Monthly Archives: January 2016

Kingston’s Axe Handle Café closing in February

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Kingston’s popular Axe Handle Café will close Feb. 6, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page:

Dear Greater Kingston Community,It is with much sadness and relief that we are announcing the closing of Axe Handle Caf…

Posted by Axe Handle on Monday, January 25, 2016

Amy and Mark Anderson, owners of Cup and Muffin, launched the sit-down café three years ago and it quickly became a staple in downtown.

“There’s no better way of building community than just stopping in and sitting down together,” Amy Anderson told Kitsap Sun contributor Terri Gleich, who profiled the business last year.

Also closed in Kingston is the Main Street Ale House, which is apparently in the midst of an ownership change. A reopening date has not been announced.

Hello everyone! Another chapter for the Main Street Ale House is about to begin as we are transferring ownership in the…

Posted by Main Street Ale House on Friday, November 27, 2015

County job numbers, employment improved in 2015

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More Kitsap residents were employed and more people were working at jobs inside the county in 2015, according to preliminary year-end numbers released by the Employment Security Department.  

Kitsap jobs

An average of 87,600 people worked for employers within the county last year, a 3.7 percent uptick from 2014. It was also a slight increase from Kitsap’s pre-recession high of 87,400, reported in 2006.

Job growth came from both the private and government sectors, which increased employment by 2.7 percent and 5.4 percent respectively.

Here’s a graphical look at job trends in Kitsap:

Employment/unemployment

Overall employment among Kitsap residents remains lower than before the recession, but there were signs of improvement last year.

0827_KSLO_Wash-625x417The labor force – the total number of people working or seeking work – appeared to stabilize over the past three years, after declining through the recession. Kitsap’s labor force averaged 113,580 in 2015.

Average employment rose in 2014 and 2015, reaching 107,200 last year.

An average of 6,382 Kitsap residents were counted as unemployed last year, though the number only included people who were actively seeking work.

The county’s unemployment rate has fallen steadily since 2010, reaching 5.6 percent in 2015. This was partially due to declines in the labor force.

Here’s a graphical look at employment trends in Kitsap:

Port launches free Wi-Fi at marinas

marina
Boaters can now surf the web while snug in their slips at the Bremerton and Port Orchard public marinas.

The Port of Bremerton has launched a free Wi-Fi service at both Sinclair Inlet marinas, according to a Monday announcement.

“Studies have shown, and our customers have repeatedly told us that the number one utility they value bar none is connectivity,” port CEO Jim Rothlin said in the announcement. “It’s also the number one frustration they have with marinas as it can so often be weak, slow and unreliable.

The network provides a 125-megabyte-per-second access link shared by both facilities, which can be scaled up to 1 gigabyte-per-second as demand increases.

marina_23283854_ver1.0_640_480The system can accommodate up to 1,000 devices at a time. Service is provided by NW Commnet of Bremerton. 

In an email, Rothlin said the agency spent about $150,000 installing a fiber optic backbone and Wi-Fi system at both marinas.

Hardware chosen for the network had to be especially rugged to survive in the corrosive marine environment.

“I would say the biggest challenges were getting coverage through all parts each marina, dealing with getting coverage within covered moorage, and keeping the connection across the two marinas as the tide goes in and out,” Rothlin said. 

The full announcement, with more technical info, is posted below:  Continue reading →

The priciest Kitsap home sales of 2015

These were the most expensive homes sold in Kitsap County in 2015, excluding Bainbridge Island (island homes are listed here). Details from public records and online listings. 

1. Olympic View waterfront (CK) — $1.36 million

Sale date: July 7

Location: 6855 NW Brothers View Lane (off Olympic View Loop)

Description: A 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bath house on a 2-acre waterfront parcel facing Hood Canal. Built in 2006.

Listing here.

2. President Point waterfront (NK) — $1.35 million

Sale date: Jan. 13

Location: 13176 NE James Way

Description: A 4,600-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath house on 0.4 acres facing Puget Sound. Built in 2009.

“Unobstructed Puget Sound & Cascade mountain range views, stretching from beyond Mt. Baker to Mt. Rainier. Elegance, seamlessly combined with comfort and style.”

Listing and photos here.

3. Scandia waterfront (NK) — $1.2 million

Sale date: June 3

Location: 15716 Virginia Point Road

Description: A 2,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2.25-bath house on 0.7 acres, on the south shore of Liberty Bay. Built in 1999.

“Rare property… deep water moorage and tidelands.”

Listing and photos here. Continue reading →

The priciest Bainbridge home sales of 2015

blog.sunrise3The median price for homes sold on Bainbridge Island in 2015 was $615,000, meaning a lot of properties sold for a whole lot more.

In fact, 71 Bainbridge homes fetched more than $1 million, according to county assessor’s records. That was up from 55 in 2014, and 47 in 2013.

