Posted on 18 June 2013.
After an early morning power outage returned service with a damaging surge at 8:30 a.m. yesterday, June 17, the City of Bainbridge Island was offline and unable to access its own computer data.
With equipment expedited overnight and some fast fix-it work, the system was up and running again today, June 18, by about 11 a.m.
Citizens should be aware that email transmissions could have been lost during the system failure.
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Posted in Accidents, Government, News, Slider0 Comments
Posted on 17 June 2013.
A power outage that affected part of Winslow early this morning damaged the IT system at City Hall.
City Manager Doug Schulze said that when the power was restored at about 8:30 a.m. staff realized they still could not send or receive email, access online documents, or manage their website.
Two power supplies apparently zapped the system and shut down the City’s entire network when the power came back on. Schulze said replacement parts have been ordered for overnight delivery. He expects the system to be repaired by sometime tomorrow, June 18.
“We want people to realize we’re not ignoring them. It’s possible that some emails will be lost in cyberspace as a result of this,” said Schulze. “I have a very clean desk today,” he added.
Photo by Julie Hall.
Posted in Accidents, Government, News, Slider0 Comments
Posted on 17 June 2013.
Last week some 15 protesters stood at the northeast corner of Highway 305 and High School Road holding signs objecting to the proposed shopping center there. They are planning to return with more people Tuesday, June 18, for another protest.
Like many in our community, they don’t want the large stand of trees there cut down. They don’t want more traffic in an already glutted area. And they don’t see why Bainbridge Island needs yet another shopping center across the street from the Safeway shopping center, anchored by most likely a Bartell’s or Walgreens. With Rite Aid and Safeway’s pharmacy already in the immediate are, another similar business seems redundant if not ridiculous.
In their land use application, Ohio-based Visconsi Companies LTD says the development will consist of nearly 62,000 square feet, seven commercial buildings, and 261 parking spaces on five parcels totaling 8.16 acres. The proposed businesses include “retail sales, restaurants, professional services, and health care facilities.” Key Bank will move there from its current location south of Chevron.
And Chevron might be replaced by yet another drug store. Yes, you read that right.
According to Bainbridge City Planner and project manager of the proposed development, Josh Machen, nothing will stop the construction of the commercial center, except the unlikely withdrawal of the developer.
Machen told me that the area is zoned for commercial use and has been for nearly 20 years. He said that he does not have the authority to govern which businesses move into such areas. Rather, his job is to ensure that development meets city regulations, including building codes and environmental standards. When I asked him about the City’s Interim tree ordinance, he said that very few of the trees there would qualify for protection under its mandates.
I asked Machen what recourse citizens have to push back against the city’s zoning laws. He told me it is too late to do anything about the shopping center, but the public can make a case to the City Council for future issues. He noted that such a course of action is not likely to result in change, however, in part because of the state dictates of the Growth Management Act (GMA).
Washington instituted the GMA to attempt to prevent the kind of urban sprawl characteristic of so many metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The GMA designates certain communities, including Bainbridge, as Urban Growth Areas (UGAs). The idea is to restrict development into higher density places in the state while preservating larger agricultural and wildnerness areas.
And, on a microlevel, what Bainbridge has sought to do with its Winslow Tomorrow plan is to absorb most development into high-density commercial centers, including Winslow, to maintain a quasirural profile and protect wetlands and other critical areas throughout the majority of the Island’s 36 square miles.
When I asked Machen how the City will accommodate increased traffic that comes from further development, he basically said the City doesn’t have a plan: “The community and Council continue to choose to keep a two-lane highway and narrow roads to preserve a ‘small town character’ here. But the traffic in Kitsap is still nothing compared to Seattle.”
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Photo courtesy of Todd Huffman.
Posted in Business, Community, Slider2 Comments
Posted on 17 June 2013.
What’s so great about Port Townsend? What isn’t? It’s got beaches (and beaches!), sprawling parks, funky shops, excellent art and music, every kind of cuisine, an old-style movie theater, history, beautiful old brick buildings, a nationally respected Arts Center, pretty Victorian homes in all shades of the rainbow, and every kind of place to stay, from converted bordello to snappy beach-front cottages to upscale B&Bs to dog-friendly motels on the water.
