Tag Archives: Bremerton

Prayer on the agenda

On Monday the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 (They all seem to be 5-4 decisions these days.) that a New York town was OK in having prayers before their meetings, even if they are pretty much all Christian. To get more detail about that case you should read the AP story that ran on our site.

Monday afternoon I spoke with Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, because Bremerton is the only local government body I know of that puts prayer on the agenda. That it would appear anywhere in this area might surprise some people, because it wasn’t long ago that a Gallup survey reported our area was the seventh least religious area in the country. That was Kitsap specifically, by the way, not just the entire Seattle area.

Lent was not much familiar with the Supreme Court decision, but in her conversation about why prayer works here she touched on some of the questions the court addressed. One of the problems in the court case was the predominance of Christian prayers. Except for one brief period last decade, prayers or other facsimiles were not heard in the New York town. Lent said in Bremerton an effort is made to spread the task around, to contact different denominations, including non-Christian ones. That’s more than the court decided was necessary.

No other local government that I am aware of opens with prayers. When I covered the Bainbridge Island City Council they didn’t even recite the pledge of allegiance and there was a bit of a dust up when one council member suggested they start. The next election ushered in folks who were not opposed to the pledge and it’s now on the agenda.

This is not to say everyone is thrilled with the prayer in Bremerton, or probably the pledge for that matter. I know several years back I knew of someone who was raising an issue with the council, someone who was as committed to atheism as some are to religion. This person, however, wasn’t interested in letting a refusal to stand for a prayer distract from the main question on this person’s agenda. It’s a case of saving battles for another day, if ever.

Lent said that to her knowledge no one has complained about Bremerton’s regular prayer.

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2013 filing day two

Day one filing information can be found here.

Midday day two filings of note include Arlene Buetow running against John Green on Bainbridge Island.

In Bremerton Roy Runyon wants back on the city council and will challenge Faye Flemister in District Six. Mike Sullivan will challenge Cynthia Triplette Galloway in District One, while District Three is a three-way race as of today. Mike Strube and Jerry McDonald will challenge Adam Brockus.

In Port Orchard Fred Chang filed to run for re-election to his council seat.

In Poulsbo Melody Sky Eisler is challenging Jim Henry for a spot on the council.

All three CK School Board incumbents are running. On Bainbridge Island Mev Hoburg is running for her school board seat and Sheila Jakubik is running for the spot held by Mary Curtis.

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Bremerton to have a one-month council member

Remember how we had to elect a member of Congress to serve in the First Congressional District for one month following Jay Inslee’s resignation? Same goes in Bremerton, it seems.

Despite the fact that the Bremerton City Council named an interim council member, Wendy Priest, following the resignation of Roy Runyon, county elections officials say there has to be someone elected to fill the remainder of the term. That election will be in November and the new person would serve from the day the election is certified, late November, until the day a new council is sworn in, early January.

Again, what makes this necessary is redistricting. The council boundaries will change beginning in January. In fact, they’ll go from nine council seats to seven.

statefilingFiling for races across the state and in the county has begun. To the right appears to be the first filing in the state, an 8 a.m. entry by Republican Bill Brunson of Legislative Distirct 7. As we pointed out in the story about the legislative race in the 26th District, odd-year elections are typically reserved for local races, such as city councils and port and utility commissioners.

This year, though, voters in the 26th Legislative District will get to participate in a high profile race. I plan to add more to the blog later about the nature of that race and why it’s high profile, as well as diving further into some side issues.

The county will update county filings beginning at noon. Candidates can file online now, but Dolores Gilmore, county elections manager, said there is still a need to verify a candidate’s eligibility before the filing is posted online.