Below is a look at the top 10 priciest Bainbridge residential sales of 2015. See my 2014 list here.

Top Bainbridge Island Home Sales

These were the most expensive homes sold on Bainbridge Island in 2015. Details from public records and online listings. 

1. Country Club waterfront — $2.77 million

Click for interactive map
Click for an interactive map

Sale date: May 21

Location: 11078 Country Club Road

Description: A 5,600-square-foot, three-bedroom, five-bath house situated on 0.78 acres. Built in 2003.

“Sweeping views of Puget Sound and Seattle’s skyline are seen from most rooms of this masterwork in American Arts & Crafts Architecture, sited at the mouth of Blakely Harbor.”

Listing and photos here.

2. Point White waterfront — $2.75 million


Sale date: Oct. 19

Location: 3220 Point White Drive NE

Description: A 3,300-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2.75-bath house on 0.43 acres, facing Rich Passage. Built in 1979.

“Poised on 162’ of south-facing low bank waterfront, this stunning Hal Moldstad design is classic Northwest style at its best…comfortable, understated and serene… in perfect harmony with its landscape.”

Listing and photos here. Continue reading →

Gig Harbor Safeway reopens Feb. 3; no date for Port Orchard store

The Gig Harbor Safeway that became a Haggen will become a Safeway again on Feb. 3.

But Safeway spokeswoman Sara Osborne said no reopening date has been announced for the vacant Safeway-turned-Haggen in Port Orchard, also set to return to the Safeway fold.

Safeway parent company Albertsons LLC. bought back both stores from Haggen in a bankruptcy auction last fall.

Haggen stores in Silverdale and East Bremerton were not purchased during those auctions and remain empty. The Bucklin Hill Road and Wheaton Way locations were previously operated by Alberstons.

Marijuana store approved in Gorst

Marijuana shops keep sprouting in the south end of Kitsap County.

Thursday the state Liquor and Cannabis Board approved a license for a recreational marijuana retailer called GreenX3, located at 4235 Olympic Drive W in Gorst.

Just last week a shop called Legal Marijuana Superstore got the green light on Bethel Road. 

The addition of GreenX3 brings Kitsap’s count of legal retailers to 10 (not including a tribal store in Suquamish). The state plans to issue up to 20 retail licenses in the county.

There are another 10 licensed producers/processors in the county.

Zoom in on the map above to see all the county’s licensed marijuana businesses.

Poulsbo Chamber director takes Port Angeles post

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Marc Abshire

The Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce is under interim leadership following the resignation of former director Marc Abshire.

Abshire stepped down to take a job as executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber, according to a story in the Peninsula Daily News. He was hired in Poulsbo in October 2014.

Poulsbo Chamber board treasurer Dan Barry will serve as interim director, according to a news release.

“Poulsbo is experiencing historic growth and dynamic new economic opportunities and the board is excited to work together to renew, strengthen and build partnerships in 2016,” Poulsbo Chamber President Ingmar Anderson said in the release. 

The chamber’s annual gala and awards ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 16 at the Clearwater Casino event center.

Regal Cinemas headlines fall commercial sales

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The $3.1 million sale of the Regal Cinemas in Silverdale to Newlife Church was among the notable commercial transactions closed in Kitsap County during the last three months of 2015.

olhava_1445221426904_25394155_ver1.0_640_480By far the largest, however, was the foreclosure sale for 42 vacant parcels in Poulsbo’s College Marketplace.

MUFG Union Bank, which forced the sale, took ownership of the properties for a recorded sales price of $8.17 million.

A total of 85 commercial parcels changed hands in the fourth quarter of 2015 for a combined $23.6 million, according to county assessor’s records.

Here’s a look at some of the high profile transactions:

College Marketplace parcels, Poulsbo — $8.17 million

1019_OlhavaSale_KSSale date: Oct. 29

Assessed value: About $21 million

Sold by: Hacker & Willig Inc (Trustee) to MUFG Union Bank

Description: 42 tax parcels in the College Marketplace development in Poulsbo, adjacent to Walmart and Home Depot.

Notes:  Previous owner was Olhava Associates Limited Partnership of Edmonds. Olhava defaulted on loans issued by Frontier Bank.

Union Bank was the successor to Frontier Bank, which was closed in 2010. The College Marketplace properties are still listed for sale.

Regal Cinemas, Silverdale — $3.1 million

regal.cinemasSale date: Nov. 12

Assessed value: $2.95 million

Sold by: Eastgate Theatre Inc. to New Life Church on the Peninsula

Description: A 15,000-square-foot cinema on 2.6 acres at 9923 Poplars Ave.

Notes:  Newlife Church plans to turn the building into an education and worship center. The cinema will continue to operate into early 2016. Continue reading →