The county’s only standalone birth center is due to open in Poulsbo this summer.

Salmonberry Community Birth Center recently signed a lease on a 2,000-sqare-foot space in the North Kitsap Medical Center, at the intersection of Bond Road and Highway 305. Owners plan to be licensed and ready to deliver babies there in August.

The Poulsbo location places the birth center close to medical services, including an urgent care practice and fire station. Harrison Medical Center in Silverdale is about 10 miles down the highway.

The facility will include three birth suites with hydrotherapy tubs to accommodate water births. There will also be a family and classroom space.

Salmonberry midwives Louisa Wales and Melanie Brindle are already signing up clients through Gumnut Blossom Midwifery on Bainbridge Island. Clients will be seen at the island offices until June, when the new Poulsbo center will be ready for visits.

Salmonberry was founded by a group of midwives and doulas who wanted to give Kitsap families an alternative to home births or hospital births. They completed a successful crowdsourcing campaign last summer, raising more than $30,000.

Check the Salmonberry page on Facebook for updates.