The in basket: Scot Harper writes, “I have a fire zone striping question and one about street lights.
“ We live in the new housing development off of Anderson Hill Road (near Gorst). In the last couple of weeks a red painted curb appeared on the new section of road in the development. This was expected as the streets are narrow and all the existing streets have a fire zone on one side.
“What was surprising was the side of street it was painted on. The new section of street loops and connects two sections of Maritime Drive. So the side the new fire zone is on makes no sense for several reasons.
– All the fire hydrants are on the outside side of the loop
– The inside only has three houses on the street on the south end and a park on the north side.
– With the fire lane on the inside there is no extra parking for anybody on the loop or people at the park
“So who decides what side of street the fire lane is on, and who can we talk to about changing it?
“The other question is how does the county (I am assuming) decide if an intersection needs a street light? The intersection of Anderson Hill Road and Old Clifton Road could definitely use one now that there are 100-plus new houses down Anderson Hill Road and 200-plus more coming in the next two years.”
The out basket: Bremerton Fire Marshall Mike Six says he made the call on the striping.
“I directed the contractors where to place the fire lane. Placement of fire lanes, which are required in this case, is at the sole direction of the fire marshal. The decision was based on firefighting tactics and the direction the fire crews would be arriving from.
“My understanding is the parking requirement is satisfied and street parking is not generally considered as parking is not considered part of that requirement.”
Derek Skanes of the city added that the fire lane requirement is a section of the International Building Code adopted by the City of Bremerton.
“The real issue may be the scarcity of on-street parking and elimination of potential parking in narrow lots with front yard driveways,” he added.
The street light question is for the city of Port Orchard, where Public Works Director Mark Dorsey says, “The city is currently designing a roundabout at Anderson Hill Road /Old Clifton Road…….illumination will be included. The construction timeline is uncertain.”
In the meantime, the city is working with Puget Sound Energy to get a light mounted on one of the three utility poles near the intersection.