A one-hour drive from Bainbridge Island across Hood Canal and through picturesque Beaver Valley, Port Townsend is an irresistible getaway for a day or two or more. Whether you want historic small town charm, beachy quiet, an artist’s oasis on the Olympic Peninsula, or all of the above, PT is it and then some.
William James Bookseller.
16 Ways to Have Fun in PT
1. Shop Downtown. There’s just about everything in the blocks that ramble along downtown’s Water Street and meander in and out of the side streets of this main drag. You’ll find art galleries, new and used books, outdoor wear, jewelry, music, toys, games, and plenty of restaurants for all tastes, from Thai to upscale Northwest cuisine and everything in between.
2. Visit Fort Worden State Park. It’s got stunning beaches; a Marine Science Center; Centrum, an art center that attracts international musicians and writers for arts events; a campground; rental houses; bluff trails; Copper Canyon Press, one of the best literary publishers in the country; a Hostel; historic military buildings and gun emplacements; and almost limitless picnic spots.
Max Grover in his new gallery.
3. Tour the Galleries. The new Max Grover Gallery just opened in the back of Sideshow Variety shop on Water Street. When I asked Grover how his launch was going he said he had just sold 20 original pieces in his first week. When I left, the number had increased to 21. (See our previous article on Grover’s exhibit at BIAC.) Also check out the eclectic art at Red Raven Gallery, an artist co op. Artist Sarah Fitch is a standout there, and something of hers came home with me too. Hey, it was my birthday!
4. Picnic in Chetzemoka Park. This local’s favorite in the Northeast corner of town was created as a memorial to a S’Kallam Indian chief. The park features a gazebo, flower gardens, seriously funky old trees, a grassy slope down to the beach, picnic tables, and bathrooms.
Larry Scott Trail.
5. Walk or Ride the Larry Scott Memorial Trail. This lovely trail, a recently converted railroad, welcomes bikers, walkers, horses, and well-behaved dogs off leash. Pick it up at the boatyard along the water front, pass the paper mill, and head into the woods.
6. Peruse Books at William James Bookseller. It’s easy to lose track of time in this great used book stop on Water Street.
7. Grab a Slice of Waterfront Pizza. PT’s favorite ‘za is available by the slice or whole pie. Order extra cheese.
8. See a Flick at the Rose Theater. This restored 1907 theater features film introductions by theater staff.
9. Explore Old Fort Townsend State Park. A short drive south of PT, this private and pretty state park is a great spot for hiking and picnicking, and it makes a good biking destination.
Shipyard.
10. Walk Around the PT Shipyard. This busy port repairs boats from around the region and is home to the highly respected Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. It’s fascinating to walk around here, where every style and vintage of boat can be seen. Watch workers repairing hulls and moving ships with monster-wheeled equipment.
11. Grab a Burger and Brew at The Public House. For lighter fare, they have great soups and salads too.
12. Hit the Farmer’s Market. Voted the Best Farmers Market of the Year by the Washington State Farmers Market Association, this bustling banquet of fresh goods in Uptown is worth a visit if you’re there on a Saturday. The Market is open April through October between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and November and December between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
St. Paul’s Church, 1860.
13. Check Out the Victorian Architecture. Walk, bike, or drive up the hill into the neighborhoods to see the old Victorian beauties.
14. Enjoy Enchiladas at El Sarape. This is where the locals eat casual Mexican. It’s located at the end of Water Street.
15. Explore the Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park. You can’t miss this 80-acre park as you drive into town. It makes a pleasant place to walk or picnic.
16. Hoof It Up the Terrace Steps to the Historic Fire Belltower. Enjoy Haller Fountain and walk the steps up to the Fire Belltower on the hill. The fountain and steps are downtown on Washington Street.
Historic Fire Belltower, under renovation.
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Featured photo is the 1890 Courthouse. Photos by Julie Hall and Sarah Lane.
[From the archives: Originally published October 11, 2011.]
