Tag Archives: Lynwood Center

Boomerang joins with Bainbridge Performing Arts

After a successful partnership with Bainbridge’s movie theaters the first two months of the year, the Boomerang Giving Project has now joined with Bainbridge Performing Arts to encourage people older than 65 to redirect their senior discounts to those in need.

This month, discounts at Bainbridge Performing Arts, the Cinemas at the Pavilion and Lynwood Cinema can voluntarily be redirected by people over 65 years old to support Helpline House programs. BPA and the movie theaters are covering the program’s administrative costs to ensure that 100 percent of the donated discounts go to Helpline.

Dominique Cantwell, executive director of BPA, said she was “proud to be part of this inventive idea.”

Helpline House provides a full range of services to people in need.

“Boomerang Giving is a creative way for those over 65 to boost this community,” Helpline Executive Director Joanne Tews said. “We are delighted to be the beneficiary of this new effort.”

This month, Bainbridge Performing Arts is presenting the epic six-hour “The Kentucky Cycle,” which opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with a pair of pay-what-you-can previews with Part I on Wednesday and Part II on Thursday. An opening reception for the play is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Performances are set for Friday through March 30 with Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. (Part 1). Plus, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. for Part II. The Bainbridge Performing Arts noted on its website that “given the length of the entire play, patrons have the option of seeing the full play over a span of two days.”

“The Kentucky Cycle” is highly regarded. It won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize – the first play in the prize’s 76-year history to win without first staging a New York production.

For more Bainbridge Performing Arts offerings this month, visit http://www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org/.

Boomerang Giving started on Bainbridge in January, with its first project the January and February donation of discounts to grant making supporting children and youth at the Bainbridge Community Foundation. At the Pavilion 39 tickets and 72 at the Lynwood were redirected, Boomerang Giving board chair David Harrison said.

Later this spring, Boomerang plans to start a pledge campaign in selected cities nationally.

“We think the idea of providing baby boomers and older Americans the chance to ‘give back’ through donating discounts will become commonplace,” Harrison said. “We are proud to have it start on Bainbridge Island.”

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

More views of the next phase of Pleasant Beach Village

Apartments, a gym and a community swimming pool are all part of the proposed second phase of Pleasant Beach Village at Lynwood Center. A public meeting was held for neighbors of the project on Monday night.

You can see more designs for the second phase below, courtesy Wenzlau Architects:

Pre-App Presentation(Kitsap Sun)_low Res by tsooter

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

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.

 

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Farm preservationists earn first Blakely Award

Steve Romein and his wife Ty Cramer earned a special commendation from the Bainbridge Historic Preservation Commission for their work rehabilitating the Lynwood Center building and preserving two south Bainbridge farms.

“Steve and Ty have set an excellent example for other developers to follow and made our community a better place in which to live,” the city commission said in a statement after awarding the couple the commission’s first Blakely Award for preservation leadership. The commission plans to give the award on an annual basis.

The commission also recognized the Bainbridge park district with a Blakely Award in the “project of excellence” category for its work to restore the cabin at Camp Yeomalt Park.

In 2007, Romein and Cramer began pouring money into fixing up and expanding the decaying Lynwood Center building in a manner that fit its 1930s-era Tudor style.

“In their renovation efforts, Ty and Steve chose to do so in a way that it would retain its original historic integrity,” the commission said. “The Lynwood Center neighborhood has been revitalized by their efforts.”

Early this year, Romein and Cramer purchased an Old Mill Road farm with the goal of preserving it as farmland and to develop a trail connecting to other public pathways. They also plan to rehabilitate two 19th-century farmhouses on the property.

The pair then purchased an even larger farm that island preservation groups have had their eye on for years. Romein and Cramer plan to put farmers to work on the land, develop a farming education program with nearby Blakely Elementary and set aside a portion as preserved open space.

You can read my profile of Steve Romein here.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Seattle Times profiles Lynwood Center

Lynwood Center was recently profiled in the the Seattle Times’ real estate section.

Here’s a taste:

“The area’s old-fashioned, small-town feel is cherished by residents, who relish walking their dogs or riding bikes near the winding roads surrounded by forest.”

