News Briefs | Around the Island, Dec. 17

Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council is seeking out submissions for the 2009 Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival.

Celluloid BI seeks films

Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council is seeking out submissions for the 2009 Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival.

The annual event is a tribute to the cinematic accomplishments of islanders past and present.

Submissions are open for all movies, documentaries or cinematic art pieces that have some past or present island connection.

The local tie-in can be anything from topic, cast or crew members, or location.

The deadline for 2009 film festival submissions is Friday, Jan. 16.

An application for submissions will be posted on the BIAHC website by the end of the week (www.artshum.org). Call 842-7901 for more information.

The festival will take place Sunday, March 15.

Clinic adds family doctor

Virginia Mason Medical Center has hired three new physicians in a variety of specialties, including a family medicine practitioner at Virginia Mason Winslow.

Dr. Catherine Edwards, who is currently working at the Winslow clinic, received her medical school training from the University of Washington.

She completed her residency in family medicine at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

The hospital also has hired Dr. James Lee, whose specialty is cardiology, and Dr. Pedro Trujillo, whose specialty is rheumatology.

Lee is working at Virginia Mason’s Seattle Main Campus, while Trujillo will be practicing at Virginia Mason Federal Way beginning in January.

Parfitt Inn progresses

Island gardener Junkoh Harui, ever the entrepreneur, was working on expanding his enterprise up until his passing this year.

Parfitt Inn and Gardens, a mixed-use inn and condominium development, was proposed by Harui before his death in October.

Island architect Sean Parker, who worked with Harui to design most of the building, is currently waiting out the planning and permitting process at the city level before moving forward with the project.

“Chris (Junkoh’s wide) has taken things over now,” Parker said. “We let the thing lie towards the end of his life, but we had got the big decisions out of the way. He knew it was underway and knew it would go through.”

The development will rest on the corner of Parfitt Avenue and Wood Avenue and will include a 16-room inn and 12 multi-family condo units.

Design plans have been submitted to the city and are expected to receive a determination of non-significance relating to environmental impact.

Parker hopes that the permitting process will be completed in January so the project could possibly get under way in 2009.

He also said some sort of tribute to Harui may be added to the final design before construction begins.

“I assume that we will do something, but we’re not quite sure what that will be yet,” Parker said.

Some tricky snow business

The police are treating a Tuesday school delay as a suspicious criminal matter.

The delay, which set back all school start times by two hours, was caused by a large patch of ice that was discovered early Tuesday morning at the district’s bus barn.

The ice patch spread from New Brooklyn Road and up a steep incline into the sheltered bus area.

“Our transportation supervisor went into the office at 5 a.m. and found the bus area covered in ice,” said district spokesperson Pam Keyes. “Someone had entered at some point in the night because there wasn’t any ice last night and it didn’t rain.”

According to Bainbridge police Lt. Sue Shultz, the incident is being investigated as a criminal matter.

Schools began two hours after their usual start time and there were no morning kindergarten or preschool programs on Tuesday.