Posted in Culture, Slider, Travel3 Comments
Posted on 17 June 2013.
With the fine weather we’ve been having, Bainbridge is in full bloom. So, where on the Island are these lovely visions? Be the first to tell us!
Contact us here in the comment section, at contact@insidebainbridge.com, or on our Facebook page.
Bainbridge Island photographer Marilynn Gottlieb sells all of the photographs featured in Where on the Island as photos or as transfers onto metal plates. Visit her website to learn more.
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Posted in Culture, Features, Photography, Slider, Where on the Island2 Comments
Posted on 15 June 2013.
The bicycle entry gate on the north side of the Seattle ferry terminal will close permanently on Sunday, June 16.
Bicycles will henceforth enter via the main entrance of the toll plaza. Pre-ticketed bicyclists must scan their passes or multi-rides through the card reader located on the north side of the entrance. Bicyclists without a ticket should proceed through the auto tollbooths.
A Washington State Ferry (WSF) terminal attendant will be available between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day for the first week of the transition to assist with any questions or issues that may arise.
Photo courtesy of Gene Bisbee.
Posted in Community Featured 2, News, Transportation0 Comments
Posted on 14 June 2013.
A road improvement project on a section of Sportsman Club Road will close it to traffic from Highway 305 and restrict traffic to only single-lane northbound users between Island Church and Wardwell beginning Monday, June 17. The closure will make room for the creation of a 400-foot-long bike lane on the west side of Sportsman Club Road.
A detour route will be established for northbound traffic to access Sportsman and the Wardwell Road neighborhood from the south off of New Brooklyn Road. Drivers will not be able to turn onto Sportsman Club from 305 or cross from Madison.
Construction hours will be between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. for at least a week and a half, with a week of shoulder work followed by several more days of paving. However, Public Works Engineering Manager Chris Hammer told me if typical “Junuary” weather hits, completion of the project could be delayed.
The project could complicate access to the Rotary Auction at Woodward School, which will begin accepting donations Friday, June 21.
This “spot” project is a small nod toward the City’s commitment back in 2007 to create 40 miles of non-motorized improvements around Bainbridge Island. Limited budgetary allocations have thus far restricted progress on the Core 40 Program to approximately 2 miles. The Sportsman Club bike lane is made possible by a small budgetary designation from 2012.
Click map to enlarge it.
Posted in News, News Featured 2, Roads, Slider3 Comments
Posted on 14 June 2013.
Updated at 10:30 a.m. June 14, 2013
When we published a story earlier this week about the Bainbridge Island artist who built a statue on Blakely Rock late last December, several readers inquired about the legality of putting art there.
Blakely Rock is technically an aquatic land, with the state having all property rights to it. It is managed by Washington’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR). After Washington officially became a state on November 11, 1889, many aquatic tidelands were sold, but a significant number of them, including Blakely Rock, remained under state ownership. Authority to manage these properties of the state was granted by the Washington legislature to DNR by RCW 79.105.010.
By statute, DNR manages Blakely Rock and other state-owned aquatic lands to provide a balance of public benefits for all citizens of the state, which are varied and include
According to DNR Aquatics Program Communications Manager Toni Weyman Droscher, as manager of Blakely Rock DNR has the authority to allow or deny placement of the art: “DNR was contacted by the Bainbridge Island Police Department shortly after the statue was installed. But, until recently, we didn’t know who installed it and couldn’t follow up.”
“The statue is an impressive work of art,” said Kristin Swenddal, Manager of DNR’s Aquatic Resources Division. “Now that we know who the owner is, we can talk to him about getting a proper-use authorization. We encourage anyone who’s interested in using state-owned aquatic lands to contact us early, before they set out to get the necessary permits.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has navigational jurisdiction over Blakely Rock. Assistant to the Chief of Waterways Management John Moriarty, of the Seattle-based Coast Guard District 13, told me that no complaints have been made about the statue posing a navigational hazard, as it does not block the black and white nonlateral aid on Blakely Rock. He said he views the statue every day from the ferry and does not see how it could pose a hazard to boaters.
Related Story
The Blakely Rock Statue Mystery Unveiled
Photos by Julie Hall.
