4-way stop coming
In response to community concerns, the city’s Public Works department analyzed the Valley Road and Sunrise Drive intersection and is recommending the installation of a 4-way stop.
While traffic volumes did not meet the threshold for an all-way stop under standard warrants, the analysis found that the parking of the postal truck limits sight distance for the southern leg of the intersection. In addition, the postal service parking location prevented the installation of a stop sign on Valley Road that would be visible to eastbound drivers, per a city news release.
To address this, the Public Works evaluated options for relocating postal truck parking and identified the shoulder along the northwest corner as a suitable location for a designated loading zone for the 40-foot truck. The plan includes removing 15 feet of curb across the street from the post office and signing the area as a “No Parking – Loading Zone” space for exclusive postal truck use. This new configuration will improve sight distances and allow for proper placement of the eastbound stop sign, the release says.
The city’s operations and maintenance crew will complete the intersection modifications later this summer.
Irish event sells out
“An Irish Evening,” an event put together by Bainbridge Island resident Eileen O’Grady and others, sold out at Lynwood Theatre Aug. 14 and even had to turn some folks away at the door.
It was a group effort by O’Grady, Williams Cole, the filmmaker whose documentary about his great-grandmother, Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa, a heroine of the Irish Uprising of 1916, was the centerpiece of an evening of song brought by BI resident and singer, actress, and philanthropist, Stephanie Reese, and Seattle Irish musician Zach Tupper.
The crowd learned about contemporary Ireland from event co-sponsors Mark Kohler, the executive director of the Irish Heritage Club Seattle and Debbie Sonnandre, owner of Celtic Crossroads NW on Winslow Way.
The production team for the event was treated the night before to a special video greeting from the US Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh.
Jazz festival
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art recently announced the return of its collaboration with Seattle’s Earshot Jazz as part of the acclaimed Earshot Jazz Festival through October.
The festival transforms the museum’s auditorium into a vibrant hub of creativity and improvisation. It brings together artists and experts from across the jazz spectrum to explore the genre’s legacy, per a news release.
General admission tickets go on sale Sept. 2. Ticket information and full event descriptions can be found at www.biartmuseum.org.
Beach cleanup
The 10th annual Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup will be held Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The event is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. It is organized by Sustainable Bainbridge in collaboration with other Bainbridge Island nonprofits. It involves cleaning up BI’s 53 miles of shoreline and nearshore waterways to protect our environment and wildlife, per a news release.
Sign up to volunteer at your favorite beach or shoreline at sustainablebainbridge.org/event/beach-cleanup/. The site lists nearly 40 beaches, road ends and shorelines where you can volunteer.
Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome. Folks can participate by picking up litter along the shore, entering data into the Ocean Conservancy’s CleanSwell app, or helping along roadsides.
Road paving
Paving projects are slated to begin soon at the following locations:
Sportsman Club Road NE (High School Road NE to NE New Brooklyn Road)
NE Baker Hill Road (Lynwood Center Road NE to NE Blakely Heights Drive)
NE Lariat Loop
Paving work is anticipated to begin the week of Aug. 25 and be completed by mid-September. Drivers can expect one-lane closures with periodic flagging at all of these locations.
Crescendo recruiting
The vocal group, Crescendo, for adults and older teens starts its next session Sept. 22. There will be several special performances, ending with a public concert Dec. 15 at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church.
Rehearsals are 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mondays, at the Ovation Studio, 600 Ericksen Ave., Suite 103.
The fall repertoire includes seasonal and holiday favorites, standards, and pop. Group members range from skilled musicians to those who mainly learn by listening. Recorded tracks are provided for rehearsing at home. No audition is required.
The basic fee is $99. You can pay with a credit card online at ovationmtb.com/Crescendo or with a check, made payable to Ovation, or by credit card at your first rehearsal. Partial and full scholarships are available.
Crescendo is directed by Wendi Olinger with accompaniment by Elizabeth Faye. Olinger has been a music educator and church musician for more than 25 years, and Faye was music director for Ovation’s production of “Evita” and has accompanied for Ovation and Bainbridge Performing Arts shows.
Crescendo is part of Ovation Performing Arts Northwest, a nonprofit organization based on Bainbridge Island that produces shows and concerts and offers classes in theater arts and skills.
For questions, email crescendo@ovationmtb.com.
New history museum leader
The Kitsap History Museum board of trustees has announced the promotion of Lisa Hope, director of marketing and development, to executive director. She succeeds Jeff Coughlin, KHM’s board vice president, who has been serving in the position on an interim and voluntary basis.
Hope holds a master’s degree in Classical Archaeology and began her career at the British Museum. She spent two decades in the film industry, specializing in storytelling and production management, followed by 10 years in marketing. She has been with KHM since 2021, per a news release
Regarding her new position, Hope stated, “I’m excited to keep building on what we’ve started, am truly honored by the board’s trust, and so grateful to be part of a community that believes in the power of sharing the stories that bring us together.”
