Monthly Archives: September 2012

Friday preview: Bainbridge edition

Here’s the Friday preview: Bainbridge edition for Sept. 28. Please feel free to give your own events a plug in the comment section below. You can read the Sun’s regional Friday preview here. Above, Brian MacWhorter guides guests on a hay ride during the 2011 Harvest Fair. (Brad Camp photo)

Weather: We’re looking at a dry and partly sunny weekend with highs in the mid 60s according to the National Weather Service.  Expect a little fog Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Sports: The Spartans football team is back at home tonight, playing Bishop Blanchet with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Girls varsity soccer plays Garfield 7 p.m. Saturday at home. The full Spartans schedule is online.

Around the island: 

  • Rise and Shine with the Housing Resources Board’s annual fundraiser breakfast 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Grace Episcopal Church. The breakfast is free but donations are accepted and an RSVP is requested. A zany collection of birdhouses is also up for auction. Bidding has begun online. Proceeds support HRB’s work in affordable housing and housing services on the island.
  • Pumpkins are ripening fast in Bainbridge fields, and that must mean it’s time for the Harvest Fair at Johnson Farm. The Friends of the Farms festival celebrates locally grown food and the preservation of island farmland. Events include farming demonstrations, wagon rides and contests. The fair runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Shuttles will be available. Get the details here.
  • Also Sunday, the 2012 Frog Rock Forum will focus on citizenship, and ways of creating a more resilient community. The discussion, organized by Sustainable Bainbridge, runs 3-6 p.m. at IslandWood. Ticket information here.
  • Pick up this week’s Islander for more event listings and tell us about your own events in the comment section below .

Inside the Islander: An upcoming photography display at Bainbridge Performing Arts offers “Visions of Life.”

The week in review: 

Coming up:

  • A new Bainbridge non-profit will use books to connect Bainbridge students with children in Myanmar.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the week. Contact Bainbridge reporter Tad Sooter at tad.sooter@gmail.com.

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Former Bainbridge police chief was job hunting before resignation

Former Bainbridge Island Police Chief Jon Fehlman applied for at least one police chief position this year before resigning his post Sept. 15.

Fehlman applied for a position as chief of police in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in February. Fehlman was one of 46 applicants for the south Florida job, according to the TC Palm newspaper. Florida state law requires applicants for public office to be made public.

Fehlman’s application, provided to the Sun by the TC Palm (and posted here), lists former Bainbridge City Manager Brenda Bauer as a reference. In his resume, Fehlman highlighted close relationships he said he built on the island and with outside agencies.

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Police Blotter: Glass door shattered by golf ball; owners hope culprit reads blotter

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Maiden Lane homeowners returned from a vacation Sept. 18 to find a sliding glass door shattered and a golf ball on their porch. They told police they were reporting the damage in the hopes an entry in a newspaper police blotter would guilt the golfer into confessing.

Also this week, a fountain fermented unrest between neighbors and a shouting match between a woman and a telephone scammer resulted in bomb threats.

The blotter is below:

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Helpline House: How best to help with food shortage

(Volunteer Reed Thomas, 14, stocks Mac & Cheese at Helpline House food bank last week).

Food banks across the county are struggling with high demand and low donations this summer, as we reported Wednesday.

Since the story ran we’ve received a few inquiries from readers asking how they can help, including an email this morning from local Les Schwab manager Brett Clark. Donna McKinney of Helpline House responded with some tips:

Thanks for your very prompt response to the article in the paper!  We appreciate donations of just about any foods, but there are certain items that we are especially low on and/or are distributed so fast that we cannot keep them in stock.  At this time, this is the list:

— Canned beans for cooking

— Cereals

— Assorted pasta

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Bainbridge manager decision could come tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The City Council could pick the next Bainbridge manager before tonight is over.

The council will interview the three finalists for the city manager position in an executive session at the start of its regular study session, which begins at 4:30 p.m. The council may return to open session at 9:30 p.m. to discuss the hiring process. Several council members on Tuesday said they were optimistic a selection could be made at that time.

The three finalists (pictured above) were on Bainbridge for a tour of the island and a public reception Tuesday. About 40 residents attended the meet-and-greet at City Hall. The candidates gave brief introductions then mingled.

