“The poet Larkin put it well – his Church Going puns on church attendance and the disappearance of places of worship.Children’s Center Going doesn’t have the same ring to it – but if there were a verse to commemorate the loss of the St. Barnabas Day Care Center, that would be it. The community and the church shared a sacred space, said parent Patricia Erskine, as the center closed down for good Wednesday after six years of operation.”
“Without a hammer in sight, this year’s stylish Bainbridge High School graduates remained a work, so to speak, under construction. Barbie dolls, whirling tassels and an array of self-made additions to graduation hats glistened in the sunshine as the suddenly former seniors commemorated an educational career characterized by building and work.Every school attended by the class of 2000 has undergone major renovation, noted BHS Principal David Ellick at the graduation ceremony Saturday, with a nod to the newly finished BHS gymnasium nearby. Graduation speaker Kelton Johnson followed his lead, leavening his speech with a joke at the expense of the green-burgundy Woodward color scheme, and poking fun at the architecture of the old Commodore building.”
“People the world over may thrive on a challenge – but representing people the world over to audiences worldwide is itself a challenge few take up.Up With People claim to do just that as they globetrot their Broadway style musical around various small-town venues.We aim to bring the world to those people who can’t afford to see it for themselves, says event coordinator Paula Whitaker.”
“Kitsap County’s members on the state’s blue-ribbon panel on ferry service agree that their job can’t stop at merely restoring funds lost to Initiative 695. Instead, the group needs to look at long-term approaches that will not only preserve but expand the the Washington State Ferries system.We can’t be going to the Legislature hat in hand each year, asking for appropriations from the general fund, said Rep. Beverly Woods (R-Poulsbo). It’s not fair to commuters moving to Kitsap County, who need to be able to plan their commute for more than a year.”
“Bainbridge ceramic artist Brian Mackin doesn’t see tension between art and commerce. In fact, he says, you can’t have one without the other.Once the object goes out your door, it’s a business, he says. You have to reconcile falling in love with art and the landlord who wants his rent.Mackin is one of the relatively small percentage of artists whose artwork supports a family and a mortgage. His secret formula is the same as for any business – persistence and hard work.As you go along, each year, people drop out, and you have less competition with experience, he said. Stick with it long enough, and you will break free.But there is also hard work. To get ready for his current show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, Mackin has been spending 18 hours a day in his custom-built studio next to his house on Roberts Road.”
“Orderly process, or hopeless limbo?That depends upon which side of the bureaucracy you find yourself, as evidenced by the recent discussion over a proposed downtown parking garage. Looking back on Saturday’s ruminations on this subject, there is reason to pause for a mea culpa – or perhaps a we-a gulpa, as in, we swallow some pride and concede that owing to the lateness of the hour or the earliness of the deadline, we found ourselves long on rhetoric and short on research. To our discredit – as noted elsewhere on this page by esteemed City Councilman Norm Wooldridge – we did in fact miss a May 24 presentation by ubiquitous planner Bill Isley, in which he touted for the council the benefits of an affordable housing component atop the proposed garage/retail alley next to city hall. …Or perhaps not.”
“The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. Though the classics are crammed with victims hoist upon their own petard, no Midas, Polonius or suffering Heathcliff steps out of the shadows to claim that quote.It takes biblical scholars Rev. Martin Dasler and Pastor Paula L. Burchill to spot the apostle Paul in the corner – and to see in those words the blueprint for a work whose popularity rivals that of the Bible.”
“Downtown Winslow merchants and the island’s Chamber of Commerce continue to push the Town Square, an ambitious plan that could provide both parking for shoppers and affordable housing.But they fear the city may have have sacrificed the future to preserve the past, by offering a deal to let the Bainbridge Island Historical Society move to the vacant pet store property on Ericksen Avenue. And that, some say, puts the museum and the new parking facility in conflict.”
“Life on the edge can be tough – yet island installation artist Annie Mendenhall thrives on pushing boundaries.The fluid boundary between self and (M)other/ Nature is the area for exploration she cites in her preface to Nest, one of the exhibition pieces she created as part of her studies for an MFA in New Media. Standing in front of a disused satellite dish – once the focus of the installation piece – it is hard to imagine the empty vessel ever having contained such a wealth of implications.Perhaps it’s like the ’60s – you just had to be there. In many ways my work is an offshoot of what was happening back then – the happenings, the street art, the environments, says Mendenhall, citing the participation demanded of the audience as they move through the space as one of the reasons why she finds it so hard to document her work.”
“Whatever happened to Census 2000?Ninety-nine percent done, reports our erstwhile colleague Jack Swanson, lately a recruiter for the local arm of the federal nose-count.This was confirmed by Becky Beemer (spouse of another Review alum, fabled sportswriter Dave), who marshalled a rotating team of 10-15 fieldworkers as they tracked down those who didn’t respond to the census by mail. There remains a period of accuracy checking, the so-called Coverage Improvement Follow-up, but most of the shoe-wear is over.”
“Three medium- to high-density developments in or near Winslow have run into delays or challenges, and the common theme is neighborhood fears about increased density.The three developments at issue are:* Village Square, a mixed-use development proposed by Jim Laughlin between Madison Avenue and Hildebrand Lane south of Safeway. The Bainbridge Island Planning Commission has recommended denial of the site plan; planning Director Stephanie Warren has yet to make a decision.* The Village at Sakai Lakes, an apartment community proposed by Doug Nelson on the property immediately across Madison Avenue from Ordway Elementary School. The planning department has requested additional information, particularly concerning traffic and wetlands impact.* Woodland Village, a single-family home development also proposed by Nelson on 10 acres north of High School Road and west of Ferncliff Avenue. The East Central Bainbridge Island Community Association has gone to court in an effort to undo the city council’s recent approval of that project.”
“What do a Roman villa, Italian Renaissance street theater, and the Seven Wonders of the World have in common? The Commodore Center is the place to find out, where fifth and sixth graders use a multiplicity of media to display projects remarkably varied subjects.We’ve always encouraged kids to present their work in whatever way seems most appropriate, said Emily Grice, teacher for the school district’s independent contract studies program. The state curriculum is just catching up. She said the program is unique because it allows kids to decide upon projects with their teachers and monitor improvement through self-evaluation, offering the option to make use of videos or live performance in the course of completing their portfolios.The aim of this week’s Portfolio Fair is to share the kids’ work with the community. There will be the opportunity to discuss the portfolios with their student creators, with areas of study ranging from children’s theater to state history.”
“June appears to be the season for changes. Graduation time. Wedding time. Fickle weather, at least in the Northwest.And this year, June is a time of change in the downtown Winslow streetscape.In what the owner vows is only a temporary move, the Blue Water Diner on Madison Avenue is closed for re-tooling, as is the oil-change operation of the neighboring Packard’s Quality Service. The businesses opened in 1997.”
