Category Archives: Poulsbo WA

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Why It’s a Good Idea to Expand the Poulsbo Port District

Rich Jacobson

The attention-grabbing front-page headline on the January 31st edition of the North Kitsap Herald screamed “Outcry Over Annexation,” referring to a recent forum meeting between Port of Poulsbo Commissioners and the general public. The forum was provided as an opportunity for the Port District Commissioners to field questions from the public regarding the proposed expansion of the port district annexation boundaries.

Port-0f-Poulsbo-Annexation

The annexation proposal by District Commissioners, is slated for a February 11th ballot vote, and seeks to expand the port authorities reach/taxation over onto the Southern shores of Liberty Bay, as well as areas such as Scandia Point, Pearson Point, Virginia Point, and Lemolo.

Now let’s face it, no one likes increased taxes. We’re all of us extremely tired of big government constantly dipping its insatiable hands into our pocketbooks.

But I personally view this as an opportunity for us to collectively support something that directly benefits us all – the continued, sustained growth and viability of Liberty Bay and its port.

As a licensed real estate broker here in Kitsap County WA, clearly one of the most stable and highly desirable housing markets within Kitsap County is Poulsbo WA. Among all of the various elements that have elevated Poulsbo to such an esteemed position, two of the most key are a thriving downtown area and a popular port.

No one can contest the fact that Poulsbo is one of the leading attractions and destinations here on the Kitsap Peninsula. Its closest rival is Gig Harbor in North Pierce County. Little Norway, nestled on the shores of Liberty Bay, draws thousands upon thousands of visitors of each year. And as we all know, visitors spend money, and money generates profits, resulting in a healthy, vibrant local economy.

Regardless of whether you live in Poulsbo Place or Pearson Point, a successful, viable downtown & port district benefits us all. It has a positive affect on our property valuations and enhances our overall quality of life. You don’t have to travel very far to see how uniquely blessed we all are to live in neighboring proximity to downtown Poulsbo and its port. Other waterfront communities in Kitsap County are not as fortunate.

Now is not the time to spread unfounded warnings that the “Sky is Falling!” It’s time for us all to support the continued positive growth and future development of our city and harbor. Vote ‘Yes!’ to expand the port district annexation!

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Local Poulsbo Hotel Garners Awards

Rich Jacobson

The Guest House Inn & Suites, located at 19801 7th St. here in Poulsbo, was recently the recipient of two awards from Boomerang Hotels, their franchise parent company.

The first award, Inn of the Year, is bestowed to the hotel location that achieves the highest overall performance for properties within its respective group/chain, and maintains the highest level of performance/adherence to the standards of that particular brand.

The second award, Innkeeper of the Year, recognizes the individual operator or manager who achieves the highest performance ratings for utilizing corporate programs, maintains the best Quality Assurance scores, and demonstrates consistent support of the brand.

Our congratulations to Mr. Micah Kim, owner operator of the 63-room GuestHouse Inn & Suites in Poulsbo WA!

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Lessons from Kindergarten for City & Port of Poulsbo

Rich Jacobson

A recent article in the North Kitsap Herald (dtd. 1/18/13 Port may not share marketing consultant with city) shared the apparent dissolution of discussions between the City of Poulsbo and the Port of Poulsbo regarding the proposed hiring of a shared marketing consultant.

Evidently, the Port’s Board of Commissioners felt it more prudent to keep their marketing efforts in-house. They were concerned that an outside marketing consultant would prove to be more costly than if they simply expanded their own marketing efforts from within.

In the article, one of the port tenants, Rodney McVicker, is quoted as saying, “Giving money to someone outside is not an appropriate function for the port.” He went on to say, “The Port will have limited funds in the future as the City grows, because the port district does not grow with the City.”

Really? One would think the two go hand-in-foot? Unless of course, you’re the Port of Bremerton. But that’s a whole different discussion!

Port Commissioner Tony DeCarlo was quoted, “The Commission may change the job description of a current employee to include marketing.”

It’s been this writer’s humble experience that if you want someone to do some effective, professional-level marketing, you need to bite the proverbial bullet and pay for someone who has the skill, training, and experience to do so. The old adage “You get what you pay for” certainly applies to such situations.

It seems to me (and granted, I am still relatively new to the inter-workings of all things Poulsbo) that the health, vitality, and profitability of the City of Poulsbo and the Port of Poulsbo are intimately intertwined. Much value and benefit could be derived for both organizations through the hiring of a shared marketing consultant. Obviously the key in such decisions is finding the right person for the job.

Supposedly, the Port Commissioners are going to discuss the matter further during their upcoming February 7th meeting. Let’s hope they decide to play well in the Poulsbo sandbox and ‘Share!’

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Love Boat Comes to Poulsbo WA

Rich Jacobson

Okay, so it’s not exactly the Love Boat, but close enough!

photo of M/V American Spirit – courtesy of American Cruise Lines

It was recently announced that starting in early May of 2013, the M/V American Spirit with American Cruise Lines, will be making Liberty Bay & Downtown Poulsbo one of their regularly scheduled cruise tour stops. The smaller 205 ft. cruise ship will arrive in Liberty Bay on Friday mornings, and its passengers will be ferried to the public marina from anchored moorage.

I don’t know about you, but I personally think this is a HUGE benefit to our beloved city and presents some incredible opportunities to further grow & expand the long-term health and viability of our downtown area.

I don’t know who was responsible for making this happen, but whoever it was, it’s nothing short of brilliant, and I’d like to buy them lunch sometime!

Now for some of you concerned locals, the M/V American Spirit only has a passenger capacity of 100, so we’re not talking about a mass tourist take-over of Little Norway every Friday. This is going to be very manageable and will no doubt provide local businesses with a welcomed boost to sales.

Supposedly, a big welcome extravaganza for the inaugural visit is in the works by local residents and merchants. I am hoping that some enterprising individuals are planning on having some locals decked out in full Scandanavian attire? Mr. & Mrs. Kris Kringle were a huge hit during the Christmas Holidays. I wonder if we could get them to done bunad?

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