As the City Manager, I am responsible for managing and supervising the workforce for the City of Bainbridge Island. Our workforce consists of about 132 full-time equivalent positions. About ten of those positions are vacant at any one time. We recruit, test, interview, and hire personnel on a regular basis. As I look at our workforce, I want our workforce to be reflective of our community and the region; and to make the work environment welcoming for employees of all races, genders, age, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or disability.

I recently looked at the racial and ethnic composition of our workforce and compared it to the composition of Bainbridge Island as a whole. According to the Census Bureau, in 2020, 85.2% of the population of Bainbridge Island was white and the remainder of the 14.8% of our residents were nonwhite. The nonwhite population includes Hispanic or Latino, Two or More Races, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and other.

The City of Bainbridge Island’s workforce is 86% white, and the nonwhite percentage of our workforce is 14%. The pie chart of our workforce is below. The breakdown between men and women in the workforce is 63% male and 37% female. The gender breakdown of management employees is nearly 50-50: 54% of management employees are male and 46% are female.

The goal is to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our workforce. We want to expand our recruitment to attract qualified candidates with a diverse ethnic and social composition. There are many employers with the same goal, so we need to stand out in the marketplace. If you have suggestions on how we can reach exceptional candidates, please feel free to drop me a note.

The annual Day of Preparedness event will be held tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 25) and will focus entirely on providing immunizations to the community.

There are influenza and limited COVID-19 vaccination appointments available for the clinic that will be held at the Commodore Options School gym, located at 9530 High School Road.

Please be aware that boosters are not authorized for anyone other than immunocompromised individuals.

Details are available on the clinic registration page.

The Sakai Connector Trail is beginning to take shape! Over the past two weeks, the construction contractor has staked the trail alignment, completed the rough grading, and installed most of the drainage system. Crews are now putting the finishing touches on the subgrade in preparation for the trail surfacing.

When completed (by Halloween), this segment of the Sound to Olympics trail will provide a convenient connection from the High School Road District at State Route 305 through the existing trails in Sakai Park, up to Madison Avenue near Ordway School, Commodore Options School, and the Bainbridge Aquatics Center.

City staff updated the City Council this week on progress related to the Neighborhood Traffic-calming Program.

Staff presented results from the traffic-calming call for projects that was conducted in the summer. An overview of the results include:

Staff also presented an overview of the process for evaluating traffic-calming projects through the remainder of the year and early 2022.

Staff is using a traffic-calming handbook, consisting of guidelines on traffic volumes, intersection control, ADA mobility and more, to select consistent and appropriate treatments for different locations around the island.

In addition, staff presented the concept designs for four priority traffic-calming locations identified by the Council: Grow Avenue; Finch/Sportsman Club intersection; Point White Drive at Schel Chelb; and Miller Road at the Grand Forest entrance. See pages 12-15 of the Sept. 21 presentation to Council.

The Council will discuss the topic again in December. At that time, staff will present a ranked, prioritized list of traffic-calming locations and alternatives for evaluating and revising speed limits around the island. A copy of the project location evaluation matrix is posted for public review on the City’s project page.

Final project selection and funding will be determined in early 2022. The City has approximately $425,000 available through the Transportation Benefits District Fund to spend on traffic calming in 2021-22.

Likely to collapse during an earthquake. Inadequate privacy for victims and the public. Not compliant with ADA accessibility requirements.

Those are some deficiencies at the current Police and Municipal Court buildings that are highlighted in a video explaining why the City plans to build a new facility for these important public services.

During the Sept. 21 City Council study session, City Manager Blair King restarted the process for a new Police and Municipal Court building with a presentation of the video.

The Sept. 21 Council agenda item was for presentation only.

City staff will return to a future Council meeting to ask the Council to deliberate the potential locations for the Police-Court building on three City-owned sites: the existing Police Station on Winslow Way; the Suzuki property at the intersection of Sportsman Club Rd and New Brooklyn Rd; and 8804 Madison Avenue N.

Learn more on the project page at www.bainbridgewa.gov/policecourt.

The City Council this week began review of proposed fee changes for building, planning and engineering permits. The fees have not been increased since 2006, and the City Council in 2019 directed staff to amend the fees to account for 100% cost recovery.

In 2020, the Planning & Community Development Department initiated a cost-of-service study.

Currently, planning, building and engineering only recover 59% of costs through fees, and the remaining difference comes from the General Fund. For example, total revenues for planning, building and engineering was $1,239,031 in 2019 and the total cost of service was $2,098,163.