Stay tuned for coverage from this evening’s meeting. In the meantime you can read our stories on the background of the three candidates and the short but turbulent history of Bainbridge city managers. The city also has resumes and background documents posted on its city manager search page.

(Tad Sooter photos)

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Friday preview: Bainbridge edition

I’m not above swiping a good idea when I see one, so it’s with shameless enthusiasm I introduce the inaugural “Friday preview: Bainbridge edition,” a localization of the “Friday preview” on our Kitsap Sun mother site.

I hope to make this a regular Friday morning segment, previewing weekend happenings around the island, taking a look back at the week that was, a peek forward at the week to come, and giving a plug to the latest Bainbridge Islander edition. (Speaking of the Islander, that’s this week’s cover down below. You can click on it to see a full view.)

Let’s get started:

Weather: The National Weather Service is predicting sunshine and temps in the low 70s today through Monday, with the exception of some fog Saturday morning. We may also see lingering haze today from wildfires burning east of the Cascades and in Kitsap.

Sports: Spartans volleyball hosts Cleveland at 6 p.m. tonight. Football plays the Black Hills Wolves at home with a 7 p.m. kickoff (Sun sportswriters like Bainbridge’s chances in this one). Find the full Spartans schedule here.

Around the island: 

  • Seven well known Seattle authors will be at Bainbridge Performing Arts from 7-9 p.m. this evening for an event benefitting the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation.
  • A Taste of Lynwood Fairfest runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in Lynwood Center. This year’s south-island festival features six bands, a talent show, food, beer, crafts and an after party. If you feel like exerting yourself before indulging yourself, check out the Baker Hill Challenge (pdf).
  • You don’t have to be a dog owner to enjoy Wagfest 2012, billed as a “celebration of all things canine.” Wagfest begins at 9 a.m. Sunday at Battle Point Park and raises money and awareness for PAWS of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap.
  • Pick up this week’s Islander for more event listings and feel free to plug your own event in the comment section below.

Inside the Islander: An upcoming Housing Resources Board fundraiser features some of the swankiest birdhouses around.

The week in review: 

Coming up:

  •  Check out the Sun this weekend for a more in depth look at the city manager candidates.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the week. Contact Bainbridge reporter Tad Sooter at tad.sooter@gmail.com.

 

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Police Blotter: Screaming man inspires threat of vigilante justice

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An intoxicated man screaming in the woods near Madrona Way on Sept. 7 prompted a threat of vigilante justice from a bat-wielding neighbor.

Also this week, an experimental, arrow-shooting rifle was reported stolen from a closet, and a cyclist was airlifted after a crash at Fort Ward.

The blotter is below:

Sept. 7

Public disturbance: A resident in the area of Madrona Way called 911 to report a man screaming in the woods. The resident reportedly told dispatchers he would give the man in the woods “something to scream about” if police didn’t resolve the situation. As police neared the scene they encountered the reporting party walking down the road with a baseball bat. The resident said he was upset because he’d already reported the man in the woods earlier that evening but police hadn’t detained the man. Police asked the resident to go home, and continued on to the end of Madrona Way. Police entered the woods near Ericksen Avenue and found a man lying on his back in the woods, waving his arms and screaming. The 33-year-old man appeared extremely intoxicated and was unable to stand on his own. Police called for medical aid and the man was taken to a Bremerton hospital for apparent alcohol overdose.

Sept. 5

Boaters in distress: A man and woman in a boat flagged down the Bainbridge marine unit near Keyport. The Lake Stevens couple said a belt had broken in the engine and the vessel was disabled. Police towed the boat to the Poulsbo city dock.

Hit and run: A Toyota Highlander sustained significant damage while left unattended in a Winslow Way parking lot. No suspects.

Theft: A Bainbridge man reported a prototype rifle was missing from the closet of his Manitou Beach Road home. The rifle was designed to shoot arrows. The man was unsure when the weapon went missing but suspected it was taken by someone he knew.

