It is a common belief that urban runoff, or “storm drain pollution,” is one of the leading causes, if not the leading cause, of water pollution in the country today. Urban runoff contaminants come from grease and oil on road surfaces, chemicals from the urban environment, pet waste, construction debris, and other sources. As a community surrounded by water, obviously we care about clean water.
The basic framework to control water pollution from urban runoff comes from the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972, which created the tongue twisting National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, referred to as the NPDES program. The Clean Water Act delegates much of the implementation of the NPDES program to states. The Department of Ecology is responsible for implementing the NPDES program in the state of Washington, which it further delegates to local governments via a permit program. The City of Bainbridge Island has a stormwater discharge permit and has a variety of responsibilities under that permit. One of our responsibilities is to ensure that development adheres to Best Management Practices. These Best Management Practices are described in a document produced by the state of Washington titled, “the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington.”
This leads us to June 14, when the City Council will hold a public hearing before it adopts the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. The 2019 manual will replace and update the previous direction provided in the 2014 manual. This document will establish new standards for the City of Bainbridge Island to adhere to in exercising the responsibilities of our stormwater discharge permit. These new standards will have consequences, particularly for development projects. The standards are intended to address three key areas of stormwater management - the amount of urban runoff or flow, the velocity of the flow, and the amount of turbidity of the flow. The new standards will improve stormwater quality but will also mean extra work and additional cost.
In the future, someone will wonder where these requirements came from. They will not have heard of the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. Hopefully, as we exercise our responsibilities under the NPDES program, we will be able to help the public understand the relationship between a complicated regulatory structure and the goal of clean water.
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Best,
Blair King
City Manager
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Celebrating the 80th-year Anniversary of the American Legion, Colin Hyde Post 172 |
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Earlier this week, the city council recognized the 80th Anniversary of the American Legion, Colin Hyde Post 172, which is scheduled to conduct a ceremony with Scout Troops 1564 and 1804 along with guests on Memorial Day.
The American Legion is the largest national veterans’ organization, established by an act of Congress, and dedicated to Veterans’ Affairs and Rehabilitation, Americanism, National Security, and Children and Youth.
The American Legion, Colin Hyde Post 172 was chartered on Bainbridge Island on April 3, 1942, and is named in honor of Private Colin Hyde who died during World War I in the European Combat Theater. The land where the post is located was donated by the Frank and Annie Hyde family to honor their son, Colin.
The Legion building was a Navy World War II barracks built in 1942 at Fort Ward north of Rich Passage, then was moved by the Navy to its present location, next to Fire Station 22.
Post 172 has a history of public service, some examples include:
Purchasing the first ambulance for Bainbridge Island; veterans helped build the Bainbridge High School football stadium and aircraft observation posts, which were used to spot aircraft flying over the Island during the World War II; and they created high school scholarships for graduating seniors, among other such contributions to veterans and the local community.
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Raise Awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Month |
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The city council also proclaimed May of 2022 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Month.
City of Bainbridge Island joins a growing chorus of local, state, tribal, and national governments in raising awareness for Indigenous women and girls who go missing or are murdered at disproportionately high rates in the Unites States.
According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, homicide is the third leading cause of death among Indigenous women, and they also face rates of violence up to 10 times higher than the national average.
The city urges islanders to wear red on May 5 every year to show solidarity, support, and to continue to raise awareness in order to address systemic obstacles that contribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
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Stay in motion, even beyond Bike Everywhere Month! |
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The city council proclaimed May 2022 Bike Everywhere Month. Biking is an economical, healthy, and environmentally sound form of transportation and a great way to access local destinations, workplaces, and other businesses while reducing pollution and congestion.
The 2020 Climate Action Plan sets a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2025, 60 percent by 2030, and 90 percent by 2045, compared to a 2014 baseline.
On-road vehicle trips are responsible for approximately 12 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions on the island. To combat this, the City has made important investments in sustainable transportation over the years, from building out the Core 40 network of bike routes to constructing the first phase of the Sound to Olympics Trail, and the City Council adopted the Sustainable Transportation Plan in March of 2022, with the goal of enhancing safety and accessibility for all users and providing bike facilities for people of all ages and abilities.
Local and statewide organizations, such as the Cascade Bicycle Club, Squeaky Wheels and Sustainable Bainbridge, provide resources to support bicycling by Bainbridge Island residents.
While May was Bike Everywhere Month, you can take steps to drive less all year long! Check out this short video for easy actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint when getting around town as part of our Climate Smart Challenge.
