The Bainbridge Island City Council rejected a proposed grant application that would fund construction of a new permanent stage at Waterfront Park at its Nov. 18 meeting.

The proposal was supported by Bainbridge Community Piano Association, Arts and Humanities Bainbridge, and Bainbridge Creative District. If approved, BCD would have applied for the ArtsWA Capital grant of up to $50,000. The proposal did not request city funding and would require additional fundraising, per city documents. The stage would’ve been intended to replace the previous “boat stage” roughly 10 years ago at Waterfront Park.

Council voted 4-2 against the proposal. Councilmembers Jon Quitslund and Leslie Schneider were the only votes in favor of the motion. Councilmember Joe Deets was absent.

“That is what should be happening. I do find it very regrettable that this is at the last minute. Planning and grant applications should start early and end after the necessary steps have been taken, and we are, I think, under pressure here. This is not our regular process,” Quitslund said.

Schneider said she supported the proposal because the previous stage was well-liked by the community, adding, “this is about applying for a grant. If we had to move the location of it, I’m guessing we could probably do that. So I’m not advocating for more process on this one,” she said.

Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki said he’s concerned about the project’s hurried timeline and lack of public input.

“I think (it’s) inappropriate to already say that we want a permanent physical structure of some type. And this is the first I’ve heard about it, certainly the first (the) public’s heard about it…There’s got to be some public input, whether it’s a good idea, and I really am concerned about the deadline. I mean…the 20th is just a couple of days away,” he said.

Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos shared her support for a future venue in Waterfront Park; however, she highlighted concerns around the speed of the project, among other things.

“We need to just identify if there’s any issues. So this particular grant may be lost, but this is not an emergency like a health and safety issue. It probably should be another year and not this grant,” she said.

City manager Blair King said it’s up to the council’s discretion how they choose to respond to community groups. King said there is a future arts and humanities report, which advocates for outdoor venues on BI.

“The Metro Park District has a venue for musical performances in the city of Bainbridge Island. So the question is, what type of music venues do you need, and is there a better way to coordinate that between the sister agency of Parks and Recreation, although one could say that waterfront is a traditional location for a music gazebo,” he said.

Council also approved additional funding for the community art program “Something New,” authorizing an additional $2,425 per year to $30,075, which would be provided from existing appropriations to the Public Art Subfund for the remaining two years in the approved program, per city documents. AHB would use these funds to manage and market the program. No additional locations have been approved, and the total remains at the five previously approved locations through June 2028, per city documents.