During the past week, I have enjoyed meeting and talking with Bainbridge Island residents about the community, the City and issues that affect the community and City. As you likely know, the opinions of Bainbridge Island residents are diverse and cover a broad spectrum. Despite the diversity of opinions, there are reoccurring issues and questions. One of these reoccurring questions that I have received is: “When will City Hall reopen to the public?” 

The answer to that question is plans are currently being drafted to open City Hall in a phased, safe and orderly manner. We are developing procedures and have started the process to notify employees to return to their workstations in the building. As retail businesses, restaurants and houses of worship return to 100% capacity, the City wants to be ready to join them, too. We know that the governor has indicated in general terms that restrictions will be removed or rescinded June 30. If this is the case, we want City Hall to be prepared. We look forward to welcoming the public back into City Hall and serving you in person.

We are very fortunate that a high percentage of the population of the City of Bainbridge Island has been vaccinated. You can learn about the community’s vaccination rates in the presentation that Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage provided to the City Council this week that covered the successful COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts.  

I would like to thank the members of the Historic Preservation Commission - Rick Chandler, Eric Kortum, and Susan Hughes - who gave me a tour of the historic buildings on the Suyematsu Farm. Their passion is apparent. The historic buildings at this site owned by the City give this generation the opportunity to honor past generations that contributed to the diverse heritage of our community and tell their stories to future generations to come.  

Finally, my deepest sympathies are extended to the family of Mr. Bill Glasser; the victim of a single-vehicle accident yesterday on Bainbridge Island.

Please see information below that was shared in a bulletin May 28 by the Bainbridge Island Police Department.

A Bainbridge Island man died following a crash Wednesday in the Meadowmeer neighborhood.

The Bainbridge Island Police Department responded to a report of a single-car accident in the 8700 block of NE Koura Road at 2:17 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was transported from the scene by medical personnel and was later pronounced dead.

According to witnesses, the incident began in the parking lot of the Bainbridge Athletic Club on Meadowmeer Circle where the driver struck several parked vehicles before accelerating to the end of the parking lot. The vehicle continued through a fence and over the embankment before coming to rest on Koura Road.

The initial investigation indicates that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency prior to the collision. No witnesses were injured.

The driver was identified as 73-year-old Bill Glasser of Bainbridge Island. Our thoughts are with Mr. Glasser's family.

Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage presented an update to the City Council this week on vaccine distribution efforts, volunteer support and results of the community-based test site.

The final COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Commodore is scheduled for Saturday, June 5. This clinic will offer second doses to people who were vaccinated May 14 and 15. All appointments for June 5 are full.

The Commodore clinic operations are ending as general vaccine demand has decreased, a large portion of Bainbridge Island has already been vaccinated, and additional providers are offering vaccine in Kitsap County. Those providers include:

Please visit the Washington State Department of Health's COVID-19 vaccine finder page to learn more about how to find an appointment and the types of vaccine being administered.

Since December 2020, the Bainbridge Island COVID-19 Response Team has operated more than 80 clinics through the Senior Community Center, Woodward and Commodore. This has also included mobile clinic efforts and support for Jefferson County clinics at the Chimacum Grange.

Since Jan. 1, more than 436 people have contributed their time and volunteered more than 23,000 hours. Additionally, the team has administered more than 25,000 doses of vaccine.

The City's COVID-19 drive-thru test site at Town Square closed March 31. The five-month operation administered a total of 2,415 tests and identified 21 positive cases. On average, the test site gave 63 tests per day. Travel was the top reason provided for why people sought tests; the second main reason was showing symptoms or having close contact with someone who tested positive. Kitsap County maintains a list of community test providers in the area.

City staff will continue to monitor Governor Inslee's Roadmap to Recovery guidelines, plan for any fall/winter booster clinics, monitor any new vaccine authorizations for younger age groups and support the reopening of City Hall and return to in-person services. We look forward to welcoming you back to City Hall soon! Follow updates at www.bainbridgewa.gov/COVID19.