10 a.m. update: Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent and Bremerton City Councilmen Adam Brockus and Greg Wheeler were among the first to file for re-election this week. Also running for Bremerton City Council, the first to file in District 5, is Dino Davis. In Port Orchard incumbent Jerry Childs filed, and Bek Ashby filed to run for Position 2. In Poulsbo Ed Stern is running for re-election. Ken Ames will run to retain his North Kitsap School Board seat, and in Central Kitsap Victoria Crescenzi filed to run for the seat she sought appointment to. In the South Kitsap School District Rebecca Diehl will run for the District 4 seat held by Kathryn Simpson. Larry Stokes is running to hold on to his Port of Bremerton seat. Fire districts and other port districts also have candidates.

Noon update: Becky Erickson is running for re-election as mayor in Poulsbo. Faye Flemister and Nick Wofford have filed to run to hold onto Bremerton City Council seats. Val Tollefson wants Bob Scales’ Bainbridge Island council seat. Jeanie Schulze will be running to keep the seat she was just appointed to, facing off against at least Victoria Crescenzi.

2 p.m. update: John Green is running for Debbi Lester’s seat on the Bainbridge Island City Council. In Bremerton Cynthia Triplett Galloway wants the First District seat. Robert B. Putaansuu seeks re-election to his Port Orchard City Council seat. So does Christopher J. Lemke for his South Kitsap School Board seat. In Manchester Steve Pedersen and James E. Strode both have seats on the Port of Manchester and the Manchester Water District seats. Pedersen, so far, has only signed up for the port board and Strode has only signed to run for the water district. I believe the next update will be the last one of the day.

5:30 p.m. Jerry McDonald joined the race for the Bremerton City Council seat Adam Brockus wants. Jerry Childs seeks re-election to the Port Orchard City Council. So does Jim Henry in Poulsbo. In the North Kitsap School District Cindy Webster-Martinson will run for the seat currently held by Tom Anderson. Bruce Richards is running for re-election for his Central Kitsap School Board seat.

More tomorrow.

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Campaign season

Josh Farley writes:

It’s February, and you know what that means: the beginning of political campaign season.

OK, maybe that’s not the first thing on your mind. February’s supposed to be about groundhogs and hearts, while voting’s more more akin to pumpkins and the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. But those running are already plotting their courses to November. And while the fireworks of 2012 included a presidential and gubernatorial election and our state’s historic legalization of marijuana, 2013 will have some firepower of its own — at least at the local level.

In Bremerton, the city council will be reduced in size, from nine to seven, thanks to a staunchly voter-approved measure a few years back. Increasing the population of each district could make the races more competitive, in a city where it’s not uncommon to see council members run unopposed.

Greg Wheeler, first-term councilman currently representing district 5 (an area that includes a chunk of West Bremerton near Evergreen Park and a portion of East Bremerton near East Park) called me Monday to say he’s throwing his hat in the ring for what will be the new council district 4. That new district will encompass a big portion of West Bremerton, from the Port Washington Narrows to the Shipyard north to south and from Warren Avenue to about Hewitt Avenue east to west.

I asked Kitsap Sun political guru Steven Gardner if he’d heard of anyone yet filing with the state’s Public Disclosure Commission (candidates have to wait until May to file in the county officially) and he took a look at the PDC’s web site. Wheeler’s not there yet, but Adam Brockus, city councilman representing Manette, is — and he appears to be the first from Kitsap’s local governments to file.

Brockus, in seeking a third term on the council, is running for a district 3 seat that will expand to encompass downtown Bremerton as well as its existing Manette territory.

We’ll keep you posted as filings come in. I should also mention that aside from all council members being up, the terms of Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent and Municipal Court Judge James Docter are coming to an end this year. Before you know it, the campaign signs will be up.

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Bremerton accessible playground gets huge funding boost.

Note: This could easily have gone on the Peninsular Thinking blog, but because of the conversation about state funding priorities at the end of this entry I decided to post it here.

We will have more information tomorrow about this, but wanted to get the early news out there.

Residents who have been trying to raise funds to build a playground accessible to handicapped children at Evergreen Rotary Park in Bremerton received word this week the city’s application for $211,350 in state grant funding was ranked the top project out of 44 applying for state money.

