Rec center finalized
The formal sale of Bainbridge Athletic Club to the BI’s Metro Park & Recreation District was due to be finalized this week.
The facility plans to reopen to the public Sept. 7 as the BI Recreation Center. To celebrate, all islanders will enjoy a week of free access to all of the facilities.
A chance to ask staff questions about the facility and its programming will be part of an Open House Oct. 2.
Sustainable Transportation
The next Sustainable Transportation Task Force meeting will be Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Preliminary results of the task force scoring of projects, programs and policies will be shared — which will help with development of walking, biking and transit networks on Bainbridge Island.
The Sustainable Transportation Plan was initiated by the City Council in 2019 to identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over 19 months the task force has worked with the community along with Kitsap Transit, Ferries, state transportation, Puget Sound Energy, park and school districts, and members of the city’s Planning Department, Planning Commission and Climate Change Advisory Committee.
Work has included: Best practices research, goals and objectives identified, existing transportation systems and policies inventoried and mapped, gaps in transportation network identified and projects, programs and policies identified to fill gaps in networks.
For details go to www.bainbridgewa.gov/1155.
5 locals run
Five runners from Bainbridge Island will participate in the New York City Marathon.
Nicole Sanislo, Stacey Stoner, Michael Cyger, Matt Longmire and Jamie Colbourne will participate on Team Korey, a charity partner of the event.
“As a father, I hold a special appreciation in my heart for those that strive to help children and their families. I’m proud to run for Team Korey and I hope the funds I raise along the way help fulfill that mission,” Longmire said.
Sanislo said she found her inspiration from her cousin, whose daughter went to Camp Korey for many years, and this year was a volunteer.
The Charity Partner Program offers an opportunity for nonprofits to raise funds to support their missions and services. Participating charities can offer guaranteed entry to runners who fundraise on their behalf.
Camp Korey provides year-round programming for children living with life-altering medical issues in an environment with specialized medical support. Located in Mount Vernon, Camp Korey serves youth ages 7-18 and their and families with over 35 medical conditions, always 100% free of charge.
Work parties
The Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District has launched a new Conservation Work Parties series, tackling the creeping scourge of ivy and other invasive species.
Second Saturdays monthly, volunteers will visit a different park and bring down nuisance vines, uproot Scotchbroom and perform other ecological restoration.
Conservation Work Parties mark a return — and expansion — of volunteer activity in island parks, after a year lost to COVID-19.
The district’s monthly Trails Work Parties are also back, focused on trail construction and maintenance in various parks, every fourth Saturday.
Several neighborhood parks are also getting renewed attention. Red Pine Park in Winslow hosts a volunteer work party every second Tuesday. Moritani Preserve has a longstanding volunteer group working there every third Thursday, and more volunteers are sought.
The park district hopes to expand the programs further with “super volunteers” who, after training, can steward their favorite parks and eventually lead volunteer events of their own. The training program is still under development, with a spring rollout hoped for.
Participants must register for each event, be prepared to respond to a COVID questionnaire before participating, and provide proof of vaccination or mask up.
For details, email morganhouk@biparks.org
Bloedel walks
Strolls for Well-Being is a free seasonal program at Bloedel Reserve that immerses its participants in nature through a series of 12 self-guided walks.
Each walk is built around a theme such as joy, awareness or gratitude, and the walks are keyed to various locations around the Reserve. After attending a mandatory Orientation Zoom meeting and receiving Strolls instructions and a guidebook, participants complete their walks during open hours as their own schedules permit.
Registration for September Strolls sessions is now open. Participants receive a complimentary six-month membership to Bloedel Reserve. Donations to Bloedel help keep the program free.
Park portraits
Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation is having a Portraits in the Park fundraiser.
For $150, families can have their photos taken Sept. 18-19 from 1-7 p.m.
Proceeds benefit parks and trails. For details go to www.biparksfoundation.org/portraits
Event canceled
The Sept. 4 Open House has been canceled due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and community concerns.
The event will be rescheduled to spring, said Steve Tremble, executive director, Bainbridge Schools Foundation.
Jobless down
During the week of Aug. 15-21, there were 5,357 initial regular unemployment claims, down 3.1% from the prior week.
Total claims filed by Washingtonians for all unemployment benefit categories numbered 275,558, down 3.5% from the prior week. Initial regular claims applications are 71% below weekly new claims applications for the same period last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-week moving average for regular initial claims was 5,306, an increase of 201 from the previous week. During the same time in 2019, it was 5,194.
Decreases in layoffs in agriculture and construction contributed to a decrease of 171 regular initial claims.
There was a decrease in the combined total of initial claims and continued or ongoing claims for all benefits—which include regular unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
Federal pandemic benefits programs, including PUA and PEUC as well as the additional $300 per week, are set to expire the week ending Sept. 4. Learn more at esd.wa.gov/covid-19.
In the week ending Aug. 21, ESD paid out over $164 million for 204,343 individual claims. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, ESD has paid more than $20.9 billion in benefits to over 1.1 million Washingtonians.