The Council this week requested that PCD staff research adjusting the proposed fees to account for affordable and sustainable projects, as well as the potential for staggering the adjustment of the fees.

Staff plans to return to the Council in October with more information on the Council requests.

Watch the Sept. 21 discussion.

The City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 28 will consider revisions of a draft letter to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) regarding a response to PSE’s proposed electric reliability project on Bainbridge Island.

PSE is proposing to build a new electric transmission line between the Winslow and Murden Cove substations to create a transmission loop. This means each substation would be connected to two transmission lines; if one line goes out, the other line can still feed the substation and provide power to customers. The “missing link” new transmission line is part of PSE’s plan to improve electric service reliability and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages for customers on Bainbridge Island. Two-thirds of the island is served by two substations that don’t have backup transmission.

Read the draft response letter to PSE on our Engage Bainbridge page.

The City Council on Sept. 28 will continue discussion on how to spend $7 million of federal assistance provided through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Council is expected to continue narrowing the list of projects to receive funding, then will direct the City Manager to begin execution of the selected projects.

In June, the Council adopted principles to guide the City’s expenditure of the ARPA funds and directed the City Manager to present specific project, programs, or opportunities consistent with the principles adopted by the Council.

A list of projects was presented to the Council on August 24. The Council reviewed the list, and requested feedback on a selected number of projects from City Advisory Groups and the community. The community's input was received through Engage Bainbridge and those results will be shared with the Council next week.

The City Council next week will consider a request to extend the work of the Plastic and Waste Reduction Task Force to Dec. 31 to allow the group time to continue its work.

The task force is working on recommendations to present to the Council with additional steps to reduce waste on Bainbridge Island. Participation in the task force has included:

The Council passed an ordinance earlier this year that only allows single-use food service products to be provided when a customer asks or confirms they would like to use them. The new rules begin Jan. 1, 2022.

As part of the waste reduction efforts, an Ambassador Program was created to ensure local businesses are aware of the new rules and ready to be in compliance with the changes. The ambassadors will visit food service businesses around Bainbridge Island to gather information and take note of any questions or challenges about the new rules.

The City is providing $2,800 to support the program.

Below are some of the topics scheduled for the Sept. 28 City Council 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.

The Planning Commission on Sept. 23 held its third discussion on the proposed Wintergreen Townhomes project, a 73-townhome project (31 affordable; 42 market-rate units), and made a recommendation to approve the project with conditions to the Director of Planning & Community Development.

The recommendation focused on ensuring that the parking for the overall site was met, that the buffer along State Route 305 was preserved and enhanced, and that 31 units of affordable housing are provided. In addition, the Commission conditioned the project to provide adequate bicycle facilities.

The next step of the project will include a recommendation from the Planning Director to the Hearing Examiner (date TBD) on the project. The Hearing Examiner will make the final determination on the project.

Around 5 p.m. yesterday (Thursday, September 23), an unidentified man entered Walt’s Lynwood Market on the south end of Bainbridge Island. He asked the clerk where the bathroom was located, then lingered around the store for about 10 minutes. The man then approached the counter, handed a note to the clerk demanding money, then left the store. The clerk was not injured during the encounter.

The unidentified man was last seen in the Lynwood Center area. He is described as having a medium build between 5’8” and 6’ tall with dark hair. He was last seen wearing a mesh white & blue hat, blue or purple neck/face covering, skeleton gloves, dark clothing, dark shoes, and sunglasses. The man was also likely carrying a backpack or bag.

If you recognize this person, please contact Det. Peffer at 206-730-9126 or epeffer@bainbridgewa.gov.

The City is seeking proposals for cultural projects and activities that will benefit Bainbridge Island residents and visitors during 2022-2023. A total of $300,000 will be available for distribution.

Nonprofit entities that provide programs and services advancing the arts and culture of the island may apply for awards that range in size from $5,000 to $30,000.

An information session will be held on Zoom from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 27. The Zoom link is available on the City-Funded Cultural Activities page.

Please review the request for proposals and application on the City-Funded Cultural Activities page. A paper copy can be requested by sending an email to admin@bainbridgewa.gov.

Nearly 300 people showed up last weekend for the beach cleanup to help remove debris from our shorelines. From toothbrushes and tires to nurdles (microplastics) and netting, dog poo and drain pipes, beer cans and bottles - volunteers collected it all!

The beach cleanup organizers are still gathering all the data from items collected and will share the information with partners at the Ocean Conservancy.

Thank you to all who participated!

See more photos from the event on the Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup Facebook page.