City Manager's Report
Bainbridge Islanders,
In my short time as a resident of Bainbridge Island, I have developed a guilty pleasure. One of my new all-time favorite things is to walk along Bainbridge Island’s many trails and look for sweet ripe blackberries, and eat them. These blackberries are so good; they are fruit candy.

So, why is this a guilty pleasure? Well, blackberries are an invasive plant. They are a non-native plant that have been introduced to the region, they grow rapidly, and disrupt the ecosystem. They dominate native plants and threaten their existence along with the viability of fish and other wildlife. They are basically a weed out of control.

The City of Bainbridge Island has been invited to join a coalition of island organizations to manage all types of invasive weeds and provide for the preservation of native plants on lands within the City of Bainbridge Island. This effort is being led by the Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation. City staff is drafting an agreement to present to the City Council for their approval that will indicate our support for a Cooperative Weed Management Program. The City hopes to work collaboratively with other agencies to identify and implement actions that increase the effectiveness and efficiency of each organization’s invasive weed control efforts.

One of the hoped-for outcomes is to improve the viability of native plants. Native plants are the cornerstone of the ecosystem and once they are lost it is difficult and expensive to reintroduce native plants back into their home range. I know from experience.

So, what about the blackberries? Barbara Trafton of the Parks Foundation says to eat them! Keep them from growing! In this spirit of eating them, send us an email with your favorite blackberry recipes, and we’ll share them on our Engage Bainbridge website. Blackberries may have the upper hand for now, but we can collectively work together to manage and reduce all of our invasive weeds to improve our native ecosystem.


Best wishes,

Blair King
City Manager
Council begins discussion on how to use $7 million stimulus funds
The City Council began discussion this week on how to spend $7 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

The ARPA funds are meant to provide direct relief to communities affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and there are restrictions on the use of funds.

Staff presented a list of proposed projects (based on parameters provided by the Council in June) related to water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, transportation, and climate mitigation.

The Council will continue discussion on how to use the stimulus funding on Sept. 28.

Staff will soon provide a shorter project list, based on the Council's feedback this week, for City Advisory Groups and the community to offer input.

Watch the Aug. 24 discussion.
City's annual street maintenance continues next week
The City’s contractor made significant progress this week on the annual road work project. 

Next week, the crews will focus work at the following areas:
  • Pleasant Beach Dr
  • Elizabeth Place
  • Henderson Rd
  • Euclid Ave

During asphalt paving, there will temporarily be no access for up to 8 hours to and from driveways and side roads. Please plan accordingly. We also request vehicles avoid driving or parking on the shoulder of these roads until work is complete at the end of the day. 

The street maintenance work is anticipated to occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Thank you for your patience as we work to make these improvements to ensure our roads are in great working condition for years to come.

Learn more about the project at www.bainbridgewa.gov/270.
COVID-19 Updates
Clinic offering third doses of COVID-19 vaccine for most at risk
There are a still few afternoon appointments available this weekend for high-risk individuals seeking a COVID-19 booster.

The City of Bainbridge Island, in partnership with Bainbridge Prepares, Bainbridge Island Fire Department, and Bainbridge Island Community Pharmacy, is offering third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 28) for individuals who meet the CDC and state definition of immunocompromised. This includes people who have:

  • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

You must have received your second dose of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines more than four weeks ago. Individuals who received the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine are not currently eligible for a booster.

This clinic will be held at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, located at 370 Brien Drive SE. Appointments can be booked online at https://covidbi.timetap.com/#/ 

Future booster clinics will start with the Day of Preparedness event on Sept. 25. Details are coming soon!
Project Updates
Sustainable transportation planning nears completion
The next Sustainable Transportation Task Force meeting will be held Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. At this meeting, we will have preliminary results of the Task Force scoring of projects, programs, and policies. This is a significant step toward prioritization for the final deliverable, a Near-term Action Plan for developing walking, biking, and transit networks on the island.

The Sustainable Transportation Plan was initiated by City Council in 2019 to identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our transportation systems. We’ve heard from hundreds of community members; hosted eight meetings with our community Task Force and an additional eight meetings with our Technical Advisory Team composed of agency partners, including Kitsap Transit, WSF, WSDOT, PSE, Park District, School District, and members of the City’s Planning Department, Planning Commission, and Climate Change Advisory Committee. Our Task Force and community groups have been working very hard over the past 19 months, and we’ve made considerable progress.

