“The hours are short, and the pay beats minimum wage by a couple of bucks an hour. It even comes with a free flag.But takers are few – zero, actually – for the job of afternoon school-crossing guard at the High School Road/ Madison Avenue intersection, leaving parents concerned once again for the safety of young students after school.We’ve been frustrated by that, said Ordway Elementary School Principal Bruce Colley, of the paucity of interest in the job. We haven’t given up hope, by the way, he added. Anyone who wants to pick up roughly a half-hour’s employment…Come on down! “
“Editor’s note: This is the first story in an intermittent series examining the city’s comprehensive plan.* * * * *Putting half the island’s future growth in Winslow underpins Bainbridge Island’s Comprehensive Plan. Certainly, that directive fuels much of the public debate about development.But that apparently simple idea can confuse more than clarify – not everyone agrees on where Winslow actually is, a question that some say was never really settled during the comprehensive planning process. “
“Where’s Winslow?With our five-year review of the Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan now under way – and, predicated as that plan is on Winslow being the hub of future growth – we thought some definition of terms might be useful.After all, underpinning the whole comp-planning project has been the notion of putting 50 percent of future development in the Winslow area. As we found out, there has been some disagreement about the boundaries of our little urban growth area (within the larger, official UGA of incorporated Bainbridge), with hopes and perceptions varying. Our findings are relayed on page A1 of this issue. “
“A new island development envisions the comforts of home, the amenities of a hotel and the security of instant medical services in one package.That’s the concept behind the Meridian on Bainbridge Island, a mixed-use development planned for the north side of Knechtel Way , between the Helpline House grounds to the west and the dentist office to the east, along Ericksen Avenue.The Meridian will have 15,000-square feet of medical office space – almost twice the size of the Virginia Mason Winslow Clinic – on the ground floor, and 18 condominiums on the second and third floors. The residences will be age-restricted, requiring at least one occupant to be 55 or older. Residents will have concierge service, a town car and on-site catering available.The prices reflect the level of amenities. “
“We’re Number Four!That statement may not make for a rousing high school cheer, but it’s a pretty proud proclamation of Bainbridge High School’s place in the pantheon of central Puget Sound secondary schools.BHS ranks fourth among 66 public high schools in King, Kitsap and Snohomish counties in two key prestige categories – reputation ranking and first-year University of Washington student grades – as compiled in the Seattle Times School Guide, an annual comprehensive guide to regional homes of secondary learning published this week. “
“You could say they put the bureau in bureaucracy.That’s because the city’s executive and finance departments exist in a nebulous area of public service in which, for the average citizen, not much readily apparent is done.Storm drains overflow in your neighborhood? Call public works. Building permit take too long? Gripe about the planning department. Get a speeding ticket? Hate the cops.But what do taxpayers get for their buck from the second floor of city hall? “
“They worked side by side for 35 years, but never collaborated. Now Images of Bainbridge Island marks the debut of Gerald and Rosemarie Dowell as a fine arts team. I made a decision early on to stay away from Gerald’s medium and he did the same with me, Rosemarie says. Gerald adds, It’s a ‘turf’ thing. The Dowells may complete each other’s sentences, but each retains a distinct artistic identity. In Images of Bainbridge Island, the sensibilities are complementary, as Rosemarie renders close detail of landscape with pen and ink, while Gerald uses the luminosity of watercolor to capture broad vistas. “
“Saying that tax-limitation Initiative 722 has all the constitutional defects of Initiative 695 and then some, the city of Bainbridge Island filed suit this week to nullify the Tim Eyman-sponsored measure.He’s put better window-dressing on 722, said Thomas Ahearne, the attorney representing the city. But substantively, it has the same problems.Ahearne, a Bainbridge Island resident and partner in the Seattle firm of Foster, Pepper & Sheffelman, also represented the city in its successful challenge to I-695, which replaced the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax with a flat $30 license-tab fee and required a popular vote to raise taxes. “
“Two cops and three computers.That’s the essence of the new budget items sought by Bainbridge Police for next year.We’re doing alright, Chief Bill Cooper said, assessing the department. We’ve got a good facility now, good equipment, good support. Life is pretty good.Authorized to have 21 commissioned officers this year, the department is currently down to 19 because of turnover. Two desired candidates have been identified, Cooper said, but academy time and other training will keep them off the beat for months.For 2001, citing an increase in calls for service and internal reorganization, Cooper would like three more officers as well. The preliminary budget from the mayor’s office would give him two.One would be a full-time traffic enforcement officer, to deal with ongoing citizen complaints of speeding drivers on local roadways. The position would be a permanent day-shift assignment, with duties including radar enforcement in problem areas as well as accident investigation.The second would be a deputy chief, to handle administrative duties including overseeing day-to-day department operations; personnel and financial issues; and fleet and equipment management. “
“A California company’s financial failure will cost several hundred Bainbridge Island customers the high-speed Internet connections they get through their television cable.ISP Channel has notified customers that it will no longer guarantee service after Dec. 1, and will shut down operations entirely by the end of the year. “
“The ground was at times hard to see, covered as it was with crisp fallen leaves. But with each step, the crunch of fresh gravel underneath reassured one that the path was true.These trails are wonderful, said Deborah Cheadle, pausing from her daily stroll to admire the work. They’re so beautiful, for one thing.The new pathways – two miles long, and growing – come with the development by Kelly Samson of several large parcels purchased from Port Blakely Tree Farms.North of Blakely Harbor, on property abutting the Eagledale neighborhood, a circuitous trail network is now open for public use, with temporary signs going up this week. “
“Tom Kelly is on his way to becoming a household name on houses.Kelly, a Bainbridge Island resident, recently closed an agreement to nationally syndicate his KIRO-AM radio program on real estate issues – meaning that The Real Estate Show With Tom Kelly will be airing in some 79 major U.S. markets as of Nov. 26.It’s another move toward establishing Kelly, who already syndicates a weekly newspaper column and reaches untold masses through his partnership in an Bainbridge-based Internet venture – not to mention several television guest appearances and public speaking engagements – as a pre-eminent media authority on real estate.I’m a lucky guy, said Kelly, an island resident since 1989. I get to do what I love, I get to help people, and I get to live here and work here. “
“Some South Bainbridge residents have lined up in opposition to a neighbor who wants to build a floating dock stretching more than 100 feet into Blakely Harbor.The neighbor, Seaborn Road resident Kim Bottles, has applied to the city for a permit to build a floating dock – a 100-foot-long, T-shaped structure – to accommodate a boat used for the daily commute to his job in Seattle. The 30-day comment period on the application closed Nov. 9, throwing the plan into the laps of planning commission members. No hearing date has been scheduled. “
