City News Bytes: Make Your Voice Heard, Beach Cleanup, Affordable Housing Developer Considered, Madison Ave. Project Update, Groundwater Plan, Day of Preparedness

Your voice is essential in shaping Bainbridge Island’s future, according to City of Bainbridge Island officials.

Towards that end, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update and the Winslow Subarea Plan Update is available to comment on.

The DEIS thoroughly assesses how proposed future alternatives could affect many aspects of the island’s physical and natural environment. The DEIS aims to integrate environmental considerations early in the planning phase minimizing adverse effects and enhancing positive outcomes.

Your input about the various alternatives, or combination of alternatives, outlined in the DEIS, is critically important to city planners.

Per planning docs, “Public feedback provides crucial community perspective so that, when combined with environmental impact data, a preferred alternative will be identified.”

To participate in person and learn more, residents are encouraged to attend the island-wide Open House, or your neighborhood open house where applicable.

ISLAND-WIDE Open House

• Sep. 18 5-7 p.m. at Bainbridge High School, Building 100/cafeteria
• Free childcare will be available at First Years (ages 1-12). Download childcare registration form and email completed form to firstyearschildrenscenter@gmail.com. Registration must be received by 5 p.m. on Wed, Sep. 11. Scroll to the bottom of “Supporting Documents” HERE for the registration form.

Neighborhood and Industrial Centers Open Houses

• Island Center: Sep. 14 10a.m.-12p.m. at Island Center Hall
• Rolling Bay: Sep. 14 3-5 p.m. at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church
• Lynnwood Center: Sep. 15 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Lynwood Commons Community Room
• Day Road Industrial Area: Sep. 16 4-6 p.m. at Seabold Hall

For more information on the DEIS, to access the document, comment, and/or to learn about upcoming community engagement opportunities, please visit the City’s website., or visit https://cityofbainbridgeisland.civilspace.io/en/projects/2024-comprehensive-plan-periodic-update. Deadline for comments is Oct. 10.

Beach Cleanup Sun. Sep. 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Volunteer for the 9th annual Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup 2024 – help clean our 53 miles of shoreline!Join the City of Bainbridge Island, the Bainbridge Island Fire Department, and Bainbridge

This annual stewardship event is held in collaboration with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, Sustainable Bainbridge, and in partnership with several other dedicated Bainbridge Island nonprofits including the city. Sign up: BI Beach Cleanup – Sustainable Bainbridge

City to Negotiate with Affordable Housing Developer 

The Bainbridge Island City Council recently authorized City Manager Blair King to enter into a six-month period of exclusive negotiations with the selected Affordable Housing Developer – Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), for development of the 625 Winslow Way E site, the former location of the Police Department.

Six developers responded to the City’s Request for Qualifications, and a review committee comprised of the City Manager, a Council Member, City Staff and a Consultant, a REAC member, and a Planning Commission Member interviewed three finalists before selecting and presenting LIHI as the recommended developer for this project to the council.

Update on Extensive Madison Avenue Bundled Project

This past summer, the City’s contractor worked on the sewer system from New Brooklyn to the Roundabout on High School Road. They have been busy with utility installation (sanitary sewer line installation, testing, connecting side sewers) and storm structures, vaults, and pipes, say City officials. They have been putting in the new sewer line and working on the connections from the adjacent properties into the new sewer main. They have also been working on putting in catch basins and the storm system from New Brooklyn to the Roundabout, working to get the underground work adjacent to the schools done as soon as possible to limit disturbance for pick up and drop off of students.

This past week the contractor was prepping Madison south of High School for milling of the existing asphalt which includes lowering utility lids, so they don’t interfere with the milling machine. The milling (grinding off the top few inches of patchwork and cracked asphalt) was to be completed today, Sept. 11. It will be followed up later in October or November with a fresh overlay of asphalt. After the milling, contractors will resume with utility prep work and start up again with concrete demolition and prep for the west side of the Madison for updated ADA ramps and driveways and the other unfinished areas.

The Bundled Madison Avenue Project is a big one with multiple components- over 1.25 miles of improvements. The public works project is on track and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with the contractor adhering to the bid timeline and budget and delivering work on schedule, city officials point out. Learn more by visiting: Madison Avenue Bundled Project | Bainbridge Island, WA – Official Website (bainbridgewa.gov)

City Beginning Work on Groundwater Management Plans 

At its regular business meeting of August 13, 2024, the City Council received an update from staff on the Groundwater Management Plan. The update included a recap of the groundwater stress variables that are currently being analyzed through a groundwater model, including sea-level rise, changes in groundwater recharge, and increases in population, and how those stresses could impact groundwater levels and salt-water intrusion.

The City’s consulting team will be working over the next few weeks to combine the stress variables into two predictive scenarios that the city can use to inform decisions about future population growth, as well as groundwater management and mitigation strategies. Those strategies could include variables such as stream and surface water enhancements, water usage conservation strategies, or expansion of municipal water systems to serve coastal areas.

The next discussion on these topics with the City Council is scheduled for Sep. 24, with the plan estimated to be complete and adopted around the beginning of the year.

Day of Preparedness to be held Sept. 21 at Woodward Middle School 

This year’s event – Noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Woodward Middle School – is focused on bringing the public demonstrations and hands-on learning opportunities on these topics:

• PSE: providing information on PSE’s Wildfire Mitigation program and ways to manage medical life support equipment during extended power outages
• Communications: offering the latest information on ways to stay connected during a power and Internet outage
• Power: featuring portable and solar generators
• Water: presenting emergency water-storage options and ways to maintain your water heater
• Fire: sharing Firewise best practices for protecting your home from wildfire and demonstrating fire extinguisher use
• General Preparedness: providing the latest information on Map Your Neighborhood, Prepare in a Year, and other common-sense emergency readiness strategies
• Gear Bags: demonstrating the recommended contents of go bags, get-home bags, and medical kits

More information, visit:  Join Us on Annual Day of Preparedness: Strengthening Resilience – Sept 23. 2023 — Bainbridge Prepares

Source Material: City of Bainbridge Island

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