City News Bytes: Win a Composting Bin, Haggar-Scribner Tabled, Founders Tourney on Tap, Zero Emission Tools

Win a Composting Bin in City’s Climate Smart Challenge!
Have you been eying a new composting bin? You may get the chance by participating in the City of Bainbridge Island’s latest Climate Smart Challenge.

The City has a goal to sign up 550 households and reduce 200 tons of carbon dioxide by May 31, 2023 with the Climate Smart Challenge. You can help by signing up for the Challenge and completing a number of household actions.

Everyone who has earned at least 10,000 points in the Challenge by the end of May will be entered into a drawing to win a home composting bin!

Why is composting so important? Composting food scraps creates a rich soil additive and keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. A home composting bin will also provide a great place to dispose of the home compostable food service ware used at local food establishments for to-go orders!

Each month, the City will focus on a new Climate Smart topic with supporting events and tips to help you commit to new actions that will help earn you points! Learn more by visiting the City’s Climate Smart website.

Haggar-Scribner Project Plans Withdrawn By Development Backers
Backers of the ambitious Haggar-Scribner development planned for an area behind the old Virginia Mason Clinic in Downtown Winslow have withdrawn their plans – essentially putting the project on ice.

The developers – led by Dr. Tom Haggar and the island’s Scribner family among others – decided to table their plan when the Bainbridge Island City Council voted to consider it as part of the Winslow Subarea Plan, rather than the city’s less cumbersome Comprehensive Plan.

Haggar, and a development team that included Larry Nakata and other well-known island families, sought a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would allow greater floor area ratio, reducing the project footprint and providing more green space by extending building height maximums, and reducing parking requirements to minimize surface parking and further increase green space.

The Haggar Scribner Project would have added 436 parking spaces and affordable housing units in the downtown core. Whether the development resurfaces in another form or not remains to be seen. For more information check out a recent piece in the Bainbridge Review: https://www.bainbridgereview.com/business/gateway-to-winslow-project-withdrawn/

And a previous post in The Island Wanderer: https://theislandwanderer.com/haggar-scribner-project-could-transform-parts-of-downtown-winslow-with-new-commercial-and-housing-options-but-will-it-move-forward-ill/.

Not Too Early to Register for Pickleball’s 2023 Founders Tournament!
Ok, it’s barely March and snow is in the forecast, but it’s not too early to register for this summer’s fourth annual Founder’s Tournament at Battle Point Park.

For those of you who are island Pickleball enthusiasts, or know of off-island players who might be interested, here are the details:

General Information: Registration opens March 1st. The tournament is not USAPA sanctioned (there are multiple reasons for this – please ask if you are interested in details – this means you will not need to purchase USAPA membership to play). All matches will be self-refereed.

The tournament ball is a “Franklin X 40”. The format is round robin with playoff.

Registration for this year’s tournament will be on pickleballbrackets.com. “More links and info on this will be forthcoming as we get closer to the tournament,” says Sean Megy, a tourney organizer. The tourney is produced by the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.

Dates/Schedule for Tournament:

Aug 4-6: Clinics (6 dedicated pickleball courts only)

Aug 9:
Senior Mixed Doubles 3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5 60-69 and 70+ (9 am start time)
Wooden Paddle Mini Tournament
3 levels, gender neutral, scramble (3 pm start time)

August 10:
Senior Women’s Doubles
3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5 60+ (9 am start time)
Senior Men’s Doubles in 60+ (afternoon start time TBD)

Aug 11:
Women’s Doubles
3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5 under 50 and 50 + (9 am start time)

Aug 12:
Mixed Doubles
3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5 under 50 and 50+ (9 am start time)

Aug 13:
Men’s Doubles
3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5 under 50 and 50 + (9 am start time)

City Finally Using Zero Emission Electric Tools
It took longer than expected, but the City of Bainbridge Island finally acquired its first zero-emission back-pack blower.

In July 2022, the City produced a plan to transition from its inventory of gas-powered small hand tools into zero-emission electric tools. The City has about 30 small gas-powered hand tools such as leaf blowers, edge-trimmers, chain saws, etc.

“The benefits of using all electric hand tools over gas powered is the reduction in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions,” says City Manager Blair King. A study by the California Air Quality Board found in 2020 that emissions from leaf blowers and other small gas-powered engines exceed that of vehicles.

“But, as we began our transition to zero-emission tools for City use in 2022, our timing was bad,” King explains. “We discovered that commercial grade zero-emission hand tools were hard to come by in the post-COVID era. We identified the brand-name product we wanted, and then found out due to supply chain problems, the product was unavailable. We pivoted to a different brand and discovered Husqvarna had an inventory of Electric Backpack Blowers, which we have now acquired.”

“We are currently using the equipment and conducting a pilot program to learn about battery life expectancy, charging times, charging infrastructure needs, and the impacts on staff time associated with routine tasks,” he adds. “We expect to learn some valuable lessons that will help guide our overall transition efforts.”

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