted a Lynnwood company, Ken’s Pool and Spa, to drain the pool, tear out the existing liner and begin a five-step process of gluing and installing the new one.

The new surface will retain the same design as the old one – white with black lane markers. But Mathisrud said swimmers can expect to see a significant aesthetic improvement with the bright, clean surface.

The Ray Williamson pool is largely used for lap swims as well as some classes.

During closure, the newer Don Nakata pool will absorb the lap swim schedule.

Weekday lap swims will be held Monday-Thursday 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and noon to 2:30 p.m., and Fridays 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. as well as Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There will be no evening lap swim Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.

Saturday lap swims will be on Aug. 11 and Aug. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday lap swims will be on Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

– Lindsay Latimore