The decision was made by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.

We wrote about the idea in November when April Mills and Rebekah Uhtoff began raising funds for the playground. Both are parents of disabled children. Uhtoff’s son Gabe is in a wheelchair. Mills’ son Teddy has spina bifida.

The playground has wide pathways, for one thing, but is also made of synthetic materials to avoid causing problems for kids with latex allergies, a problem for kids with the same condition as Teddy’s. Mills and Uhtoff have always wanted to emphasize that that the playground is available to all kids, not just the handicapped. It just has features that make it possible for kids of all kinds to play together, something that isn’t possible on traditional playgrounds.

In 2011 the park was approved for a $162,000 Community Development Block Grant. I believe private funding would handle whatever’s left, but that’s a detail I need to run down.

Part of the process of getting the state grant involves making a presentation to state officials. Uhtoff and Mills attended, as did Colette Berna from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Bremerton’s score in the list of 44 projects was far and away the highest. The funding board considered the need, the scope of the project, the design and local support. Bremerton’s park received 63.89 points. In second place was an integrated playground in Gig Harbor with 59.22 points.

Bainbridge Island’s Rotary Park development project scored fifth with 53.33 points, the county scored 12th for South Kitsap Regional Park expansion and Port Orchard finished 32nd for Paul Powers Park development and 43rd for McCormick Village Park. The higher the project is on the list, the more likely the funding.

The Legislature has the authority to change the order of projects, but typically doesn’t. In most years Bremerton’s project would be a shoo-in for funding. Even Kitsap County, coming in 12th place, could have reason to be optimistic. We will have a new governor next year, though, so it might be a little tougher to predict now how a new state chief executive might look at funding priorities for projects like these.

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Who’s up for a political movie?

This movie, The Campaign, opens Aug. 10, according to the movie site IMDB.

Anyone interested in a viewing party at Bremerton’s new movie theater? You’ll have to pay your own way in and I wouldn’t recommend bringing the kids. But it could be fun.

You can see more about the candidates:
http://www.facebook.com/VoteForCam
http://www.facebook.com/VoteForMarty

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Three locals, one former local, to attend Democratic national fete

Former Bremerton local Jack Arends will join four others, including outgoing U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks of Belfair, in Charlotte, N.C. for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Arends is the son of Bremerton City Councilwoman Carol Arends and helped with her 2009 campaign. He now lives in Everett.

He will be joined by Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman, Bremerton’s Brittany Duff and Belfair’s Marcia Hamilton.

The convention is Sept. 3-6.

Word on the street is Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be the nominees. Still working to confirm that.

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Bremerton’s new PW director knows floods

Flooding would be a good thing to know about in Skagit County. That’s probably why it’s the focus of a story in the Skagit Valley Herald in its story about Chal Martin’s departure to take the public works job in Bremerton. Martin applied for the position and came in second to Katie Allen, who has since decided to leave so she can run the city she lives in.

Martin gets bona fide props for other things, too, though it still is in relation to flooding. From the story:

Colleagues and friends say his expertise and ability to collaborate among government agencies and organizations and his dedication to resolving (emphasis mine) the area’s flood issues have left Skagit County in a better position overall.

Side note: I like that the Skagit site is called “goskagit.”

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It helps to be in the room

The pictures you see here are of recently, as in the last week, filled potholes at the base of speed humps on Marion Avenue in Bremerton. For a long time the potholes here have been a nasty encounter in front of the Frances Haddon Morgan Center.

The timing of the fix might be instructive. On Wednesday the Bremerton City Council, acting in its role as the Benefit Transportation District board, met to discuss how to spend the money the city will soon begin getting on Bremerton resident vehicle license tabs. In July residents, Bremerton city residents only, will begin paying $20 a year extra when they go to license their cars or trucks. That money will go to the city’s street fund. The district board will decide each year how to spend it.