Some of the folks at Treehouse, Pane d’Amore, and Buckley and Buckley Real Estate helped paint a picture of what life’s like in the south-end neighborhood.

Buying a piece of Lynwood Center will likely cost between $385,000 and $1 million, according to the Times.

Read the article HERE.

Photo: Seattle Times

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Artisan bakery coming to Lynwood Center

BakeryTruckBanner

Port Townsend-based bakers Pane d’Amore is setting up shop between Lynwood Theatre and the Treehouse Cafe.

I just got an e-mail from the bakery’s future manager, Elliott Yakush, who says he plans to open in early February, after the building’s renovations are completed.

Until then, the bakery’s truck will serve up fresh bread and pastries in front of its future location every Monday from 12 to 4 p.m. starting Oct. 5.

“It’ll be a good way to get to know the community I’ll be selling bread and living in,” Yakush said.

Pane d’Amore’s has two other locations: in Port Townsend’s Uptown district and on 5th Avenue in Sequim.

Sunset likes the bakery. In its June issue, the magazine noted Pane d’Amore as part of the reason the town is “poised to become the Northwest’s next culinary destination.”

By the way, Port Townsend’s gourmet offerings make it the “Paris of the Olympic Peninsula,” according to Sunset. With Pane d’Amore coming to the island, what will that make Bainbridge? Why, the “Paris of the Kitsap Peninsula,” of course. Sorry Bremerton (“The Detroit of the Kitsap Peninsula), and Poulsbo (“The Leavenworth of the Kitsap Peninsula”) and Silverdale (“The Tacoma Mall of the Kitsap Peninsula”).

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

New Poll: Lynwood Center vs. Lynwood Center

tastelynwoodbanner2

I’ve always thought it odd that Lynwood Center’s old Tudor-style building was also named Lynwood Center. To me, It’s kind of like calling the little island in the Battle Point Park pond “Bainbridge Island.”

It makes it a little complicated for us reporters when we’re doing a story about Lynwood Center (the neighborhood) and want to also mention Lynwood Center (the building). To avoid confusion in a story a while back, I referred to the building as the “Lynwood Theater building,” but that angered a reader or two, so I quit doing it.

The organizers of Lynwood Center’s (the neighborhood) annual street party (see the logo above) simply refer to it as “Lynwood” and call the building “Lynwood Center.” That sounds like a good idea to me, and maybe henceforth we should simply call the neighborhood “Lynwood.” But won’t people then be confused with the Lynnwood (note the double ‘n’ difference) north of Seattle? Perhaps we could convince Lynnwood to change its name, possibly to something more fitting, like “Sprawlsville” or “Suburbswood.”

Steve Romein, who owns Lynwood Center (the building), calls the neighborhood “Lynwood Center” and the buidling “The Historic Lynwood Center.” But I don’t know. Does an added adjective really set it apart? And why “historic”? Aren’t the Edna’s restaurant building and that old lumber store on pilings historic too? They’re also in Lynwood Center (the neighborhood). And besides, there are lots of other complimentary adjectives you could add that are more pizzazzy than “historic.” Why not call it the “Awesome Lynwood Center” or the “Fantastical Lynwood Center” or the “Courageous Lynwood Center.” In an effort to capture the all-important youth market, why not call it the “Sick Lynwood Center” (a young whippersnapper recently let me know that “sick” means “good” these days).

Another reporter recently asked for some guidance on what to call the same-named building and neighborhood. I think I sighed and shrugged. I wasn’t much help. Confronted with the same problem this week, I posed the question to Romein.

He shrugged too (at least I imagine he did while writing his e-mailed response).

“As far as an official name, we have never discussed it. Should we?” he wrote.

Yes, Mr. Romein, we should discuss it. And who better to discuss it than the clever and wise readers of this blog? Head over to the right of the screen for a poll in which to cast your vote for the Lynwood Center neighborhood’s new official name. No doubt the poll’s winningest name will dominate discussions at the next City Council meeting, and that our unofficial mayor will issue a decree on the neighborhood’s official new name. If your favorite selection for Lynwood Center isn’t listed, you can always drop it into the comments section. Happy naming.