Posted in Government, News, Outside Featured7 Comments
Posted on 13 June 2013.
The Intermediate Racers advanced to the playoffs with a 2013 regular season record of 9 wins, 3 losses, and 2 ties. They had a Championship Playoff sweep of 3 wins and 0 losses.
Just about all of the Little League team coaches and managers are volunteer dads and moms who put in many hours at practices and games, rain or shine. The Racers manager is Frank Willmann, and the coaches are Erik Wood and Don Witmer.
About her winning season, 11-year-old Pacer Georgia Wood said, “I think we worked hard as a team, and it really paid off.”
Anna Kozlosky , Georgia Wood, Bridget Weibel
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The Agony and Ecstasy of a Little League Mom
Photos courtesy of Carina Langstraat.
Posted in Community, Features Featured 2, Sports0 Comments
Posted on 12 June 2013.
Bainbridge police, fire, and ambulance units responded to a bike accident this morning, June 12, at approximately 7:05 a.m. A male cyclist appeared to have skidded off Wyatt Way at the head of Eagle Harbor near Ray’s Auto.
Medics reported the cyclist looked to have suffered a head injury but was conscious. They transported him to Seattle for treatment in Medic 21.
Reader David Marcus reported that the 7:05 a.m. ferry to Seattle turned around to pick up the ambulance.
Steep inclines, a sharp turn, loose gravel, and traffic coming from three different directions make that particular corner a dangerous spot for bicyclists.
A car skidded off the road near the same place last week. Read more.
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A shout out to IB correspondent Colleen Byrum. Photo by Sarah Lane.
Posted in Accidents, Community Featured 2, News6 Comments
Posted on 11 June 2013.
Just before Christmas a reader sent Inside Bainbridge a photograph of a distant statue on Blakely Rock, the intertidal “Island” about a mile offshore from southeast Bainbridge and across from West Seattle. He asked if we knew anything about the surprising artistic assertion there, which he had noticed from the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry on December 21, 2012.
Turns out he was a pretty observant commuter, because that happens to be the exact date the statue had begun to be erected, to coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar. Nothing goes unnoticed for long around here, it seems, even from the considerable distance between the ferry route and Blakely Rock.
However, it did take some sleuthing, a kayaking trip out to the rock, and a very helpful tip from Islander Ken Berg to solve the mystery.
Stone artist and Bainbridge resident Ethan Currier is the mastermind behind what he refers to as Blakely Rock Man. For four days and nights of winter wind, high tides, and cold splashing waves, he hauled up, assembled, and secured some 1,500 pounds of granite to create what is now a striking figure in our local seascape—a figure that he hopes will outlive us all.
Currier building Blakely Rock Man
After visiting the statue I guessed it to be 12 feet tall. Currier told me that he built it to be 11 feet 11 inches tall, numbers that have particular meaning for him. The figure stands in a common yoga pose known as the tree, or vrksasana. It faces north/south, looking neither toward Bainbridge nor Seattle but up and down the Sound.
Currier, 34, said when he moved to Bainbridge in 2008 one of his first thoughts as he rode the ferry from Seattle was what a great place for a statue Blakely Rock was. After talking and talking about it, he finally got fed up with himself and decided to just do it, choosing the Mayan date as his target.
He spent three weeks working full time in his studio cutting and preparing 10 pieces of stone, which he connected with stainless steel rods and cement. He built a raft to haul parts of the statue out to the rock and pulled the raft with a 14-foot inflatable dinghy. He did just about everything alone, using a complex system involving a winch and pulley to move the stone. He erected a 30-foot driftwood pole to use for leverage.
He said at one point he was out in silent darkness teetering on the six-feet-high bottom half of the “Man” while winching up the top section via a pulley: “I heard the waves lapping and the click, click, click of the winch. I knew it would either set perfectly in place or fall apart. It was the best moment of my life.”
Not everything went smoothly into place. When Currier first attempted to install the 80-pound oblong head, it fell into the water. “I had to fish it out the next day at low tide and then try to get it up on the pin,” he explained. Although he is confident that his Blakely Island sculpture can withstand just about anything, he still frets whenever he’s on the ferry and always checks that it is still standing.