Wednesday’s meeting was an effort to set priorities before money begins trickling in. Maintenance was the overwhelming choice, which might seem obvious to you, but there were other options that could get some play in the future as well. And by maintenance the focus is on the city’s Pavement Management Index, a scoring system that grades the conditions of a road. Other factors the council considered were how well traveled a road is; cost to repair; proximity to schools, parks and hospitals; whether there is a bus or bike route; the complaint frequency; geographic equity and coordination with other projects.

The pavement index was the overwhelming pick, with a preference for roads considered “fair” or better. Roads rated worse than fair will need more than a little maintenance, so much that any TBD money would quickly be exhausted. The second-strongest priority was a scoring system put together by the city’s Public Works department, allowing that city staff will often have the best idea what needs work in town.

As part of the conversation Carol Arends, city councilwoman, opened a discussion about potholes. “Every district has potholes,” she said, launching into a description of the ones pictured here. They’re a danger, she said. Other council members knew of this particular set of holes.

Jim Orton, streets manager, said his department knew of the problem here and that the site was on the city’s list for fixing.

The city has spent $10,000 on potholes this year and plans to spend about $100,000 by the end of the year. “They’re hard to keep up with,” Orton said. “But we’re trying to fix as much as we can.”

On Sunday I happened to be driving down Marion and noticed the holes Arends complained about had been filled in.

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Inside video of Bremerton’s 10-screen movie theater construction

The story about the parking on Fourth Street will get more attention in city council meetings and certainly here at the Kitsap Sun. The bids are in for the changes proposed for the eastern half of the street.

The overall design, as mentioned in the story, calls for elements that are supposed to make the area more attractive for shoppers. Whether that happens is another question. Gary Sexton, Bremerton’s redevelopment projects administrator (on contract) showed me around the garages and the theater Monday. The theater is supposed to open in late May, early June. The apartments planned for on top of the Burwell Street garage could begin construction around the same time.

The city council is supposed to approve the winning bid for the eastern portion of Fourth Street construction at its meeting Feb. 1.

Here is a video of the inside of the theater, including some still shots.

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Bremerton mayor opts for an expanded interview process for PW director

More than a week ago four candidates for Bremerton’s vacant public works director position came to Bremerton to undergo an interview process unlike others from the city’s recent past.

Two of the candidates were here from Colorado. The other two were from this state. City staff members, city council members and others made up four interview panels each candidate had to face. Those panels shared their feedback with the mayor.

The four candidates also took part in a public reception in the evening. Ultimately, Katy Allen was hired.

I received two complaints from residents about the process. Both said it was too big an expense during tough economic times, especially when the city at that time was proposing layoffs for utility employees. I asked the Mayor Patty Lent about that. She said it was a process she and the other county commissioners employed when she was doing that job. As for the expense, she said it was part of the contract the city had with Prothman to have this kind of interview event.

It is not the first time I have seen one like this. On Bainbridge Island the city hosted four candidates for police chief when Matt Haney ultimately got the job. Times were better then, but the complaint I heard that time around was it seemed a pointless process when it seemed the mayor there was intent on hiring Haney. He did get the job. His runner up, Alex Perez from the Inglewood, Calif. Police Department, was eventually hired in Longview, where he worked for seven years.

Cecil McConnell, a city councilman who was one of those on the interview panels, said the process was probably a long one for the candidates, but he seemed to like that he saw the candidates and was able to personally compare them. He eventually thought two of them, including Allen, would be great hires.

At the same time, I would say in my experience in looking for work I expected there to be a competitive process to be the candidate ultimately picked. The game changes when there is travel involved. I was turned down for lots of jobs when I interviewed close to home. I went six for six in the jobs I traveled for. (By that I mean I traveled for six interviews and was offered jobs at all six.) The point there is not to brag, though I am kind of proud of that record, it’s to show that in my experience a company doesn’t have someone travel into town if the job doesn’t seem certain. At the executive level (I think a public works director is way more executive than a beat reporter) it may be less likely.