Here’s how far we’ve come:
  • Best practices researched
  • Goals and objectives identified
  • Existing transportation systems and policies inventoried and mapped
  • Gaps in transportation network identified
  • Projects, programs, and policies identified to fill gaps in networks
  • Evaluation criteria developed based on goals and objectives
  • Projects and programs scored based on evaluation criteria

Please join us for the Sept. 10 meeting. The Zoom link is available on the project page at www.bainbridgewa.gov/1155.
City Council Updates
Council approves ordinance to limit bonus density options
The City Council passed Ordinance 2021-10 that limits the bonus Floor Area Ratio options available in the Mixed Use Town Center and the High School Road Districts. The new rules:

  • Only allow bonus residential FAR for affordable housing
  • Allow the unused FAR from the lslander mobile home park to be transferred to other parcels in the Mixed Use Town Center
  • Allow a limited additional FAR in the Ferry Terminal District for relocating existing legal surface ferry commuter parking on site

The ordinance also amends the definition of floor area to exclude an historic structure from the calculation of FAR for the site, therefore providing an incentive for the preservation of historic structures by not including its floor area in the maximum amount allowed on site.

The ordinance will sunset after one year while the City works to improve its affordable housing and transfer of development rights program and/or update the Winslow Master Plan.
Council continues mitigation discussion on WSDOT's SR 305 safety improvement project
The City Council this week reviewed responses to questions posed at their July meeting to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) representatives regarding the State Route 305 roundabout project. WSDOT is planning to build two roundabouts on Bainbridge Island along the SR 305 corridor at the Port Madison and Adas Will intersections.

Topics of discussion, which the Council will continue at their Sept. 14 meeting, included further inquiries about the location of a proposed stormwater pond near Rotary Park, and the desire to learn more about the potential costs of fences or walls or additional landscaping that would block noise from adjacent homes.

Additionally, the Council is considering options for transferring or selling City-owned property to WSDOT for the roundabout construction. The subject parcel, which was transferred to the City at no cost several years ago, is adjacent to Rotary Park.

More information can be found on WSDOT's project webpage.

Construction is anticipated to begin this fall.

Watch the Aug. 24 discussion.
Upcoming City Council agenda
The Summary of Actions for the Aug. 24 meeting is available on the Agendas & Minutes page.

The next City Council meeting will be held Sept. 7.

Ways to Watch
  • Zoom

  • City website livestream (visit the Agendas & Minutes page, then click on "In Progress" when the meeting starts)

  • BKAT (Channel 12 on Comcast & Channel 3 on WAVE)


Contact the Council
The public is invited to contact members of the City Council to express concerns, questions and praise. Some council members are holding virtual office hours and others are available to meet upon request. Please visit the City Council page for more information on individual City Council members.
Other Updates
New water and sewer billing payment options coming soon 
The City of Bainbridge Island will soon be launching a new user-friendly, electronic payment system for utility billing. You can use the online account to:

  • Pay your utility bill anytime 24/7 via an easy-to-use online portal 

  • Manage your account

  • Receive email reminders when your bill is ready and a confirmation after making a payment 

  • Make a one-time payment or register to gain access to all features 

  • Choose when to pay – simply schedule a payment for any future date 

  • Set it and forget it with AutoPay (save time and avoid late or missed payments)

  • Use Pay by Text to get text notifications about your bill and have the option to pay through text message with your default payment method 

And the best news of all – this payment option is FREE! There are no added fees for customers to utilize any of these new payment features.

Paper billing will still be an option for those who prefer this method.

A message about the new payment options will be included on future utility bills.
Community explores Manzanita watershed
On Aug. 21, a group of community members were guided by City staff and ecosystem professionals on a tour of the Manzanita watershed.

Along the way, the group learned about how human development has altered the natural process in the watershed and how we, ultimately, affect the quality and quantity of water in Manzanita creek.

Four points of interest were coupled with four experts to highlight different parts of the watershed:

  • Maureen Whalen (City Hydrogeologist) stopped at the Lovgreen gravel mine to discuss the geology of the watershed and why wells are drilled in specific locations

  • Councilmember Christy Carr, who is a professional wetland scientist, brought the group to a large wetland and showed the differences between a cleared and forested wetland

  • Deb Rudnick, Chair of the Bainbridge Island Watershed Council, discussed the life stages of salmon and their food source at the culvert under Peterson Hill road

  • Christian Berg, City Water Resources Technician, described the City’s role in stormwater management while highlighting two of the City’s stormwater ponds.

Participants had many intriguing questions leading to some insightful discussion on ways to improve water quality in the watershed. For more information on this walk, please view an interactive storymap about the project.

The walk was in honor of Randal Samstag, a longtime volunteer and supporter of the City’s Water Resources Program who died in 2019.
Important Updates
Thursday, September 2: Historic Preservation Commission meeting; 2 p.m. on Zoom
Thursday, September 2: Race Equity Advisory Committee meeting; 6 p.m. on Zoom
Thursday, Sept. 2: Special Planning Commission meeting; 6 p.m. on Zoom
Friday, September 10: Sustainable Transportation Task Force meeting; 9:30 a.m. on Zoom
Sunday, Sept. 19: Beach Cleanup; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Stay Connected
Contact Information

280 Madison Avenue North
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Phone: 206-842-7633