Ethan Currier
Why a yoga pose? Currier said his practice of yoga has informed his stone work, teaching him about balance. He often creates figures in the tree pose because he finds it aesthetically pleasing and says that others nearly always share a positive association with it in one way or another. He also finds it “easy” to build because of its single point of centered balance.
He told me he finds stone beautiful and endlessly different from piece to piece. Although he loves the ocean and lives on a houseboat, he said he finds rocks more visually inspiring.
Currier has been creating stone sculptures for about 10 years, starting back in Connecticut where he grew up. He created the sculpture garden at Pegasus and has done private commission work for about 15 different homes on the Island. Before the economic downturn, he was shipping his stone artwork around the world.
But he counts his Blakely Rock Man as his proudest achievement. He told me he would love to do more public art like it, and he’s looking for his next big challenge.
Visit Ethan Currier’s website.
View more photos of the statue and Blakely Rock:
Related Story
Who Owns Blakely Rock, and Is the Statue There Legal?
Photos of Ethan Currier courtesy of Ethan Currier. Other photos by Julie Hall.
Posted in Art, Culture, Outside Featured6 Comments
Posted on 10 June 2013.
One wonders what our new City Manager Doug Schulze was thinking as Councilmember Steven Bonkowski usurped his scheduled presentation before Council during last week’s meeting. Schulze had been tasked by unanimous Council vote to work up further numbers about the costs of outsourcing versus retaining the management of Bainbridge Island’s city water utility. He showed up prepared to share his research and analysis with the council and a roomful of citizens deeply invested in the issue.
But Bonkowski never gave him the chance, instead surprising the room with his own presentation and accusing Schulze of “failing” to provide accurate information to the council. The attack on Schulze was, to put it mildly, ironic given that Bonkowski and his Councilmember chums Dave Ward and Sarah Blossom were instrumental in firing the former city manager and handpicking Schulze as her replacement at the cost to taxpayers of some quarter of a million bucks. [Read more here.]
What Schulze Was Thinking . . . A Musical Medley
Listen to The Clash perform Train in Vain, also known as “You Didn’t Stand by Me”:
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Council Member’s “Screw It” Sums Up Water Wars at Council Meeting
Posted in Government, News, Politics, Slider0 Comments
Posted on 10 June 2013.
Updated 5:28 a.m. June 17, 2013
Jason Devinney was the first (of many) to identify these photos taken of the windows of Winslow store Danger. Congratulations Jason!
______________________________________
Okay, here’s your latest challenge. Be the first to identify both Bainbridge Island locations and win a free trip to Hawaii. Nope, actually all you stand to win is the status of being a hipster dipster Islandhead.
Contact us here in the comment section, at contact@insidebainbridge.com, or on our Facebook page.
Photographer Marilynn Gottlieb sells all of the photographs featured in Where on the Island as photos or as transfers onto metal plates. Visit her website to learn more.
Posted in Features, Features Featured 2, Where on the Island1 Comment
Posted on 09 June 2013.
Perhaps Councilmember Blair best captured the tone of Wednesday’s (June 5) Council meeting when, following adjournment at nearly 11 p.m., she muttered, “Screw it.”
Judging by the combative and vituperative, as well as excruciatingly long discussion of our water utility management, Blair’s off-cuff vent expressed how many people seemed to feel that night—screwed.
As most in the packed room anticipated the long-awaited vote as to whether management of Bainbridge Island’s water utility would be retained by the City or outsourced to the Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD), it came as a surprise that the vote became beside the point.
Mayoral Coup
In place of scheduled remarks on the subject by City Manager Doug Schulze as requested unanimously by the council at its previous meeting, Mayor Bonkowski pulled a coup with a 6-point presentation that by his own admission was an alternative to what he had realized was to be a failed vote that night to divest control of our City water to the KPUD. Looking to keep the issue in play, Bonkowski punted a counterproposal that would in part give what he asserted was overbudgeted money in the utility reserve account to the ratepayers.