What are your thoughts? Was this a good use of money? The candidates were viewed side-by-side before one was hired. It seems like that would be useful. Do you think it’s worth the extra expense, or should the mayor have arrived at this point without it?

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Noise online; silence in person

The Bremerton City Council, as many of you have read, passed a $20 car tab fee Wednesday night. For all the gnashing and flailing going on in the story comments section, you would think it was highly controversial.

When the council was considering it, though, the masses that had earlier packed the first-floor chambers of the Norm Dicks Government Center were mostly gone. Sure, you could say the meeting was poorly advertised, and that it was late. But the meeting when the council considered the idea in July was well advertised and was held while the sun was still shining outside. (That’s easier to do in the summer, and impossible this time of year.) No one came to discuss it either time.

Wednesday’s meeting had a large contingent on hand to advocate in favor of additional funding for the Admiral Theatre, a smaller group there to support a $25,000 expenditure for the Youth Wellness Center and the largest group of all there to grill the council on its 2012 budget.

When it came time for the car tab discussion one Bremerton citizen, Bob Dollar, was there to ask a single question about how long the new tab would last. A few others had stayed but had no comment. All the debating was left to the council.

And yet, when the council finally made the move it had considered a few times before, the boo birds lept to their keyboards, having failed to leap to their feet before.

And that’s kind of the point. During this budget cycle most of the comments about car tab fees have been residents saying the council should do it.

My thought in July, when hardly anyone (Myself included. I was on vacation.) showed up for the meeting when the council was discussing the issue the first time, was that Bremerton residents were essentially giving the council permission to do what it did last night.

Sure, Bremerton voters said “no” to a car tab fee in 2009, a $30 fee. But based on the lack of outcry every time the council has discussed a $20, or $15, tab since, the second message seems to be “If you’re going to ask me, I’m probably going to say, ‘no.’ But if you do it without asking, that’s probably fine”

Nowhere here am I saying that what the council did Wednesday was right or wrong. But residents had their chance to make their thoughts clear on the subject, and the silence was every bit as loud as the arguments against the 2012 budget proposal the council put off approving Wednesday.

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Live Blog: Council study session

Two items stick out tonight. One is the ice arena request to be able to sell beer and wine. We wrote a story on that. For Friday I have planned another story on $75,000 planned as an additional expense for the Manette Bridge. At least one council member characterizes this item as a request for spending that has already happened. Join us.

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Live Blog: Bremerton Council, Port of Bremerton, Vets Levy

We plan to live blog the League of Women Voters forum this evening. Two races and one issue are part of the two-hour event:

  • Bremerton City Council District 2: Cecil McConnell and Leslie Daugs
  • Port of Bremerton Commissioner District 3: Axel Strakeljahn and Shawn Cucciardi
  • Veterans & Human Services Levy

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    My ankles want better streets more than police

    Bremerton City Council members think they might be able to sit around a table and agree on long-term funding priorities. If they could it would mean that in one afternoon they would craft a list that would for years establish whether you would be able to:

    A. Drive down your street without your tires shredding and injuring that hippie down the street raising chickens without a license;
    B. Call police when someone has organized a sit-in on your lawn;
    C. Complain to the city about your neighbor’s odiferous flowers;
    D. Expect more than your neighbor’s hose when that bananas foster you were making gets out of hand;
    E. Calm your nerves by letting a playground be your babysitter while the recipe kicks in;
    F. Trust that even on a day that it snows you’ll be able to get to your job without relying on your neighbors’ dogs;
    G. Build an outhouse within 5 feet of your property line.

    It’s a question of priorities. I’m not sure an agreement on them could be hatched in a day without a poker game in which the winner gets to pick them. “We’d love to repave your street, m’am, but Brockus’ full house beat Runyon’s two pair.”

