Fundraising now underway for Fort Ward Community Hall project

Published 1:44 pm Saturday, January 3, 2015

Fundraising is now underway for the Fort Ward Community Hall project that will restore the fort’s historic Bakery Building into a community center.

More than $6,000 in pledges was raised in just the first week of the drive toward a first-round fundraising goal of $30,000.

The Fort Ward Community Hall would be the latest in a series of historic island buildings to be preserved for community use and park programs, joining Seabold Hall, Island Center Hall and Camp Yeomalt.

The effort is led by the Fort Ward Youth Advisory Committee, made up of four Bainbridge Island juniors who live in the historic South End neighborhood: Erik Appleberry, Aila Ikuse, Kate Merifield and Mark Dettman.

The four high schoolers began the first-round fundraising drive in response to a challenge by the Bainbridge Parks Foundation.

“We applied to the Bainbridge Parks Foundation to be our fiscal agent, since they are a 501(c)3 with a great track record of managing money,” said Ikuse, Fort Ward Youth Advisory Committee President. “They challenged us to raise 10 percent of our $300,000 budget to prove we have commitment from the community for this project, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Community response has been very positive, said Appleberry, who has been canvasing the Fort Ward neighborhood for donations.

“We’re getting great support so far,” he said. “People really want to see the building restored for the community.”

The historic Bakery Building on Evergreen Drive was constructed in 1910 as part of Fort Ward, an Army Coast Artillery Corps fortification that guarded Rich Passage and the Bremerton Naval Yard.

During World War II, the building was a converted into a power station for Fort Ward’s naval radio operations.

Most of the fort was surplussed by the federal government in 1960, and the Bakery Building has served as a private residence off and on since that time. It was purchased in 2007 by Kitsap County Sewer District No. 7, which operates the Fort Ward wastewater treatment plant.

The building restoration is a collaborative effort of the sewer district, the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District and Fort Ward residents.

Once restored, the building would be managed by the park district for community gatherings, private functions such as weddings and receptions, and public meetings. The sewer district would retain one small room as an office.

South Bainbridge residents do not currently have a neighborhood hall, a need that the restored Bakery Building would meet.

The project will be funded entirely through private donations and community and historic preservation grants.

Pledge sheets can be downloaded at www.fortwardbakerybuilding.wordpress.com, which also includes more information on the Fort Ward Community Hall project.

Regular updates on the drive are also being posted to the Fort Ward Neighbors page on Facebook.

Early pledges will not be called in until June 2015. All pledges are 100 percent tax deductible.

For information, email stephanieappleberry@gmail.com.