Believe it or not, I am looking forward to my first winter snow on Bainbridge Island. I have seen pictures, and things look beautiful covered in the layer of white. Now, whether I will be as eager when the snow actually arrives is something to be seen. 

City staff is now busy preparing for snow. Sand and salt brine have been ordered and the crews are ready to keep the main transportation arterials open.  On average, the City of Bainbridge Island spends $100,000 per year responding specifically to snow and ice work. This is in addition to our general efforts to respond in the storm season. Kristen Drew, who helps produce this weekly update, has produced a video to inform the community about the city’s response to snow.  It features Public Works Supervisor Dave Marquis and Maintenance Tech III Mike Bidlencik. It explains which local streets have priority, the protocol for clearing a street, and what the community can do to ensure the work of our personnel can succeed. The video may be accessed in the Weekly Update. It is very informative. Please watch it.

When the city responds to snow events our Public Works personnel operate 24 hours throughout the day and night. This means that they are away from their families working in harsh conditions. In the mountainous region I grew up in, the road crew were local heroes during snow events.  I expect that our Public Works Department personnel are our local heroes here too. 

During a major storm, the Operations and Maintenance team provides 24-hour coverage, using 12- hour shifts (the day shift works noon to midnight and the night shift works midnight to noon).

If snow is coming, crews pre-treat streets with anti-icer to prevent ice from forming. When snow begins to fall, crews plow their routes and treat the roads with salt. Their goal is to keep the roads reasonably clear of snow and ice.

The City has a Snow and Ice Control Plan that includes priority 1 (primary) and priority 2 (secondary) streets for response. City‐maintained roads are designated primary and secondary based on the volume of traffic, speed limits, and classification of the road. Crews focus first on priority 1 streets then move to priority 2. If there’s constant snow, then crews continue to operate in the priority 1 routes until they are clear before they move to priority 2 streets. Crews work on neighborhood roads after primary and secondary roads are cleared.

Learn more about the City's winter weather preparations in the video below.

You can also learn about emergency preparedness during the winter season at bainbridgewa.gov/inclementweather.

During severe weather, the City uses Nixle, a free text and email notification system, to provide updates on road closures, downed power lines or other emergent issues.

Nixle is the City’s official emergency notification and alert system. Nixle is also used to inform the public when a person is missing and public health threats.

Sign up for Nixle by texting 98110 to 888777 or at nixle.com.

Learn more about Nixle at bainbridgewa.gov/nixle.

Appointments are full for the final COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic of 2021 that will be held this Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Commodore Options School lower gym.

Everyone 18 and older is eligible for a booster as long as it has been six months from your second dose of Moderna or Pfizer (June 11) or two months from the single dose of Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) (October 11).

Please continue to check the TimeTap page [https://covidbi.timetap.com/#/] in case any appointments become available.

Please check https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ to find COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

Below are some of the topics for the Dec. 14 City Council business meeting:

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.

We're now accepting applications to fill two vacancies on the Planning Commission. The Chair and Vice-Chair have resigned effective Jan. 1, 2022 to pursue other opportunities.

The Planning Commission serves as an advisory body to the City Council. Its role is to provide recommendations to the City Council, Planning Director and Hearing Examiner, and to consider legislative and quasi-judicial matters, with its primary responsibility to prepare, review and update the Comprehensive Plan.

The Planning Commission meets 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of the month.

The Council on Dec. 14 will discuss the process for the Planning Commission appointments.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Dec. 30. Interviews will be held in January.

Learn more about the Planning Commission's responsibilities and apply at bainbridgewa.gov/239.

On Saturday, Dec. 4, 10 members of the Bainbridge Island Police Department volunteered with more than 100 officers from 11 agencies to participate in the annual Kitsap Shop with a Cop event at the Poulsbo Walmart.

Kitsap Shop with a Cop is a nonprofit organization formed by a group of volunteers from local law enforcement agencies. The organization raises money throughout the year to help provide a little extra during the holiday season for kids in need. Each child is paired with a “Cop” who helps the child with shopping. This year there were about 165 kids from the peninsula, including kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Bainbridge Island.

Volunteers from the community, members of the military, and family members of the officers all participated in the event to ensure the kids had a great time. There was even an appearance by Santa Claus himself!

Although everyone was wearing masks, we’re sure there were plenty of smiles to go around!