A concerned Bainbridge Islander noted that the trash receptacles downtown were overflowing. Pictures showed garbage piled up looking like a mess. It was embarrassing.

How to deal with street refuse and garbage along Winslow Way, particularly when there are many visitors, is a concern.

The City of Bainbridge Island’s preferred trash receptacles are Bigbelly solar-powered trash receptacles. There are nine Bigbelly receptacles and two more are on order. Most residents have likely seen the Bigbellys. They have a solar panel that powers a trash compactor feature that compresses the trash in the container, which accommodates more trash than the average trash can. They often have a companion receptacle that accommodates recyclables. Some people do not like to touch the handle that opens the garbage bin. Newer receptacles have a foot feature that makes them hands free. Also, three of the receptacles and the two that are on order have the ability to remotely inform operators they are full and need emptying.

On Saturday and Sunday, City employees pick up the trash three times a day. On the weekdays, Bainbridge Disposal services the Bigbelly receptacles and three other regular trash receptacles. City crews service other regular trash receptacles throughout the week along with cleaning restrooms, checking the playground, and making sure there are Mutt Mitts in the dispenser for dog owners.

Public Works is looking at options to add more trash receptacles. We are also looking for ways to work with Winslow-area businesses to reduce the volume of trash entering the trash receptacles. This could include looking at adding more trash receptacles at the businesses themselves and/or looking at ways to reduce the amount of packaging and throw away materials.

We want a cleaner Bainbridge Island, and we are working on solutions.

The City Council will resume in-person meetings during next week's Aug. 10 business meeting. This is the first in-person Council meeting since March 24, 2020.

This meeting will be held in the Council Chambers. The public is welcome to attend in person, or may also join the meeting remotely through the Zoom link provided on the agenda packet.

Public comment may be shared in person or by Zoom.

At this time, all City Advisory Group meetings will continue to be held on Zoom.

The City of Bainbridge Island Building Department is now offering a new building permit type for residential alterations to allow architects, contractors, homeowners, and other building professionals a more efficient way to apply for this kind of work.

This permit is called “Residential Alteration Subject to Field Inspection” (R-ALT STFI). If you have a residential alteration or remodel project that is only on the interior of a home and does not involve going outside the existing footprint or raising roof lines, then this might be the permit for you.

Examples of work that would be covered under the R-ALT STFI permit type include:

These permits do not require an appointment for submittal, and do not have as many plan requirements due to the simplicity of the work. The City eliminated some reviews and submittal requirements that were slowing the permitting process.

The process is designed to have a permit issued within 5 days of submittal. Previous permits for this type of work would average 11 weeks from point of submittal to issuance.

The cost for the permit has not changed; the City’s permitting fee structure is based on project valuation, so there won’t be any increase in fees for this permit type.

Learn more about the new permit on the Planning & Community Development page at www.bainbridgewa.gov/154.

Drivers along Eagle Harbor Drive, from McDonald Avenue to the shoreline segment, should expect to see construction activity as work on the Eagle Harbor Drive Phase 2 Non-motorized Improvements Project has resumed.

Staff paused work last month to redesign the bike lanes. The new design will include physical separation of the bike lanes on both sides of Eagle Harbor Drive along most of the segment. The revised design includes a wide northbound separation at the curve near McDonald Avenue with features to provide a safe and comfortable facility for users of all ages.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 10 and will be in person in the Council Chambers. Some of the topics will include:

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 City is seeking volunteers to serve on short-term positions on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) to advise and recommend to the City Council how lodging taxes should be allocated in 2022 to increase tourism on Bainbridge Island.

Applicants must represent businesses that generate and collect lodging taxes and cannot currently serve as active board members or paid staff of organizations that will apply for lodging tax funding.

The committee reviews and comments on proposals for awards from the City's Lodging Tax Fund (Civic Improvement Fund).

LTAC members meet September to November to review project proposals. The award process typically involves member participation in 1-2 orientation meetings in September and then 2-3 meetings in October and November to receive and review proposals.

Learn more and apply on the LTAC page at www.bainbridgewa.gov/236.

Below is the status of upcoming Hearing Examiner dates.

The Hearing Examiner conducts public hearings involving a variety of complex land use matters, including appeals of land use decisions and decisions on some types of land use applications. The purpose of the hearing is to review a proposed project for consistency with the Municipal Code, appropriate elements of the Comprehensive Plan, and all other applicable law, and to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the project and its compliance.

Evening and overnight travelers who use the State Route 305 Agate Pass Bridge are encouraged to plan additional travel time before upcoming roadwork.

Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to repair the roadway at the bridge.

What to expect

Unlike annual Agate Pass Bridge cleaning and maintenance which requires daylight, this type of work can be completed during the night when traffic volumes are lower.

If you regularly travel across this span, consider signing up for Agate Pass Bridge email updates.

Join Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage and Bainbridge Island Fire Department Deputy Chief Jared Moravec for a virtual workshop next week to learn about the island's wildfire response plan, and preparedness & mitigation measures for our community.

The workshop will be held on Zoom Thursday, Aug. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

This class is open to all community members. Register online.

City staff will lead a guided walk on a 2-mile route through the hills and valleys of Manzanita watershed on Saturday, August 21 at 10 a.m. in support of the Watershed Assessment of Manzanita, a project to design and implement stormwater improvements.

This walk will showcase some of the recent successes while highlighting future challenges facing the aquatic habitat of Manzanita Creek.

We will visit an inactive gravel mine, wetlands, fish passable culverts and stormwater ponds along the way.

Participants will learn about recent legislation regarding streamflow restoration and how the City is using Federal grant money to fund projects that address a disrupted hydrologic cycle.

The walk is mainly on quiet roads and trails but also crosses a busy road and should last about 2 hours. Participants should dress appropriately and will be asked to fill out a waiver prior to participating.

Due to social distancing needs and challenging road crossings, the tour will be capped at 10 participants.

Please email Water Resources Technician Christian Berg at cberg@bainbridgewa.gov to learn more about the event and RSVP.

Learn more on the project website at www.bainbridgewa.gov/WAM.

PSE recently held a feedback period on the potential route options that would connect Murden Cove and Winslow substations and received 106 total feedback submissions commenting on the potential route options as well as the routing criteria. The project team is now analyzing the submitted feedback and working towards identifying a preferred route, expected to be shared with the Bainbridge Island community in fall 2021.

During the feedback period, PSE heard interest from the community on undergrounding transmission lines, and we’d like to invite the Council, City staff and the Island-wide community to an online community information session on August 16 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Topics discussed at the information session will include an overview on underground transmission lines and a discussion of their trade-offs. Attendees will be able to submit questions to a panel that includes an independent underground transmission line expert and representatives from PSE. I’m also attaching our underground transmission line fact sheet to provide additional background on the topic.

If you are interested in joining the information session, you can RSVP via psebainbridge.participate.online. We recommend you add the event to your calendar through Zoom’s confirmation email since each participant will be given a unique link to access the meeting.