The mayor justified his move by saying Schulze had failed to provide data from the city about what the overall cost of the water utility would be. “The most troubling aspect is we still don’t know the impact to the ratepayers,” he said.
Much of the rest of the night’s discussion focused on the mayor’s maneuver, which Councilmembers Hytopolous and Scales as well as numerous audience members objected to as an indictment of the new city manager, disrespectful of the city staff, and in direct defiance of legal due process according to our city manager form of government.
Predictable Factions
The Council fell into predictable factions, with Councilmembers Dave Ward and Sarah Blossom supporting the mayor’s ideas and objecting to objections by other councilmembers. Councilmember Debbi Lester, who presided over the meeting, allowed Bonkowski to make his presentation, but, like Blair, largely stayed out of the fray.
Hytopolous drew strong applause when she said, “The city manager has not been allowed to present. This is exactly the sort of work he was hired to do, but instead a councilmember is presenting this kind of information. If we have a problem with the city manager, we tell him and give him a chance to respond. We don’t circumvent him. You’re proposing massive changes to the water budget. Why did we hire him if we are not going to let him do his job?”
Bonkowski drew guffaws when he stated, “I have no problem with having the city manager review this information.”
In Bonkowski’s defense, Ward, apparently missing the irony of his own statement, said, “We shouldn’t have to dig up this information. This is the job of the city manager.”
Blossom, who said she had planned to vote against outsourcing the city’s water, thanked the mayor for bringing forward what she called a solution. She too drew outbursts of derisive laughter when she concluded by saying to Hytopolous, “Your attack has set the tone for the rest of this conversation.”
Scales, who decried the undermining of the city manager and staff, asked for time to review Bonksowki’s ideas: “We’re being asked to take Steve’s analysis here and make management decisions on the fly involving millions of dollars.” He concluded sarcastically that the city could save enormous money simply by having Bonkowski do the work of the manager and staff.
Ward Spills His Water
As the discussion was opened for public comment, a moment of awkward levity when Ward spilled his water and Blair giggled while assisting him in wiping it up failed to diffuse citizen anger.
Angry Public Comment
Former Utilities Advisory Committee (UAC) member Dan Mallove said, “I’m absolutely appalled by the mayor’s lack of understanding of state law, legal process, and the city manager form of government. I know from my experience on the UAC that these facts are misrepresented. . . . It is appalling to treat your city manager with these kind of attacks.”
Arlene Buetow, current chair of the UAC, countered Mallove’s remarks: “I’m here to assure the public that the statements he [Bonkowski] made are 100 percent accurate. We weren’t prepared for the report from the City Manager that showed up on the City’s website on Saturday morning. . . . I find the heckling here to be offensive.”
Erica Striner drew whoops and applause when she said she had worked with four different local governments and in the private sector and had never seen anything as disrespectful as the treatment of Schulze that night, calling the mayor’s behavior grandstanding: “I am sad for this city tonight. We’re taxpayers, and we pay the salaries of our staff. How do you expect us to have a city that works when you treat our practically new city manager who you supposedly hand-picked and spent a heck of a lot of money to find like this? I hope this council will learn good manners.”
Ratepayer Dick Allen said, “Our track record at the city of managing the water utility is dismal. I hope the city will do this proposal. We account for only 25 percent of the Island’s water but were charged for a study of water across the Island.” Addressing the city manager, he added, “Somebody needs to make this city honest, and if you can’t you better pack your bags and get out of here.”
Former Councilmember Barry Peters said, “I’m a rate payer too. I believe it is possible for our city to deliver utility management. . . . For our coucil manager government to work there must be a partnership with the staff and manager. I hope we will move in that direction that 70 percent of us voted for just four years ago.”
Amendment Whaa?
After an agonizing tangle of moves, amendments, amendments to amendments, and votes that the Council could barely track as it fumbled through the end of the session, it was decided that Schulze and Bonkowski would review the proposal and the meeting would be adjourned without further ado.
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Photos courtesy of Kris Krug, David Shellabarger, and City of Bainbridge Island.
Posted in Community Featured 2, Government, News0 Comments
Posted on 07 June 2013.