    This building laughed at me Tuesday night.
    During Tuesday’s conversation I thought to myself what priorities I might pick as the top ones. Like the council members, I see the value in just about every service the city provides. Some are more valuable than others, and if I was sure which value I would place at the top, I couldn’t tell you. For one, it would ruin my appearance of Olympian objectivity. Secondly, I’d be afraid someone would take me seriously.

    For a moment Tuesday night, though, my opinion was clear. It happened after the meeting. I walked back to the office and then took a quick break. I left to go my car, parked in a lot between Park Avenue and Warren Avenue.

    (Sidenote: I love that Bremerton has a Park Avenue. “Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue.”)

    Between the Kitsap Sun building and the Navy parking garage, I decided to jaywalk. Sue me.

    A few steps into the street I met one of the city’s most prominent citizens, the pothole. My ankle turned hard enough that I fell all the way to the ground, right there on the street before the observant eyes of . . . no one. Nobody else was out there.

    My ankle hurt. It was worse than usual. I get ankle sprains a lot. I’ve been getting them since I was 14. I’m just lucky that way.

    This one was worse than usual. It wasn’t crippling, but it hurt. I pushed myself off the street and continued walking toward my car, cursing the whole time at those children of rude mothers from the Deity punished city that won’t repair the highly affectionate streets.

    “Streets should be the top priority!” my ankle yelled. “Quiet you!” I yelled back.

    I suppose it points out why we have differences of opinions on what the city’s priorities should be. Nearly everyone on the council will say police and fire as first and second. Roads will either be in third or fourth. Things like reserves and parks and planning get dibs, too. But something colors our opinions about the order. For me in that moment it was the throbbing pain in each step.

    That pain was worse on Wednesday. It’s better today. I’m moving around pretty well. If I was on the council, though, and we were meeting today about budget priorities, there would be a cry from under the table for better paved roads. On Monday I might have been less sympathetic. I’m not saying.

    This is all to say that if the council can decide in one or two meetings the spending direction it will take for the next several years, it will take getting agreement from council members who have also sprained ankles, damaged tires, seen their homes burglarized, enjoyed parks, planned development or needed medical aid at home. It isn’t just ideology that colors priorities. It’s experience, as well. To get them to quickly agree on what comes first, second, third, fourth and on would be quite a feat.

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    Live Blog City Council — Oct. 5, 2011

    Tonight’s council meeting will include a discussion of the art piece. Given other news we’ve heard lately, there could be some other interesting stuff. That seems live-blog worthy. If you can’t make it to the meeting, and based on the average attendance at council meetings that is most of you, you can read about it here. Also I will have a story about the art piece for tomorrow’s paper. Look for it online later today.

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    9/11 Memorial Committee response

    In response to today’s story about the 9/11 Memorial Committee, Bremerton City Councilman Jim McDonald sent this note out to the folks you see listed here.

    From: Jim McDonald
    Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 9:21 AM
    To: City Council; Mayor Lent; Wyn Birkenthal
    Cc: Dave Fergus; Roy Lusk
    Subject: 9-11 Committee Update

    Based on the recent press regarding the 9-11 Memorial Committee, I wanted to give you an update from the last report where I discussed the resignations.

    First of all, I was shocked and disappointed to see the accusations in the Kitsap Sun this morning by the former committee members. The remaining committee volunteers continue to do incredible things and expend a ton of their own time and money to this cause. You only need to look back to the 10-year anniversary event last month to see the types of things this group can accomplish.

    As the committee has grown and collected more funds, they have taken steps to improve the organization. Earlier this year (or late last year) the committee had been in contact with a CPA for assistance. The current treasurer has been working with the CPA to review the committee procedures. While the committee already had some good financial controls in place (like two people required to sign checks), they are also moving to improve the financial reporting by migrating from a notebook with receipts and bank statements to QuickBooks. This will allow for easier reporting and monthly reconciliation. By the time this is completed, they will have financial controls better than most non-profit organizations.

