Improvements and programming at Suyematsu Farms, a culturally valuable property in the center of Bainbridge Island that encapsulates many eras of history, will now be up to a group of community organizations.

The Bainbridge Island City Council unanimously approved a 15-year public-private management agreement with the Suyematsu Farm Legacy Alliance (SFLA), a coalition of six island-based social and agricultural entities, at its Nov. 18 meeting.

For the duration of the contract, SFLA groups will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the property, and will have full access to “occupy, rehabilitate, manage, repair, program and improve the historic property,” per the council’s memorandum.

“I think we are all enthusiastic about recommending this agreement to council,” said city manager Blair King. “[The SFLA] is a group that has been focused laser-like on this project — they don’t have another agenda, they don’t have another objective.”

The SFLA is comprised of the Suyematsu family, the Suyematsu & Bentryn Family Farmers Guild, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC), the Indipino community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity, the Bainbridge Historical Preservation Community, and the EduCulture & “Only What We Can Carry” Project.

The SFLA coalesced in 2023, offering to manage the 5.1-acre site to city council with a focus on educational programming for youth and adults and interpret the history of the Japanese American experience on Bainbridge Island, while remaining an active agricultural site.

The council allowed the SFLA to begin restoring the farmhouse on the site in a one-year agreement, while it sought additional funding for continued management. The group ended up securing $120,000 in state funding.

“The fact that they’ve secured a substantial amount of funding from the state shows us that there’s energy behind this,” said deputy mayor Jon Quitslund. “I hope they’ll allow volunteers to be involved […] I’d love to be there to wax a brush, and that sort of thing.”