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Roads Construction Contract Award |
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During their May 24 Regular Business Meeting, the City Council authorized a contract award for the 2022 Annual Roads Program construction project to the apparent low bidder, Granite Construction Company, in the amount of $477,000.
The 2022 Annual Roads Program consists of Island-wide asphalt repairs, full depth patches and patching, including pulverizing existing road surface, grading, and paving for the roads around the Island.
The repair locations were prioritized using a pavement preservation analysis, as well as visual field inspections, to ensure a positive cost-benefit ratio as well as maintenance of the City’s overall pavement management score, which is a metric that rates pavement condition on a scale of 1-100.
The City aims to maintain an average score of no less than 70. The City’s current score is 68.
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To view the project webpage, visit www.bainbridgewa.gov/270 |
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Police and Municipal Court Facility Groundbreaking Ceremony |
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The community is invited to join us at noon on June 3rd for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Police-Court facility located at
8804 Madison Ave NE. Light refreshments will be provided.
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See something, say something! |
During this busy holiday weekend, please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police department, who continue to respond to catalytic converter thefts.
Preventing theft and other crimes takes the eyes and ears of the entire community. If you see unusual or suspicious activity, make note of descriptions or license plates, and notify 911. If you have additional questions, or any information about the recent thefts, contact BIPD at 206-842-5211.
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The next scheduled City Council Regular Business Meeting will be on June 14. Key topics include:
- Proclaim Juneteenth City Holiday
- Proclaim June LGTBQ Awareness Month
Ways to Watch
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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
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.
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City to hold Public Hearing for Adoption of the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual of Western Washington on June 14, 2022 |
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The City of Bainbridge Island is preparing to adopt the Washington State Department of Ecology 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW) to continue to support the City’s Comprehensive Plan policies and goals, uphold the Clean Water Act and meet State and Federal requirements for controlling runoff from new development, redevelopment, and construction sites to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff. The anticipated effective date to adopt the 2019 SWMMWW in BIMC 15.20 is July 1, 2022.
The 2019 SWMMWW builds on the guidance of the previous manual regarding Low Impact Development (LID) as a preferred approach to stormwater mitigation and adds more Source Control Best Management Practices (BMPs) for preventing sources of pollutants in runoff. Additionally, the 2019 SWMMWW incorporates text revisions and consolidates sections to avoid confusion or conflicting information. Most jurisdictions in Western Washington are adopting this manual so there is consistency throughout the region.
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Meet and Greet Patricia Charnas, new Planning & Community Development Director
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The City is pleased to welcome its new director of the Planning and Community Development Department, Patricia Charnas. She started at the city on May 16.
You are invited to meet the new director at an informal meet and greet on Tuesday, May 31 at City Hall from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
A resident of Kitsap County since 2004, Ms. Charnas brings extensive experience in many aspects of planning, including being responsible for updates to Comprehensive Plans, Shoreline Management Plans and Critical Areas Ordinances.
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The City of Bainbridge Island has a newly created Housing Specialist position open for immediate hire. The role of the Housing Specialist is to assist the City in its efforts to broaden the affordable housing options on Bainbridge Island. The ideal candidate has a background in housing services, affordable housing policy, project development, and management, with a passion for local government, housing policy and proven track record for effective service delivery.
The Housing Specialist is responsible for managing all aspects of the affordable housing development process for new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation projects, ensuring financial cost efficiency and operational viability in development.
This individual will pivot quickly as needed and offer a range of approaches to develop affordable housing. The ability to collaborate with a variety of partners is key for success, as is the ability to identify and cultivate projects of interest on an ongoing basis through engagement with the community, staff and stakeholders.
This position is open until filled. The cutoff for first review of applications is 8:00am, June 2, 2022.
For more information and to apply, or to view all City employment opportunities, please visit our career page.
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The City of Bainbridge Island has added Juneteenth to the list of approved federal holidays. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. Juneteenth falls on Sunday, June 19 this year, so City Hall will be closed Monday June 20. We will use this time to remember the past and to acknowledge all are free and all are equal. More information about activities related to Juneteenth will be shared as the holiday approaches.
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Learn more about how to support the Climate Action Plan |
Looking for more information about climate action programs and resources on Bainbridge Island?
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Monday, May 30 City Hall closed in observance of Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 31, 5 -7 p.m.
Meet and Greet new Planning & Community Development Director
Thursday, June 2, 2 -4 p.m.
Thursday, June 2, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Monday, June 6, 2 - 5 p.m.
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June 7, 9 a.m.
June 13-15 Cascadia Rising Emergency Response Exercise
June 14 City scheduled to hold Public Hearing for Adoption of the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual of Western Washington
Monday, June 20 City offices closed in observance of Juneteenth
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