Neighborhood trail
The new Arbor Trail, linking Dolphin Drive/Agate Loop with West Port Madison Road, was celebrated Feb. 1 as the first pedestrian connection between the two neighborhoods.
The winding wooded trail, one-half mile in length, is a partnership of the Parks & Trails Foundation and Bloedel Reserve. It is the first of four new trails to be completed under the foundation’s Trails Connect BI campaign. Bloedel granted an easement along its west boundary. The trail was named to honor the Arbor Foundation, the Reserve’s original funder when it opened to the public as a nonprofit public garden in 1988.
The trail has been transferred to the BI Metro Park & Recreation District for maintenance.
“These neighborhoods, West Port Madison and Agate Loop, have always been back-to-back as the crow flies but never linked safely by foot,” said Mary Meier, foundation executive director. “The Arbor Trail opens up great new opportunities for safe, healthy walks in all seasons.
Ferry sale
Washington State Ferries completed the sale of the Elwha, a retired vessel, to Everett Ship Repair for about $100,000 Jan. 30.
The Elwha is one of three defunct vessels that WSF is hoping to offload from its Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island. The state agency is still seeking a buyer for the other two, the Klahowya and Hyak, after a deal fell through with an international buyer last September.
Once a 144-car ferry serving the Anacortes-San Juan-British Columbia route, the Elwha saw over 50 years of service before retiring in 2020. Everett Ship Repair plans to renovate the boat for a new life in public service as a floating office and warehouse.
“The Elwha has been part of Washington State Ferry history since 1968, and we’re excited to see one of our ferries with so much history and memories for millions of passengers is being repurposed locally,” WSF assistant secretary Steve Nevey said. “It won’t be the Elwha we’ve all come to know and appreciate, but I’m confident it’s in good hands with a local shipyard.”
Whooping cough
Whooping cough is spreading this winter, the Kitsap Public Health District reported in a news release.
Hit hard have been schools and sports teams.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious illness. People should stay home from work or school and avoid others when sick.
Lynn Pittsinger, director of Community Health for KPHD, said, “Whooping cough is of special concern because it can cause dangerous breathing problems for babies and young children.”
About one-third of infants who get whooping cough need treatment in a hospital. Antibiotics can prevent people who are sick from spreading the bacteria to others.
Ferries forum
Washington State Ferries is having online forums to answer questions at noon Feb. 12 and 6 p.m. Feb. 13.
WSF also will provide the latest information on service restoration, building new ferries, electrification of new boats and the legislative session.
Prior registration is required.
Bridge delays
The state Department of Transportation will be working on Agate Pass Bridge, causing up to 30-minute delays.
Cleaning work will take place Feb. 18-21 while inspection work will be Feb. 24-27. The times are from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Open house
Friends of the Farm is having an Open House Feb. 8 at Highway 305 and Lovgreen Road on Bainbridge.
The event is to show their reHome affordable housing project that includes satellite bedrooms for new farmers and interns. They are made of repurposed materials. Residents can use the Morales farmhouse for kitchen and living space.
The event is from 1-3 p.m. at 8862 NE Lovgreen Road.
Award ceremonies
Award ceremonies for Bainbridge Island Poet of the Year, Nancy Rekow Memorial Award and Lifetime Achievement of Bainbridge Poetry will be held Feb. 13 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Eagle Harbor Books in Winslow.
Vehicular assault
A 19-year-old man is facing a vehicular assault charge following a rollover collision that left a 21-year-old passenger hospitalized Feb. 1 on Gunderson Road in North Kitsap.
Kitsap County sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene around 4:30 a.m. The driver was able to free himself, but a passenger trapped inside was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, per the sheriff’s office.
The driver was treated for minor injuries before deputies booked him into the county jail in Port Orchard. A portable breath test sample measured his blood alcohol level at .199, more than twice the legal limit, per KCSO.
The driver admitted he was speeding when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road, causing him to lose control and roll the 2015 Honda Accord. The driver of another vehicle said he witnessed the Honda pass his vehicle at about 80 mph in a 40 mph zone just before the collision, KCSO says.
Injury accident
A 73-year-old woman was transported to a hospital after having a medical emergency while driving on Highway 3 near Austin Drive in Bremerton Jan. 27 at 4:11 p.m.
The woman, from San Bernadino, CA, left the road and struck a cable barrier. The vehicle continued, crossing over all lanes of traffic into a ditch.
She was transported to St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale.