If you lost your CDC COVID-19 vaccination card, the best way to get a copy of your immunization record is to visit https://wa.myir.net/ or email covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov to obtain proof of vaccination. Do not request a replacement card from the vaccine provider. The federal government did not provide extra CDC cards and vaccine providers are not able to provide a duplicate.

If you are unable to locate your vaccine record through https://wa.myir.net/ or get assistance through the Department of Health, check with your primary care provider. They have access to your immunization record and may be able to help. The state has also released a document with additional information on acceptable proof of vaccination.

Individuals who received one or both COVID-19 vaccinations at the Bainbridge Island vaccine clinics will have one opportunity to get a new CDC card printed for their records at the Commodore clinic Saturday, June 5. Additional details will be shared closer to the clinic date.

The City will award 40 Bainbridge Island small businesses with $5,000 grants each to support the recovery of those businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City partnered with the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) to administer the $200,000 grant program following approval by the City Council. KEDA was selected to serve as grant administrator due to its unique qualifications for the performance of this service.

The grant application period was from March 12 to March 28, 2021. The grants will provide relief for certain necessary expenditures incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The City received 82 grant applications with a total request of $755,850.

All applications were reviewed by KEDA and final recommendations were provided after full review by City Finance staff in cooperation and consultation with KEDA. Checks will go out in June or early July. Staff presented the update to Council during this week's business meeting.

The goats have left for greener pastures, and it’s time to build the next segment of the Sound to Olympics trail that connects the SR 305/High School Road intersection to Sakai Park! The City’s contractor, Liden Land Development and Excavation, is scheduled to begin construction next week (Tuesday, June 1) on the Sakai Pond Connector Trail.

Please use extra caution approaching High School Rd while traveling south on SR 305. Flaggers may need to momentarily stop southbound traffic on the highway to allow trucks to enter and exit the construction site. We appreciate your patience for these brief, intermittent delays.

Engineering Project Manager Mark Epstein this week answered questions about the project during the Senior Community Center's 'Something to Talk About' segment.

This segment of the trail is an important connection between numerous popular destinations, providing multi-modal access from the park, schools, and the pool to the High School Rd commercial areas.

The project should be completed before the end of the summer.

Learn more about the project efforts at bainbridgewa.gov/1293.

The City Council and the Ethics Board participated in a May 26 discussion about a number of proposed improvements to the Ethics Program and to the Ethics Board Operating Rules.

As follow-up, the Council asked City staff to do some additional research and to bring back the proposals as discussed by the Council for Council action at a future meeting.

The Council also formed a joint Council-Ethics Board ad hoc committee made up of Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos, Councilmember Deets, Ethics Board Chair Tyler Weaver, and Ethics Board member Doña Keating, and asked the ad hoc committee to bring back a recommendation to the Council.

City staff will soon install seven 'no parking' signs along Miller Road adjacent to the Grand Forest main parking area to ensure safety for non-motorized users. The plan to restrict roadside parking on Miller Road was approved by the City Council.

Councilmember Christy Carr advocated for the signs due to safety concerns that park users often park along the side of the road when the parking lot is full, blocking the paved bicycle lane that was constructed several years ago.

"Even on nice winter days, there is a significant safety issue for bicyclists and pedestrians created by cars parked in/on the shoulder. Enforcement is not the issue – safety is the issue," wrote Councilmember Christy Carr in a May 5 email to staff.

In 2018, the City widened both shoulders of Miller Road from Tolo Road to Peterson Hill Road and Fletcher Bay Road from High School Road to New Brooklyn Road to make the roads safer for people walking and biking.

The parking plan will create two formal parking areas for approximately two to three vehicles on each side of the Grand Forest parking lot entrance. Drivers who wish to park there will need to pull their vehicles completely off the paved shoulder to be in compliance with City regulations. The remaining areas adjacent to the parking lot entrance will be signed as “no parking.”

The new signs will be posted by July 5.

The City will also add bicycle lane symbols on both sides of the road during the annual restriping project.

