A local association hopes to build a visitor’s center at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

But it needs water for drinking and fire protection.

At the July 11 City Council meeting, it endorsed a request for the water connection. The BIJAEMA has asked the Kitsap Public Facilities District for funding for the connection. Design of the visitor center is nearly complete, but there is no water service within a quarter mile. Service will cost up to $250,000. Developing a new well or tapping into the city’s water line are not viable options, the city agenda says.

The memorial has been in development since 2002. Its Story Wall was dedicated in 2011, followed by the Departure Deck in 2020 and interpretive artwork on the deck in 2022. The memorial attracts more than 10,000 unique visitors each year from all over the world. The budget for the project is $5 million.

The visitor center will feature a green roof to blend into the landscape and an outdoor amphitheater to maximize public space. The primary use of the center will be as a meeting space for tour groups, including schools from Kitsap County and beyond. The space is designed with flexibility in mind and will host exhibits from the BI Historical Museum. It will operate with limited hours. City manager Blair King noted that KPFD is funding projects in Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bremerton, so BI is the only incorporated city in Kitsap without such funding.

The council also discussed the city’s lodging tax.

King said the main change is the start a scoring criteria to help make the process more fair. Scoring on the 100-point scale would be weighted toward the city’s values. For example, a request for lodging tax money that is innovative could receive up to 5 points, while a project that increases tourism could get up to 25 points. Other criteria include: clear goals to increase tourism; increasing tourism during the offseason from Oct. 1 to Memorial Day; a history of success; cooperation with others; capital projects; and aligning with city goals such as climate-friendly, equity and inclusion, and sustainable transportation.

The city plans to award $400,000 in 2024, $50,000 more than each of the last two years. The funds come from a 4% tax on overnight lodging on BI. The fund balance is over $500,000. This year, the city awarded 13 organizations from $4,000 to $101,000. Changes this year say amounts need to be from a low of $5,000 to a high of $200,000. Funds go to the city or nonprofits, not businesses or individuals.

Ellen Schroer, deputy city manager, said awardees are held accountable with the contract made with the city, along with a state report that’s filed annually and the city audit. She also said board members are needed.

During public comments, chamber president Stefan Goldby said the lodging tax generates $11 million for the local economy. “That should be seen as a win in anyone’s book.” Christine Cochran said she supports the measuring stick for tax dollars, and it should be used for all areas, not just the lodging tax.