As June comes to a close, I sincerely wish for rain; a good hard rain that would clean the streets, dampen the dust and wash the dirt from foliage of the trees. With the heat come quick tempers: The City of Poulsbo is seeing many complaints about things left undone, should be done and the need for quick action to solve problems. Rest assured we are aware of weeds that need to be pulled, cross walks that need to be restriped, troublesome trees and sidewalks that need to be fixed. Public Works crews are working hard to keep Poulsbo clean and well maintained. I know it is hard to be patient in hot weather, but be assured the City is trying to address everyone's concerns.

Welcome Weed Warriors! If you would like to volunteer to weed some of the city right of ways or gardens, call me at 360-779-3901. Leave your name and number. We need Weed Warriors! And stay tuned for the Pot Hole Posse that we will be forming in the fall.

This coming weekend is the 4^th of July. Please do not use personal fireworks this year. Our weather has been too dry for too long. Think about your neighbor's property and the wellbeing of your own home and the possible risks the fireworks pose in such a dry season Instead come to Poulsbo's 3^rd of July celebration which starts at noon, music begins at 3:30 and the fireworks over Liberty Bay start at 10:15. Thank you to Viking Fest Corporation and all the sponsors that make this event possible.

Several new businesses opened in Poulsbo during the month of June. Welcome to Mora Ice Cream's production facility on Viking Way, Dickey's Barbeque in College Market Place and Fairview Mortgage Company on 8^th Avenue. The new Sonic restaurant continues to move forward quickly at the corner of Viking Way and Highway 305. Montclair, the assisted living center on Lincoln Road has new ownership; Brookdale Montclair with a ribbon cutting for the new owners on June 26^th. The following photo shows the centenarians all seated with my friend Dan who is turned 102 in May.

Brookdale Montclair with the Centenarians

The City of Poulsbo finalized its contingency sale of the Old Police Station located at Hostmark and Front Street to a development group who will build apartments. Progress continues on the construction of a mixed use structure including apartments over retail space at the Old City Hall location. Land use activity is occurring all over Poulsbo. Olympic Crest subdivision (on Pugh Road) held an open house on June 18^th, Vinland Point (on Finn Hill Road) only has a few lots available, and Caldart Heights (on Caldart) is almost complete. I met Yoshi, the gardener, for Central Highland Builders in Chateau Ridge (on Caldart at Forest Rock Lane) finishing up the new r neighborhood park. Thank you Yoshi for spending your hot Saturday making sure the new plantings were watered. Mountain Aire (Noll Road) and Summerset (Viking Way) are both moving quickly with new sidewalks in. Summerset has begun to construct their first homes.

Olympic Crest, Vinland Pointe under construction, Vinland Pointe open space

Hard work continues with transportation in the region, including a regional transit summit that occurred on June 11^th. Locally, the #44 Poulsbo Loop bus route continues to increase its ridership and we have new double decker buses being used on the #90 route between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island. The new park and ride lot on Viking Way is moving forward very quickly. I am hopeful the State Senate transportation package will move forward with $33 million for Highway 305 improvements, through the hard work of Senator Christine Rolfes.

I continue to work on public outreach with my Saturday office hours, 9:00 until noon. In June I attended three important meetings: the neighbors of Rude Road on June 1, the business owners of Viking Avenue on June 8^th andthe home owners association from Forest Rock Hills on June 11^th. These meetings were valuable to me so I can understand the concerns of citizens in Poulsbo. If you would like me to attend a meeting or event, please contact me so I can get it on my schedule.

Exciting grant news! Fishline has received a $625,000 grant from the State of Washington through the hard work of our legislative delegation: Senator Rolfes, Representatives Appleton and Hansen. We waited 2 years for this news and are deeply grateful to all those involved who made this grant possible. Fishline has now been at their Viking Avenue location for 1 year. They celebrated their anniversary with a party on June 20^th. The Kitsap County Commissioners approved our grant for a Behavioral Health Specialist who will work with our prosecutor, steering non-violent offenders to mental health treatment rather than jail. The grant will pay $73,000 to hire Kitsap Mental Health to place a specialist in the Poulsbo Municipal Court.

Representative Sherry Appleton and Executive Director Mary Nader, Fishline Anniversary Party

Finally, on Saturday July 11 is Petswalk! The Kitsap Humane Society organizes this event annually which will start at Lions Park at 9:00. You can register online at http://www.kitsap-humane.org or on the morning of the event starting at 7:15 AM. If you have never attended this event, I recommend you stop by. It is really fun to watch everyone walking their dogs or cats in strollers, all for a very good cause. Thanks to the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association for being so supportive of this event. I am trying to get my pooch named Murphy the Destroyer, small but mighty, trained for the event. Wish me luck!

Poulsbo's 3rd of July Fireworks will be held on Friday, July 3rd in Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park & Anderson Parkway. For more information and a schedule of events go to:

http://www.vikingfest.org/#/3rd-of-july/.

For a map of the road closures and shuttle information, click here.

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Fireworks Safety 

Fireworks are permitted in Poulsbo from:

June 28 - Noon to 11:00 pm

June 29 to July 5 - 9:00 am to 11:00 pm

July 5 - 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

With that said, this might be a great year to limit the fireworks at your personal residence and instead choose the public displays that will be available on July 3 in Poulsbo or many others on July 4^th. 

If you choose to discharge fireworks, make sure you have a good plan.  Have fire extinguishers, buckets of water, and/or garden hoses available. 

Most importantly, be considerate of your neighbors.  We have returning military personnel in our communities, dogs and cats, and others that may not really appreciate some of those fireworks.  So talk to your neighbors.  Share your plans with them so they can be prepared as well.

For more information on fireworks safety, click here. 

Have a happy and safe 4th of July holiday! 

Classes are filling quickly!!  Call Parks and Rec and reserve your opportunity for experience sailing this summer!

Summer is the perfect time to get on the water and experience small boat sailing!  Our program offers evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursday, 5:30-8:30 and Saturday sessions 9am till noon.  6 sessions spread over 2 weeks, operating out of FJ's or similar centerboard dingies.  We have great instructors, excellent equipment, and we are looking for you at the Port of Poulsbo!  Register online for either or both of the following classes:

Session 1:  July 14-25, $199

Session 2:  July 28-Aug 8, $199

Any questions, please email [email protected] or call (360) 394-9776. 

For information on the City's low income utility discounts for seniors and disabled citizens, please visit the Utility Billing page and view the brochure and application form posted in PDF at the bottom of the page. Click Here (and link to - http://www.cityofpoulsbo.com/finance/finance_utility.htm) Information also available for pickup at City Hall on the 3^rd Floor or call (360) 779-3901 to request a mailed copy.

Phase 1 of the newest public trail connection is complete, with phase 2 construction underway.  Sealevel Bulkhead Builders of Kingston completed about 240' of trail from under the Lindvig Bridge at Fish Park, running south above the shoreline to the Nelson Park boundary. This public trail is the first piece to connecting the two parks in West Poulsbo.  The Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary Club is continuing the project by building additional trail and stairs to fully connect Nelson Park and Fish Park.  Thank you to the hard working volunteers with the Poulsbo-NK Rotary Club for their ongoing community efforts, and for making Poulsbo more pedestrian friendly.