Tag Archives: skia

Port of Bremerton to award $2M road project

The Port of Bremerton is poised to award a $1.97 million contract to extend its Cross SKIA Connector Road to Old Clifton Road.

The low bidder for the project WHH Nisqually Federal Services, LLC., a tribally-owned enterprise based in Olympia. The company’s bid came in just under the engineer’s estimate for the work, according to a port staff memo.

The port commission is set to approve the award at its Tuesday meeting. A breakdown of the bid is embedded below.

The port received a $2 million allocation from Puget Sound Regional Council for this phase of the connector road, and budgeted $345,800 of its own cash.

The existing connector road extends south off Highway 3 and runs along the east edge of Bremerton National Airport.

Phase 2.1 will extend the existing connector road by about 3,000 to meet Old Clifton Road (click the inset map to enlarge it). Contractors will also build a roundabout to accomodate future road extensions.

Work is expected to begin in June and be completed within 80 days.

The port considers the connector road critical for encouraging growth in the industrial and aerospace acreage surrounding the airport. You can read its pitch to the Regional Council here (PDF).

The area was previously called South Kitsap Industrial Area (SKIA), but was recently renamed Puget Sound Industrial Center-Bremerton (PSIC-B).

SKIA Bid Award by Tad Sooter

SKIA name change on port agenda

Tad Sooter

VicinityMap South Kitsap Industrial Area, better known as SKIA, will soon have a new name.

Port of Bremerton commissioners will vote next week to rebrand the area as Puget Sound Industrial Center – Bremerton. The Bremerton City Council passed a similar resolution this week.

While PSIC–B doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as nicely as SKIA, port and city officials believe the inclusion of Puget Sound will make the name more recognizable to potential business tenants.

Port CEO Jim Rothlin explained it this way in a background memo for the Aug. 26 meeting:

It is perceived that adding “Puget Sound” increases the ability of clients outside this area to more easily identify with this area, and “Bremerton” pinpoints the exact location of the City which it falls in. The words “Industrial Center” highlights the fact that we are one of only eight Manufacturing/Industrial Centers (MIC) designated by Puget Sound Regional Council.

SKIA, which includes Bremerton National Airport, Olympic View Industrial Park and a mix of port and private property, was designated as a regional Manufacturing/Industrial Center in 2003. Bremerton later annexed much of the land.

The Port of Bremerton commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bremerton National Airport. The full agenda is posted below:

Is it time to rename SKIA?

Tad Sooter

blog.skia

The Port of Bremerton needs to recruit manufacturers to the slow-growing South Kitsap Industrial Area.

But most companies outside the region have never heard of Kitsap County, let alone its southern extremities. Given the county’s lack of name recognition, port Commissioner Axel Strakeljahn believes it’s time to rebrand SKIA.

“Where is South Kitsap and what does that mean to you?” Strakeljahn said at a Tuesday night commission meeting. “It has no meaning outside our local area.”

His solution? Give the 3,500-acre industrial area a name that reflects the broader region. “Puget Sound Industrial Center” was one suggestion.

Strakeljahn said he and port CEO Jim Rothlin have informally discussed a potential name change with a number of area leaders, including representatives from Puget Sound Regional Council and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent. The idea was well received. Continue reading →