Here in the Pacific Northwest spring means lovely things, like fruit and flowers and fawns.
What looks more vulnerable than a fawn alone, without its mother? Well, here’s the deal. Mothers really do know best, and in the case of does they hide their very young, helpless fawns and often browse and sleep at a short distance from them to avoid attracting the attention of predators to them. Fawns know to stay put, quiet and with their heads down, until they are old enough to begin browsing with their mother. Does go so far as to eat their offsprings’ waste to help protect them from detection.
This season West Sound Wildlife Shelter on Bainbridge Island has seen a record number of fawns being brought in, in most cases by well-meaning citizens who don’t understand that fawns alone are not necessarily fawns in peril.
According to Executive Director Lisa Horn, of the 11 fawns brought to the Shelter this season, 8 have been successfully returned to where they were found and within a few hours reunited with their mothers. Unfortunately the other 3 had been kept by people for too long to be reunited with their mothers, but they have survived at a wildlife shelter that has long-term facilities for caring for deer. (West Sound does not.)
So, unless you know a fawn has been orphaned, let it be, let it be.
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Photo of spotted black-tailed fawn in Fletcher Bay courtesy of West Sound Wildlife Shelter.
Posted in Animals, Animals Featured, News1 Comment
Posted on 07 June 2013.
For the second time in less than a month, a dog trapped on a steep embankment has required a complex rescue response by the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD).
At 8:28 last night, June 6, the BIFD responded to Sunrise Bluff Lane on Bainbridge Island for a report of a dog over a cliff. The dog, a Lhasa apso named Henry, had fallen off the edge of an approximately 70-foot-high bank and become trapped on a small ledge about 20 feet down.
Henry’s family was not able to reach him because of the steepness of the bank and heavy vegetation, so they called the fire department for assistance.
According to Assistant Chief Luke Carpenter, conditions required a high angle rope rescue response. Nine firefighters and the Duty Chief set up the ropes and equipment needed to put firefighters safely over the bank to search for the dog. They used a thermal imager to locate Henry in the dark and, using dog biscuits, were able to coax him into a rescue bag.
Henry was returned to his family uninjured.
The operation lasted about three hours and resembled the rescue of retired Disney movie star Shamen in May. Shamen had been missing for over two days after becoming trapped in brush about 75-feet down an even steeper bank on Bainbridge Island at Agate Pass.
Related Story
BI Fire Department Rescues Disney Movie Star from Perilous Fall Over Cliff
Posted in Accidents, Animals, Community Featured 2, News, News Featured0 Comments
Posted on 06 June 2013.
This morning, June 6, Bainbridge-to-Seattle ferry commuters were treated to a pleasantly bracing surprise (in addition to serenades from long-time barista and actor Tim Tully).
To celebrate coming of age, 21-year-old Commuter Comforts, the beloved kiosk-deluxe outside the Bainbridge ferry terminal, gave out free coffee and espresso to its customers on the 4:40 a.m. through 8:45 a.m. sailings.
Owner Carol Jelinek said, “We wanted to thank our commuters for 21 great years, with many more to come.”
Commuter Comforts Fun Facts
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Photo by Julie Hall.
Posted in Business, Community, Community Featured, Eat+Drink, Restaurants0 Comments
Posted on 05 June 2013.
[The original version of this article was published June 3 at 7 a.m.]
Mary Jo Blazina, in addition to having a snazzy name, correctly identified the locations of the two featured sheds with hairdos.
Other readers quickly identified the fern-topped shed as being on the Forest to Sky Trail, but Mary Jo also was able to identify the location of the more obscure shed, which is on the east side of Fletcher Bay Road, south of High School Road. Congrats Mary Jo, and thanks for playing Where on the Island?
Look for more challenges next week!
—————————————————————————————————
Here are two “green-roofed” Island sheds. Can you place them?
Be the first to accurately identify the locations of the sheds and show your neighbors how well you know your Island ‘hood. Contact us here in the comment section, at contact@insidebainbridge.com, or on our Facebook page.