    While the focus the last couple of months has been on the successful Memorial and Groundbreaking ceremonies, Dave Fergus and Wyn Birkenthal have been recently discussing the process to arrive at the final design. I expect that effort to begin shortly. Once complete, I also expect that much of the labor and material needed for the Memorial will come from in-kind donations. For example, the trucking company that has been moving the two World Trade Center beams to all the events and parades has done it all for no charge. All the chairs and most of the cost for the expensive sound system were donated for the Memorial ceremony. Proceeds from concessions were donated to the Committee. The list of community support goes on and on.

    Since the resignation of the committee members, there have been more people attending the committee meetings and there have been more volunteers. In fact, at last night’s 9-11 committee meeting, we had a lot of the volunteers join the committee with comments that a lot more folks would like to be on the committee. To keep the organization from getting too big too fast, the committee passed a motion to limit the current size of the committee to 30 members.

    I remain totally convinced that this organization will complete the Memorial. The organization is filled with people with integrity and who remain extremely dedicated and passionate about this cause. As the City Council appointee to 9-11 Memorial Committee, I am very proud to be associated with this group. Please feel free to attend a committee meeting and see for yourself.

    R,

    Jim McDonald
    Bremerton City Council
    District 1

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    Heads up: On the agenda

    Brynn writes:

    Well it’s October, guess that means it’s time for fall. Here’s the meeting schedule this week.

    Kitsap County Commissioners (meet at 619 Division Street, Port Orchard)

    Monday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.: This is the only meeting of the board this week. They’ll do information sharing until noon. Josh Brown won’t be there because he’s out of town, so it’s just Charlotte Garrido and Robert Gelder.

    2 p.m.: Canceled.

    Wednesday, Oct. 5: Canceled.

    City of Bremerton (meets at 345 Sixth Street, Bremerton)

    Wednesday, Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m.: Items on the council’s budget include an ordinance to create Section 18.02.175 of the Bremerton Municipal Code (BMC) entitled “Specific Violations – Fines”; and a contract to purchase one metal sculpture from William M. Mueller dba Contemporary Sculpture of Sedalia, Colorado to be installed along Pacific Avenue near 9th Street.

    City of Port Orchard (meets at 219 Prospect Street)

    No meeting this week.

    City of Poulsbo (City Hall, 200 Moe Street)

    Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.: This week’s business agenda includes an agreement for donation of property, the Settle Trust; Fourth Avenue speed tables; Safeway developer’s agreement; Police radio reception project for City Hall.

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    Live Blog: Council Meeting 9/28/11

    I’m going to try bringing a feature back to the Kitsap Caucus, something we used to do fairly regularly. I will live blog tonight’s council study session, during which they will discuss the acquisition of another piece of art for Pacific Avenue. It will be created by William Mueller of Sedalia, Colo. Mueller has family in Bremerton. His art, “Sun Scoop” will go on Pacific and Ninth, costs $7,100 and comes from the city’s 1 percent for the arts program. Here’s a rendering of it.

    Sun Scoop

    I’m not doing the live blog because I expect tonight’s meeting to be controversial. The 1 percent public arts programs have their critics among story commenters, talk show hosts and across the realm within the general public. For the most part, though, the statues funded through the city’s 1 percent program have not caused much heat in council meetings.

    The fish and fisherman statue was another issue. People still reference them in their comments critical of Bremerton, along with red-light cameras and condos.

    I’m doing this because I might start doing it a lot. I used to do it for port meetings, county commission meetings, national political events we watched together and other noteworthy happenings. Chris Dunagan is blogging today from the Rifle Club courtroom and Brynn just came back from a conference where the idea was discussed and it made me think maybe it’s time to trot these out again. Feel free to join us if you like, but no pressure. I’ll post either way.
    If you can join us live, it will begin at about 5 p.m. If not you can scroll through it later.

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