“Ever have one of those projects that just seems to be snakebit? Where all of the perversity of the universe comes down on your head in one giant helping of bad mojo?Such is the case, it seems, with Bainbridge’s roundabout at High School Road and Madison Avenue. The latest mishap, reported elsewhere in these pages, was the city’s failure to remind its bidders on that road project that state law requires them to list their subcontractors. Because none of the five did so — something that strikes us as odd — the state deemed all of the bids nonresponsive and void.The only remedy, it seems, is to readvertise the project. “
“As of last week, those frequent-rider ferry tickets you bought back in May suddenly became a whole lot less useful.They aren’t worthless. They just won’t get you onto the ferry anymore. The concept was good, but the implementation could have been better, said Alice Tawresey, chair of the State Transportation Commission’s Tariff Policy Committee, of the change to new ferry ticket books that has left some commuters irked. “
“A bidding glitch will further delay the reconstruction of High School Road west of Madison Avenue, almost guaranteeing that the busy intersection will still be torn up well into the school year.We should have caught it. Our consultant should have caught it, and the Department of Transportation office in Port Orchard should have caught it, city engineer Jeff Jensen said.Bids were opened Monday for the project, which includes construction of a roundabout at the High School/Madison intersection.But in advertising for bids, the city failed to tell construction outfits to include a list of subcontractors, as required by state law. “
“The state is getting out of the traffic safety education business, and the district may too.The Washington State Legislature has eliminated student funding for the program statewide, except for the subsidy to low-income students. The cut leaves the Bainbridge school district with a shortfall to run the program for the approximately 150 high school students who take driver ed each year. “
“Anyone who looks for friends and neighbors in the new Fredrick Huebner mystery set on Bainbridge may be missing the point. For islanders who read the book – or come to Eagle Harbor Books to hear Huebner read July 19 – the Bainbridge setting of Shades of Justice may be the most familiar feature, as compelling as any fictional character.If you’re writing about violation, said Huebner, whose book features a double murder, you do want a lovely, serene settings for contrast. “
“The Wyckoff site on Eagle Harbor not only has historic significance, but may have so much recreational value that it warrants inclusion in the national park system.The site certainly has national significance, said Keith Dunbar, a regional planning team leader for the National Park Service, who toured the property Wednesday evening.The site is valuable not only as a community resource, but has regional and even national potential. “
“For Jim Salter’s birthday, he and the city exchanged gifts.In a Thursday morning ceremony that included a round of Happy Birthday to the 86-year-old islander, city officials concluded purchase of Salter’s five-acre woodland off Wardwell Road.Purchase price is $140,000, to be paid to Salter and his wife Lucille in installments over 10 years. Payments began with a check for $10,000, handed to Salter by Mayor Dwight Sutton at the ceremony.I’m just trying to find out if it’s certified, Salter said, examining the draft.Cash it quick – that’s disappearing ink, Sutton rejoined. “
“While talking about statewide transportation funding last week, Rep. Beverly Woods once again chided Bainbridge Island for being insular about traffic congestion.Her complaint is that the slow, crowded crawl from a Bainbridge job back to the peninsula cut too deeply into her crews’ productive time.And, the Poulsbo Republican said, our city has resisted solutions like a second bridge to the peninsula, or a wider Highway 305.Why is this our problem? “
“The World War II internment of the island’s Japanese-Americans is a significant event in this country’s history, and may well deserve protection as a national landmark, said National Park Service personnel who toured the site Wednesday.While the old Eagledale dock itself may be gone, the Taylor Avenue road end itself is still a powerful reminder of the moment. “
“As imbroglios go, it leaves us straddling the rail.A fence sits too close to the road, in the way of proposed bike lanes. The property owner wants to see the fence stay put; city officials are split on the issue. That the fence was built in the public right of way does not seem to be in dispute. The owner supports the construction of bike lanes, but wants the improvements to accommodate the fence, which went up with the blessing of a permit eight years ago; planners say the owner was warned during permitting that the fence might have to be moved in the future, but they can’t find such documents in the record.So the city will let the fence stand where it is, turn the ditch into a culvert and put the bike lane on top of that – splitting the extra construction costs with the property owner. “
“When golfers buy equipment, they pay too much for something that does them absolutely no good – product advertising.Not only that, Mike Truan says, the advertising steers them in the wrong direction – buying equipment that the pros use, instead of clubs built for golfers with more modest physical abilities.So, frustrated by an inability to find equipment that genuinely fit his short-ish stature, he began tailor-making golf clubs. Now Bainbridge Custom Clubs is a full-service business, operating out of Truan’s garage on Nakata Place. “
“The battle of good vs. good raged full tilt Monday night as the city public works officials presented various plans for Ericksen Avenue improvements.What people want, it seemed, is both more and less. “
“Gov. Locke can call all the special sessions he likes to come up with a transportation package. But the Washington Legislature won’t accomplish anything without a dramatic change in attitude somewhere, Bainbridge Island’s representatives say. And one of Locke’s political allies says that the change may have to come from the governor himself. “
