“Pucker up – you’ll have plenty of time to kill around the kiss-and-ride.Reconstruction of Winslow Way East, from the highway to Ferncliff Avenue, begins Monday morning, promising to make a hectic morning commute even more interesting.You ferry commuters should think seriously of setting your alarm clocks earlier, said Merrill Robison, city council chair, in a new release distributed Thursday and Friday.While it make take a day or two to hit full stride, the work is expected to run through the end of October. “
“Having achieved its most ambitious fund-raising goal ever, Hyla Middle School is on the verge of breaking ground for two new buildings, an expansion project that will add 50 percent to its usable space.But the Bucklin Hill school’s goal isn’t to grow. It will cling to the small size that was the rationale for its founding. We are looking at building facilities we haven’t had, school director Paul Carroll said. All the areas addressed in the new building have been seen as difficult areas to work around. The school will add a library, a computer room and two new classrooms in two separate buildings. They will be connected to the existing buildings by outdoor covered walkways, with the package expected to cost about $500,000. “
“Backers say they help make growth pay for itself. Critics say the cost is just passed along from developer to home-buyer, raising overall home prices.And the last time the city adopted one, to help fund local school construction in 1991, it made for some long and divisive hearings.Now the Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District is crafting a proposal for an impact fee on new construction, to help the district keep pace with demands on park facilities that come with an ever-increasing island population.There’s a lot of momentum in this direction, said Dave Shorett, park board commissioner. We think that the public strongly supports (impact fees).A tentative, still-informal proposal would add a $1,000 mitigation fee to the permit process for new single-family homes. The idea is now being discussed by park district and city officials, and would have to go through the city council for approval. “
“Since 1993, when the Lundgren Station booth was improved as a business venue, an array of entrepreneurs have hung out shingles and set up shop in its 15 or so square feet of work space. Most foundered, although several went on to thrive in new locations. Here’s the scorecard: “
“A colossal playground for island youth is one step closer to the drawing board.Kidsup!, a local non-profit group, has gained conditional approval from the Bainbridge Island Park Board to design an elaborate new play area at Battle Point Park. The play structure is a place where kids can go and exercise their imaginations, said Helena Hoyte-Bierly, a spokesperson for the project. Its like a fort for the whole community, where everyone, especially kids, are an instrumental part of the process.Although the park district has approved the concept of building a new playground and chosen a site, district officials want to see the schematic design of the structure and consider a formal draft before they fully endorse the project.The idea behind Kidsup! is to build an original play area for kids that incorporates aspects of local history and blends different environmental themes into the structure. “
“It sits on downtown Winslow’s busiest intersection, looking a little like a bus stop. And for the businesses that have occupied it, the tiny booth on the northeast corner of Winslow Way and Madison Avenue has indeed been a temporary shelter.Most of them have gone away. Some have moved on and thrived elsewhere. The present occupant, Emmy’s VegeHouse, definitely intends to be among the survivors.We need to find something a little bit bigger with a couple of indoor tables, said Hong Nguyen, who operates the Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant with her mother, Emmy Tran.They’re not worried about finding customers. They’ve been offering their food at the Bainbrige Island Farmers’ Market for a decade.Some seven years ago, Emmy made the decision to become a vegetarian. She changed her restaurant menu accordingly, and business jumped.I became vegetarian and started feeling better, Tran said. And animals have their own rights. Why do we eat them?Nguyen said that islanders are very conscious of eating healthy food, and took to the vegetarian menu immediately. In fact, some found their Saturday morning breakfast so addicting that they couldn’t face a winter without their Vietnamese tofu fix. “