Sept. 3

Bicycle crash: A 50-year-old Bainbridge woman was airlifted to a Seattle hospital after crashing on her bicycle near the entrance to Fort Ward Park. The cyclist was approaching the park entrance from Pleasant Beach Drive at about 1 p.m. when her bicycle struck the corner of a speed bump, causing her to lose control. The woman struck her head on impact. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

Theft: Police responded to a commercial parking lot near the ferry terminal at 11:45 a.m. for a report of a man steal cash from the payment boxes. Police contacted a man riding a bicycle near the lot, who matched description of the suspect. A wad of cash was visible in the man’s pants pocket. The man admitted to stealing from a pay box and told police he just needed money to “get by.” Police recovered $86 from the man’s pockets. He was booked into Kitsap County jail.

Noise complaint: A resident on the south side of Eagle Harbor reported loud construction noises coming from the ferry maintenance yard on the north side of the harbor. Police met the resident at their Ward Avenue home at about 9:30 a.m. and could hear the noise of sand blasters across the bay. It appeared a sound barrier had been erected at the maintenance yard but it wasn’t muffling all the noise. Police advised the resident to complain to the maintenance yard manager. The resident became enraged and threatened to sue “them.” Police talked to an engineer at the yard who said the contractors working with the sand blasters were nearly finished with their work. A report was taken.

Aug. 29

Collision: A Bainbridge man lost control of his Chevy S10 pickup while turning from Blakely Avenue onto Country Club Road. The man told police the truck fishtailed in the turn, and he had overcorrected and lost control. The truck veered into a ditch and rolled over, landing back on its wheels, facing the roadway. The man was taken to Harrison Hospital for evaluation. The truck appeared to be a total loss.

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City seeks designs for ‘Bainbridge Bag’ as bag ban nears

Two months from now, plastic shopping bags will disappear from island checkout stands. In the hopes of not catching shoppers by surprise with the Nov. 1 bag ban, the city has launched an awareness campaign.

The campaign began this week with the announcement of a bag design contest. The city is inviting creatively-inclined islanders to submit logo ideas for a cloth bag, which will become the official “Bainbridge Bag.” About 500 of the bags will be printed up and given away to encourage reusable bag use before the ban begins.

Designs must be no larger than 5 inches wide and 8 inches tall. The city is accepting submissions through Sept. 28 and the public can vote for their favorite logos Oct. 1-12 at City Hall.

The City Council unanimously approved the bag ban back in April. For more information, go to the city’s website or call code enforcement at (206) 780-3769.

 

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Bainbridge Fire responds to central Washington wildfires

Three Bainbridge firefighters are east of the Cascades today, battling wildfires that erupted over the weekend. 

Bainbridge Fire dispatched a water tender crewed by Lt. Sequoia Jones and firefighter Matt Phillips to a large fire outside Wenatchee Sunday evening. Firefighter Jason Livdahl was sent to join a Mason County strike team. He will likely be assisting with a fire in Lincoln County, Bainbridge Assistant Chief Luke Carpenter said. Livdahl is training to become a strike team leader.

The firefighters were dispatched as part of a statewide response, coordinated regionally by North Kitsap Fire & Rescue. Carpenter said Bainbridge units were requested at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday and were en route within two hours.

Lightning sparked scores of wildfires in central Washington Saturday. The largest, west of Wenatchee, spread over 500 acres and forced the evacuation of 180 homes Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

Kitsap County received a much-needed dousing of rain Sunday night, but the precipitation fell west of the Cascades.

“The good news is we got rain here, but the bad news is, not a drop of it made it across the mountains,” Carpenter said.

Bainbridge Fire will post updates it receives from firefighters east of the mountains on its Facebook page.

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A chilly start for sales in downtown Winslow

The unveiling of a “friendlier” Winslow Way hasn’t sparked a resurgence for downtown businesses. At least not yet.

Sales tax figures released for the first six months of 2012 showed receipts from downtown Winslow were down 1.9 percent compared to the same period last year ($211,718 compared to $215,863). That figure might seem insignificant until you recall what Winslow Way looked like in the first half of 2011:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales were lower from January to June this year than in 2011, when shoppers braved a jungle of barricades and traffic cones to visit shops. Downtown continued to lose businesses as well, down to 172 from a total of 201 in 2011.

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