Interim pastor named

The Rev. Tim Mattison has been named interim pastor at Bainbridge First Baptist Church.

Mattison is a graduate of Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma and took his doctoral studies at Clark Summit Theological Seminary in Clark Summit, PA. In addition to pastoring churches in Ohio, Michigan and Washington, he also served as a U.S. Army chaplain and deployed with an infantry unit in Afghanistan in 2004-05.

He also was involved in a TV ministry for nine years with “Ask the Pastor”, a program dedicated to answering questions about the Bible and the Christian life, which broadcast live in 150 countries over the TCT Network.

Mattison said, “Kathy and I eagerly look forward to serving this wonderful congregation and becoming a part of community life on Bainbridge Island.”

Underground power line meeting

An online community information session on an underground transmission line will take place from 5-6 p.m. Aug. 16.

RSVP via psebainbridge.participate.online. The city recommends you add the event to your calendar through Zoom’s confirmation email since each participant will be given a unique link to access the meeting.

Puget Sound Energy is planning a line from Murden Cove to the Winslow substation to reduce power outages. PSE held a feedback period on potential route options; it received 106 submissions. PSE plans to decide by fall the best option.

However, PSE also heard that many people are interested in a transmission line being underground. This online meeting is in response to inform the public about trade-offs. Attendees will be able to submit questions.

Reduce garbage

Bainbridge Island city manager Blair King said the city is working on cleaning up downtown.

Public Works is looking into adding more trash receptacles, King said.

“We are also looking for ways to work with Winslow-area businesses to reduce the volume of trash” in public bins, he said, adding they could put more bins in the businesses themselves or reduce their packaging and throwaway materials.

Trash is picked up three times a day on weekends to deal with those crowds.

The city prefers Bigbelly solar-powered trash receptacles. There are nine Bigbelly receptacles and two more on order. They have a solar panel that powers a trash compactor, which accommodates more trash than the average garbage can. They often have a receptacle for recyclables. Newer ones are hands-free and can remotely inform operators they need emptying.

New HR director

Denise Greer joins Kitsap County as its new director of the Department of Human Resources.

She is a former assistant chief civil deputy prosecutor for Pierce County and most recently served as senior labor relations analyst with Pierce County Human Resources. A graduate of Washington State University, she also attended the University of Puget Sound Law School (now Seattle University School of Law) and worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County.

Greer joins Human Resources and its 12 staff members who provide services to Kitsap County government’s roughly 1,120 employees.

Local scholars

William (Will) Sewell, a 2019 Bainbridge High School graduate, was awarded a Faculty of Science Undergraduate Prize for 2020-21 at the University of Bristol (UK), where he is studying geography. He is spending the school year on an exchange program at the Institute for Alpine Urbanism and Geography at l’Université Grenoble Alpes in southeast France.

Park commissioner

Asaph Glosser has been appointed to serve on the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District’s Board of Commissioners in Position 5.

Glosser and his family are active users of district parks and programming. He said he wants to give back to a public organization vital to the community. Glosser’s community involvement includes multiple advisory committees for the city. Professionally, he helps lead a small social policy research organization that conducts evaluation and policy research for federal, state, local, tribal and nonprofit clients. His focus is increasing well-being and economic mobility for low-income people.

The other commissioners appointed Asaph to serve through Dec. 31. Position 5 has been vacated by two previous resignations. Whoever is elected Nov. 2 will serve through 2023.

Watershed walk

City staff will lead a walk on a 2-mile route through the Manzanita watershed Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. in support of the Watershed Assessment of Manzanita, a project to design and implement stormwater improvements.

The walk will showcase some of the recent successes while highlighting future challenges facing the aquatic habitat of Manzanita Creek. Participants will visit an inactive gravel mine, wetlands, fish passable culverts and stormwater ponds. They will learn about recent legislation regarding streamflow restoration and how the city is using federal grant money to fund projects that address a disrupted hydrologic cycle.

The walk is mainly on quiet roads and trails but also crosses a busy road. Participants will be asked to fill out a waiver prior to participating. Due to social distancing and road crossings, the tour will be capped at 10 participants.

To RSVP or learn more email Christian Berg, Water Resources technician, at cberg@bainbridgewa.gov or go to www.bainbridgewa.gov/WAM.

New permit

The Bainbridge Island Building Department is now offering a new permit for residential alterations to allow a more efficient way to apply for this kind of work.

If you have a residential alteration or remodel project that is only on the interior and does not involve going outside the existing footprint or raising roof lines you can get a “Residential Alteration Subject to Field Inspection.” Examples include: Kitchen remodel, moving appliances around in the space; adding a beam to eliminate posts; interior space remodel; moving or deleting walls; reconfiguring bedrooms; and bathroom remodel.

These permits do not require an appointment and do not have as many requirements due to the simplicity of the work. The city eliminated some reviews and submittal requirements. The goal is to have a permit issued within five days, compared to an average of 11 weeks.

For details go to: www.bainbridgewa.gov/154.

Project resumes

Drivers along Eagle Harbor Drive, from McDonald Avenue to the shoreline segment, should again see construction activity as work on the Phase 2 Non-motorized Improvements Project has resumed.

Staff paused work last month to redesign the bike lanes. The new design will include physical separation of the bike lanes on both sides of Eagle Harbor Drive along most of the segment. The revised design includes a wide northbound separation at the curve near McDonald Avenue with features to provide a safe and comfortable facility for users of all ages.

Correction

Oliver Daemen is Dutch. His last name and nationality were incorrect in the July 30 Review story on the Blue Origin launch.