By the way, the second-annual Taste of Lynwood is this Saturday. Click here for more info.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

A new care facility could rise from Serenity House’s rubble

Steve Romein, who recently bought the Serenity House property in Lynwood Center, told me this afternoon that he plans to build a new facility to care for the elderly and developmentally disabled.

“That’s the whole reason we bought it,” said Romein, an architect who also co-owns the Tudor-style Lynwood Theatre building across the street. “We want to get a care facility back. We were very saddened to see it displaced.”

For more on what led to the Serenity House’s demise, read this feature on its final weeks and this followup story on its closure. Here’s the post on its demolition this week.

Romein envisions a new four-unit complex on the 3.4-acre property. Each group home might have up to six residents. He may also add a daytime care facility for elderly people.

Romein is in talks now with potential care facility operators, and hopes to have one selected within the next month. The operator, he said, will help develop plans for the new complex.

Continue reading →

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Wrecking ball hits the Serenity House

serenitydemobanner

The Serenity House is no more.

A fixture in the south island community of Lynwood Center for nearly a century, the group home for developmentally disabled adults was torn down Wednesday by the property’s new owner.

serenitydemoblog1

Serenity House closed in March after its 17 residents were moved to care facilities and group homes around Kitsap County. The Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, which owned the 3.4-acre property, could no longer afford to subsidize Serenity’s operating costs, which amounted to about $16,000 a month.

KCCHA abandoned plans to redevelop the property with new assisted-living homes.

Built as a public school in 1914, the 11,000-square-foot facility had fallen into disrepair.

The building also served as a sanitarium and, for the last 40 years, a home for developmentally disabled adults and others in need of full-time care.

KCCHA listed the property in March for $1.95 million. A development company led by island resident Steve Romein purchased the property last month. Romein could not be reached for comment.

The property boasts panoramic views of Rich Passage and sits across the street from the the theater property, which is also owned by Romein.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Serenity House vacant and up for sale

serenityhouseresidents

The Serenity House, a 95-year-old home for developmentally disabled adults in Lynwood Center, closed its doors this week and will likely be demolished once its sold.

Its 17 residents have moved on to care facilities and group homes around Kitsap County. Only two residents found new homes on Bainbridge Island. Serenity’s residents ranged in age from 21 to 94.

Serenity’s operator, the Low Income Housing Institute, announced last year that it was losing money and would have to pull out. The Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, which owns the 3.4-acre property, could no longer afford to subsidize Serenity’s operating costs, which amounted to about $16,000 a month.

Seattle-based LIHI began assisting Serenity’s residents in finding homes last year.

Many of the Serenity’s half-dozen employees had worked at the facility for over a decade.

The property’s list price is $1.95 million.

The bulk of the sale’s proceeds will help KCCHA reimburse the state $1.5 million for its assistance in purchasing the property years ago. Remaining proceeds will go to KCCHA and LIHI for costs related to operating the facility.

KCCHA abandoned plans to redevelop the property with a new assisted-living homes.

Built as a public school in 1914, the 11,000-square-foot Serenity House had fallen into disrepair.

“It’s in pretty poor shape,” KCCHA interim executive director Debbie Braughton said. “It’ll probably have to come down.”

The building also served as a sanitarium and, for the last 40 years, a group home for developmentally disabled adults and others in need of full-time care.

Sitting on a hillside across the street from the Lynwood Theatre on Lynwood Center Road, the Serenity House boasts panoramic views of Rich Passage.

Online real estate advertisements note the property’s views and redevelopment potential. The property is zoned for six residential units and commercial use along the road, according to advertisements.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Salmon Canyon Cafe ‘family’ sticks together after tragedy

I’ve only eaten at the Salmon Canyon Cafe once, shortly after it opened just over a year ago. I could tell the place was already a fixture for south-enders wanting a no nonsense breakfast.

Talking to the restaurant’s regulars and writing this story (below) makes me wish I’d gone there more often, and that owner David Ortiz will make a speedy recovery and open Salmon Canyon’s doors again.

Continue reading →

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post