“Does an affordable home costing upwards of $280,000 promote economic diversity?Some local contractors say a home that cuts that price by a third – a $180,000 single-family residence – simply can’t be built on the island, principally because of the cost of home lots.Land costs are the number one issue on Bainbridge Island, said Jim Engle of Kitsap-Trident Homes. A building lot on Bainbridge costs at least $50,000 more than the same thing in Poulsbo. “
“Wednesday in this column, we waxed on the public decision-making process as a dynamic between competing goods – forests vs. ball fields, better traffic with no more roads, on and on.Today, prompted by several recent letters and comments we’ve heard at city council meetings, a few corollary thoughts are perhaps in order. Specifically, we would ask:Where did some islanders get the notion that elected officials are always beholden to whims of the majority? “
“The city council took a step towards providing sewer service to four south-end neighborhoods Wednesday, settling on language for an amendment to the island’s comprehensive plan.But the language they approved at their Wednesday meeting contains a closely contested proviso that some say could preclude any sewer extension by dramatically increasing costs. “
“The Commodore building will remain open at least through next year, school board members told 40 parents and staff members Thursday.But they acknowledged that a study of all district facilities is under way, the first step in a process that might lead to the closing of some school buildings. “
“Weapons at school, marijuana use and the rate of depression among students emerged as areas of concern for educators and parents, in a survey of Bainbridge 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders.So says the school district’s Health Advisory Committee, after a state-administered survey of substance abuse among local teens. Students took the survey in November, with the results presented to the school board at Thursday’s meeting.Unfortunately, Assistant Superintendent Brent Peterson said, the percentage of our students making dangerous choices concerning the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is very similar to the situation faced in most communities across the state. “
“Dwellings showcased on the May 12 Bainbridge Performing Arts Home Tour include small, cozy spaces, to go with those large and grand.Whether they appeal to an atavistic instinct to curl up in a den or a straightforward desire for less to clean, Denise Harris’ gypsy caravan and Craig and Nancy Johnson’s condominium show the comforts of containment.For Harris and friends, small did not mean fewer hours of construction, however. More than 1,700 hours have been devoted to the gypsy wagon so far, Harris said.Building the caravan was like any other project, she said. If you start, you might get obsessed.But the most important thing is that it was built from scratch – built, not bought. “
“The Environmental Protection Agency will finish cleaning up a portion of the Wyckoff Superfund site on the south shore of Eagle Harbor this summer, potentially freeing up 23 acres of prime waterfront and view property.If city and park district officials have their way, the property will go into public ownership, because the public paid for the cleanup.My dream would be a park with a variety of active and passive recreation uses, Mayor Dwight Sutton said this week. “
“Bainbridge Island Broadcasting, has a studio for the first time in its five years on the air.The Bainbridge Island School District, after considering the issue for some time, donated space in Commodore Center that officially opens with a reception, 5-7 p.m. May 10. It has been truly amazing to see how one very ugly elementary school classroom metamorphosed into a television studio, a control room, an editing room and a reception/meeting area, station manager Wini Jones said.BIB cameraman Kit Spier has been renovating the Commodore space for several months, partitioning the 1,225 square feet into distinct and useful spaces. “
“A wise and wizened law school professor once made the following observation on the first day of class:You think that you will be involved in struggles of good versus evil, he said. But that doesn’t happen very often, and those conflicts are easily resolved.The hard ones, he said, are the conflicts of good versus good. “
“One-hundred hands will reach for stringed instruments. Violins will be tucked under chins, and cellos firmly planted. And 50 bows will be poised for the First All-Island Youth Strings Concert, 7 p.m. May 10 at the Sakai Intermediate School gym. That instant will bring past, present and future together – the cumulative total of thousands of hours of practice over the years on the part of the students; months of organization by the adults; and their collective vision of an orchestra program in the Bainbridge schools. “
“Believing that mental health and spiritual health are inseparable, Stephen Erickson is combining his therapy and his divinity training into a counseling practice on Bainbridge.And while the candles and flute music in his small office and advertisement for spiritual psychotherapy may suggest a New Age approach, Erickson’s orientation is mainline Protestant.God bridges the gap between knowledge and theory, Erickson said. We can know about family-of-origin or relationship issues, but we need to be in a relationship with God for real healing.Erickson believes that the Judeo-Christian tradition and belief structure provides a workable framework for personal therapy. “
“A $3.35 billion transportation budget that preserves existing ferry service in the Central Sound region sailed through the House Transportation Committee this week, and now heads to the full House for a vote.And on Thursday, the Transportation Commission finally approved the 20 percent ferry fare increases recommended by the Tariff Policy Committee. “
“On the Sunday Arts Walk, artists and artisans will sell a wide variety of items, but quilter Maggie Ball’s offering will be the written record of a project.She will be in front of Esther’s Fabrics, signing copies of Creative Quilting With Children, the new book that documents Ball’s years quilting with 900 Bainbridge students.I would never have thought, when I saw my first quilts in the Ozarks 15 years ago, that this book would be the result, Ball said, and it started because I couldn’t afford to buy a quilt myself. “
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