Photographer Marilynn Gottlieb sells all of the photographs featured in Where on the Island as photos or as transfers onto metal plates. Visit her website to learn more.
Related Stories
Posted in Culture, Features, Features Featured 2, Photography, Where on the Island1 Comment
Posted on 05 June 2013.
Paper Products, Etc., on Winslow Way downtown has reported the theft of their daily deposit. The money was stolen from the store sometime between 7 p.m. last night, June 4, and 8 a.m. this morning, June 5.
Owner Terry Arndt told me the money goes into a safe each night and is taken out for bank deposit the next morning. Arndt said he usually manages the process himself but is out of town, which left the task up to his staff.
According to employee reports in police interviews, the money was placed in the safe correctly at closing last night but was gone this morning. There was no sign of forced entry into the store or safe.
Arndt explained that no one other than certain staff members have access to the safe or store. “Maybe someone forgot to lock the door or press the safe code,” he said. “Or maybe there was a breach of information or involvement from previous employees. As a retail store with a staff of 16, we do have transient employees. We’ve had to let people go in the past for small theft, but nothing like this.”
The entire bag of transactions from the day was taken, including cash, checks, and credit card receipts. This means that anyone who made a purchase at Paper Products on June 4 is at potential risk for a credit/personal information breach. Arndt emphasized that those purchasers should stop check payments and contact the police department and/or himself for further information. Contact Terry at terry@paperproductsetc.com or 206-842-6682, or the Bainbridge Police Department at 206-842-5211.
Although last night’s theft is the first of its kind at Paper Products since Arndt’s wife Joanna bought the business in 2007, it is part of a larger trend. As an office supplier for numerous local businesses, Paper Products allows people from those businesses to come into the store and charge purchases to a corporate account. Arndt said in the last three months there have been at least five incidents of people falsely claiming to be from local businesses and charging purchases to those accounts. “Then we have to eat the loss,” he said, adding with regret that he will no longer be able to offer that small-town convenience.
He also said he will be putting in security cameras, improving locks, and taking other security measures “as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Arndt is offering a $250 reward gift card at Paper Products to anyone with information that leads to the return of the deposit or the arrest of those involved with the theft.
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Posted on 05 June 2013.
The Bainbridge Island Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) has announced the 2013 Blakely Awards, which recognize outstanding historic preservation efforts on the Island.
The Commission selected Howard Block and CeAnn Parker, owners of Bay Hay & Feed, for the 2013 Blakely Award for Preservation Leader. And it selected Heyday Farm managers Craig and Alice Skipton for the 2013 Blakely Award for Project Excellence.
In 2012, Bay Hay celebrated the centennial year of its original building, which opened in 1912 under the name Rodal’s Central Market located in Rolling Bay. When the store expanded to meet 21st-century customer needs, the owners took great care to maintain the character and integrity of the original store. “Howard and CeAnn have set an excellent example of how a strong commitment to historic preservation and business success can go hand in hand,” said David Williams, HPC Chairman.
Heyday Farm is currently involved in restoring approximately 23 acres of historic farmland into a working farm that sustainably produces agricultural food for Bainbridge Island residents. The land is contiguous to IslandWood and includes the historic Winney Farm. Existing barns and farmhouses are being preserved and renovated for continued agricultural use. The partners acquired the land that had been zoned as residential and developed a plan with the Kitsap Conservation District for farming best practices and preservation of natural resources.
“When too many of Bainbridge’s historic farms are being torn down to make way for residential development, this partnership points the way toward sustainable use, local food sources, expanded open space, and preservation of historic structures and landscapes,” Williams said.
“We feel privileged to be able to honor Bainbridge citizens and projects that truly reflect the value of preserving the history of our Island so it endures for future generations,” Williams said. “Each of us moved to Bainbridge Island for any number of reasons. We choose to stay because of the quality of our lives, the strength of our neighborhood communities, and the unique sense of place we feel when we’re here. The historic homes, farms, and traditional landscapes are key elements to that sense of place.”
The Blakely Awards will be presented at the City Council meeting at City Hall on June 5 at 7 p.m.
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Posted in Business, Community, Culture, Events Featured, History0 Comments
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