The summary and video of the May 25 City Council business meeting can be viewed at bainbridgewa.gov/1101.

The June 1 study session will include the following items:

If you would like to receive the City Council agenda by email when it's published, sign up on the Council Agendas webpage.

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.

The Environmental Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC) completed a groundwater fact sheet for Bainbridge Island.

ETAC consists of community volunteers with expertise in wildlife management, fisheries management, geology, wetlands management, hydrology, forestry and aquatic or terrestrial ecology, and provides technical recommendations on habitat management plans and environmental management standards for the Shoreline Master Program and critical areas.

ETAC developed the fact sheet during the past two years to educate Bainbridge Islanders about the sole source aquifer, and as a starting point for the development of a Groundwater Management Plan for Bainbridge Island, which will be developed over the next two to three years.

The fact sheet was reviewed by the United States Geological Survey, Kitsap Public Utility District and City staff, and was presented to the City Council at the April 27 business meeting.

The fact sheet can be viewed at www.bainbridgewa.gov/230 (see under “White Papers”).

The City is seeking to fill three key roles in our Public Works Operations & Maintenance team.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/bainbridgewa

The American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172 will host a Memorial Day ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 31 to honor those who have died in service to the United States. The event will be held outdoors. The Post is located at 7880 Bucklin Hill Road. All are welcome.

The City Council this week approved a proclamation honoring Memorial Day and added it to annual proclamations that may be signed by the mayor without further Council action.

"Our biggest thing is supporting our veterans," American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172 Commander Gary Sakuma said during the proclamation presentation Tuesday night. "We appreciate the support of City government."

Please be advised that City offices are closed Monday, May 31 in honor of Memorial Day.

Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve!

Customers taking a ferry as part of their Memorial Day travel plans should be prepared for a busy holiday weekend. Along with the increased traffic, most routes will be operating on different schedules than years past due to service reductions related to the pandemic and crewing and vessel shortages.

Passengers are highly encouraged to check sailing schedules and give themselves plenty of extra time to get to their destination as there will likely be long waits if driving aboard.

Customers can use several tools in advance to help their trip go as smoothly as possible. They can check terminal conditions before leaving home as well as follow WSF’s Twitter account for automatic updates on travel conditions. People using state highways to get to the ferry terminal should also plan ahead for potential backups and delays with real-time traffic information on the WSDOT traffic app for their mobile device.

Travelers are also reminded that face coverings are required on all vessels and in terminals as part of TSA’s face mask requirement. People traveling by vehicle are strongly encouraged to remain in their vehicle for the duration of their trip. However, please remember to put on a face covering upon exiting the vehicle. WSF will also continue enforcing reduced occupancy limits in terminals and sailings for walk-on passengers to maintain physical distance standards.

The safety of our customers and crew is WSF’s top priority. Please remember that all traveling customers are required to wear face coverings inside the terminal, at the tollbooth and aboard the ferry. Please also consider limiting your travel to only the most essential trips while service continues to be constrained by the pandemic. For additional travel information regarding COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 Travel Updates webpage.

You can view all travel alerts at the WSF Travel Bulletins page.

As summer activities approach, please be aware that consumer fireworks are not allowed on Bainbridge Island. The City Council in 2019 approved a ban on the sale, possession and use of consumer fireworks (e.g., Roman candles, mine and shell devices, aerial shell kits and cone fountains) following concerns related to wildfire risk, noise, safety and environmental impacts.

Chapter 8.28 of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code prohibits the possession, use or discharge of consumer fireworks within the city. Violations may be subject to fines and seizure of fireworks that are prohibited by this chapter. Subsequent violations are a misdemeanor offense.

The ban does not include any changes for display fireworks or special effects (both require a permit), and trick or novelty devices (toy caps, toy smoke devices, party poppers, snappers, snakes, glow worms).

If you have any questions related to fireworks restrictions, please contact the Bainbridge Island Police Department at 206-842-5211.

The City, Bainbridge Island Fire Department and Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District are partnering to share this message, and we appreciate your cooperation to keep everyone in our community safe.