“What’s the sound of a circle?Ohhh…And if you don’t know that, you’re not a 3-year-old in the Tingle Tingle Band.With hands joined Friday morning, five children, three parents, and instructors Paul and Melanie Zeir repeat that sound again and again, closing the circle tighter and then backing away, the pitch of their mantra rising and dropping with their movements.Up they go: oooooOOOHHHH!And down again:OOOOooohhhh…..And, lest anyone think the youngsters are zoning out with some New Age meditation, rest assured. The exercise is nudged comfortably amongst perky children’s standards like The Hokey Pokey, and a cute ditty that could become popular around Bainbridge this time of year, There’s a Dumptruck on the Road.At Talking Hands Talking Feet, where music is the key to set them free, it’s all part of the curriculum.The inspiration was kids, and the idea that music is more than music, says Paul Zeir, who co-orchestrates the children’s music workshop in a bright studio next to the Zeir family’s Pleasant Beach home.When kids are exposed to music at an early age, it actually teaches them a lot of things – motor skills, translating feelings and expression, versatility. “
“He’s hoping to ride the see-saw for one more cycle.Former state senate Republican leader Dan McDonald of Kirkland formally kicked off his campaign this week, bidding to unseat Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Bainbridge Island) as the representative from Washington’s 1st Congressional District.Echoing the national Republican theme, McDonald told the Review in an interview this week that We need to use good times for great ideas and issues.The horseshoe-shaped district, which takes in Bainbridge Island and north Kitsap County, some of the northern Seattle suburbs and much of King County’s Eastside, is considered one of the few true swing districts in the country. “
“What would you do if you had $60,000 to spend on pedestrian improvements?That’s what Bainbridge Island City Council Chair Merrill Robison asked local pedestrian advocates, and they responded with a shopping list for Winslow.We were very pleased, said Orabelle Connally of the Senior Center Pedestrian Safety Committee. (Robison) has been quite a supporter.The senior group identified five priority areas for improvement and associated costs for each. Robison followed up with a formal proposal before the city council this week, calling for a mid-year budget amendment to fund the proposed improvements. “
“Point White has joined the list of neighborhoods calling for south-end sewer service.It’s a matter of environmental impact, said Point White Drive resident John Herber. Eventually, septic systems wear out. I think it’s an evolution as the island population grows, and it will come to everybody sometime.While they it may be the latest in the sewer-service queue, the Point White neighborhood’s view is echoed in a study commissioned by the city. Waterfront homes on the southern third of the island should be connected to sewer lines as soon as possible, according to a draft report from local consultants. “
“How can you get your pet issue to show up on the city’s radar screen?If you want to call attention to traffic problems, you might borrow a radar gun itself. As reported a few issues back, that was the strategy of some industrious Grow Avenue neighbors concerned about chronic speeders on their street. The Senior Center Pedestrian Safety Committee took a similarly proactive tack. Troubled by neglected crosswalks and poor pedestrian access around town, they’ve devoted months to an informal traffic study, documenting conditions and offering recommendations for crosswalks, signs and the like – to the point that the city council is considering a $60,000 mid-year improvement package to meet their needs.What we’re seeing are citizen activists bringing their issues to the fore of the city agenda – effectively. “
“Former city councilman Andy Maron will represent Bainbridge Island on the newly created Kitsap County Public Facilities District.A resolution passed by county commissioners earlier this year authorizes the PFD to acquire, build and operate public projects in the county for sports, entertainment and recreational uses. Some could be public/private partnerships.The group will begin meeting in early September. “
“Pennant fever – we’ve got it.And after watching our Seattle Mariners take three of four from the hated Bronx Bombers over the weekend – on the hostile turf of Yankee Stadium, no less – we’ve got one word for the non-believers:October.Indeed, with the race for the World Series in full, glorious swing, how can you say enough about baseball? Despite the crazy escalation of player salaries, periodic labor strife, and the occasional bad-apple idiot like John Rocker, baseball unites the nation’s sports fans like nothing else, a peerless amalgam of power and grace, real time held in lazy suspension for nine innings of play, the quintessential American pastime…But our thoughts here are occasioned less by the Mariners’ solid output than the upcoming work of the new Kitsap County Public Facilities District, which gets under way early next month. The seven-member PFD board, empaneled by county commissioners earlier this year, will look at public recreation needs around the county and propose a list of projects for development with public funds.And amongst the specific proposals to be considered will be a new ballpark facility, of sufficient scale and class to bring a minor league baseball franchise to Kitsap County. “
