City News Bytes: Update on Police/Courts Building, Contractors Sought, Local Businesses Feted

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City News BytesPOLICE STATION AND COURT FACILITY MAKING PROGRESS 

Admittedly, the on-going construction and retrofitting of the new Police Department and Municipal Court facility at 8804 Madison Ave. N., is a bit out of sight. But work at the former home of the Harrison Hospital Medical Clinic – purchased in early 2020 by the City for $8.975 million – is taking shape, albeit away from the public’s eye.

Construction at new Police Department and Municipal Court facilityAt the west end of the building, the construction of new sub-floor and framing projects are underway on the newly completed foundation and footings. The addition is on the site of a previous staircase located in the former clinic that will now support new stairs and offices. The building’s interior structural reinforcement is nearing completion (see the contractor hoisting a large steel I-beam through the side of the building to be set on column supports in the accompanying picture). Once structural reinforcement and the west addition are complete, framing Construction at new Police Department and Municipal Court facility 2for new interior walls will begin.

It’s estimated that the project costs, including the acquisition of the existing 18,000-square-foot clinic and the new retrofit construction – being done by Bainbridge’s Clark Construction – will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $20.4 million. The Muni Court and the Police Department will move from their current locations to the new facility when it is expected to be completed sometime in early 2024.

CITY SEEKS CONTRACTORS FOR LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS

Drive, bike or walk in and around certain areas on the island’s south end and you’ll see the need right in front of you. The City is seeking landscape and irrigation contractors for three bundled landscape projects (Rockaway Beach Road/Eagle Harbor Phase II/Halls Hill Road Re-vegetation) south of Eagle Harbor. The projects will address roadside, shoreline, and steep slope re-vegetation by planting native shrubs, plants, trees, and performing invasive weed removal.

Construction at new Police Department and Municipal Court facility 2The Rockaway Beach Road location is the site of a landslide and road embankment repair undertaken by the City in 2013. The site includes a large geo-synthetic retaining wall in need of replanting. The project aims to revive the slope vegetation and provide lasting plant cover. Parts of Eagle Harbor Drive will be replanted to provide better visual separation with the bike lanes and edge of the road.

Within the City’s slope buffer between Halls Hill Road and Southern Cross Road, a separate project will remove invasive plants and replant the area with native species. The re-establishment of a thriving buffer will serve to better retain storm-water and ensure the slope remains stable, city officials point out in a statement.

NEW CLIMATE SMART BUSINESS LEADERS!

Climate Smart Pledge LogoThe City is recognizing most recent “Climate Smart Bainbridge Businesses” that have voluntarily pledged to “Erase the Waste” in advance of new waste reduction regulations set to take effect in 2023. They are:

  • Quality Inn & Suites: pledged to offer personal care products in bulk dispensers;
  • Cups Espresso & Cafe: pledged to use reusable dishes for onsite dining, use home compostable containers for takeout orders, not offer plastic straws or utensils, provide an incentive/discount to customers who bring their own reusable cups, and provide condiments in bulk dispensers;
  • SuBI Japanese Restaurant: pledged to use reusable dishes for onsite dining;
  • The Madison Avenue Diner: pledged to used reusable for on-site dining and not offer plastic straws or utensils.
  • Additional businesses that have made the pledge include: The Island School, Town & Country Market, Bainbridge Vineyards, Nirvana Indian and Nepali Cuisine, OfficeXpats, and the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce.

Take the Pledge – click here for more information.

IS YOUR MUG READY?

  • Speaking of the city’s new waste regulations (2023 waste reduction regulations) that go into effect on Jan. 1. The regs, if you haven’t figured it out by now, include new requirements to reduce single-use plastic waste from onsite dining, to-go food orders and packaging for personal care Mug Image by Jasmine Sesslerproducts at lodging establishments.
  • It also includes a 25-cent increase to customers on all beverages ordered in disposable cups. According to City officials, the ordinance “will help reduce waste in our environment, protect public health and reduce our dependence on plastics.”
  • The City wants to know, “is your reusable mug ready to go?” Show fellow islanders your favorite tumbler, coffee mug or reusable cup at #ClimateSmartBainbridge. Snap a photo of you and your mug and post it on Facebook with #ClimateSmartBainbridge.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND VEHICLE LICENSING DESK HOLIDAY HOURS:

  • The licensing agent will be on vacation from December 15 through January 2Chamber logo 2021
  • Vehicle/Vessel tabs ordered online will still be able to be picked up from Chamber staff December 15 through 23
  • The Chamber Offices will be closed December 24 through January 2
  • The Chamber & the Licensing Desk will both reopen on Tuesday January 3

*Mug Image by Jasmine Sessler, additional images courtesy of the City of Bainbridge Island 

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