Examiner curbs dock

The contested expansion of the Seattle Yacht Club outstation on Port Madison Bay was approved, with some modification, by the city’s Hearings Examiner this week.

The SYC had proposed a number of upgrades, including modifications of moorage slips to allow larger vessels and establishing a small boat sailing program for children.

The club also planned to undertake several projects on the property’s upland portion, including a new caretaker garage, parking lot expansion and landscaping.

Some neighbors objected, saying the project would bring too much marine traffic into the bay.

They also charged that the SYC was converting the 56-year-old outstation into a resort-style facility with increased noise and auto and pedestrian traffic in the Spargur Loop neighborhood.

In her decision, Hearing Examiner Meredith Getches affirmed earlier city approval of the SYC’s permits.

Getches made one significant modification, however, directing the SYC to reduce the length of its main dock by 20 feet “as a necessary mitigation measure.”

“A dock of that size could still be appropriate for a sailing program and the smaller size would accomplish a net decrease in overwater coverage…and dictate a smaller class size that, in turn, would help reduce traffic impact,” Getches wrote in her decision.

Opponents of the expansion have a month to appeal Getches’ decision with the state Shorelines Hearings Board.

– Tristan Baurick

Put the kids on the bus

The state’s school bus ridership count begins Monday, and Bainbridge school officials ask parents to put their kids on the bus throughout the week.

Transportation funding is determined by the number of students who get on the bus each morning between Sept. 25 and 29.

If a child who normally rides the bus doesn’t do so during the official count week, the school district will not receive transportation funding for that student this year.

Officials are asking parents of bus riders to help ensure an accurate count – and optimal funding from the state – by making sure their child rides the bus each day next week.

Inslee’s bill gains strength

The House Resources Committee will hold hearings Thursday on a dozen bills, including one authored by panel member U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Bainbridge Democrat, that would add a memorial for Japanese Americans interned during World War II to the national park system.

Located at the former Eagledale Ferry Dock, the memorial marks the site from which the first Japanese Americans in the nation were sent to internment camps in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 and Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1.

The 227 island residents initially were taken to the Manzanar Relocation Center in California and then transferred to the Minidoka Relocation Center in 1943.

“Our community has moved mountains to make the memorial a reality and Congress is taking notice,” said Inslee, who lives on Bainbridge and won nine new supporters of his bill since last week. “We still have hard work ahead of us to get park designation, but our chances improve as more members learn the story of this historic site.”

On July 17, Inslee filed his Bainbridge Island National Monument Act, H.R. 5817, with U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho.

It would codify into law the results of an Interior Department study released last May by making the Bainbridge location a satellite site of the Minidoka Internment National Monument, which is in Simpson’s congressional district. Last week, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, Washington state Democrats, introduced the same legislation in the Senate.

After the House Resources Committee hearing on Inslee’s legislation, the bill likely will be slated for additional scrutiny and a vote by the panel during a session scheduled for the last week of September. The panel also could release the bill in its current form for consideration on the House floor.

Fiesta honors Ometepe visit

The community is invited to celebrate the Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Islands connection at a gathering from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23 at Sakai Intermediate School.

In attendance will be 15 representatives from Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua, thanks to contributions to One Call For All, said Kim Esterberg of the Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Islands Association.

“Since our connections with Ometepe are very broad, we have invited people from all over the island, teachers, students, farmers, nurses and doctors,” Esterberg said.

“Over the two weeks that (the visitors from Ometepe) are with us, they will meet many Bainbridge Islanders and have a few of our island experiences, like a trip to the aquarium and to Hurricane Ridge.”

Saturday night, he added, “We will kick up our heels and celebrate 20 years of this very special relationship. There will be great food to eat, a wonderful band to play and the introduction of our guests.”

Donations to the “reverse piñata” are welcome. Information: kim@bosia.org.

Conference targets wildlife

The 6th Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Sept. 30 at IslandWood.

The theme is “Wildlife and Their Island Habitat: What Animals Live on BI and How Do We All Live Together?”

The registration fee is $20 before Sept. 25 and $30 after, space permitting. A continental breakfast and lunch are included in the fee.

Register online at www.islandwood.org or bring a check to BILT’s office, 221 Winslow Way, between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily. Call 842-1216 for information.

The conference is sponsored by ABC, ABC Conservation/Education Foundation, Bainbridge Island Land Trust, IslandWood, the City of Bainbridge Island and the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District.

Chamber sets ‘After Hours’

The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce is welcoming fall with community offerings.

The September After Hours will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Bainbridge Island Best Western Suites, the host of the free event.

The hotel is located on High School Road. No reservations are necessary and the public is welcome.

The Bainbridge Community School Program – sponsored by the chamber and geared to adult learners – is accepting applications for its upcoming evening classes.

The program offers computer, language and special interest classes from fall to spring at Bainbridge High School.

The fall session runs from Oct. 4 through Nov. 29. The classes are two to 16 hours long and are taught by local experts. Prices range from $75 to $95.

To register for a class or to find out more information about the school program or the After Hours, see www.bainbridgechamber.com or call 842-3700.

McMurray joins Trust

Brenda McMurray recently was named the Bainbridge Island Land Trust’s first stewardship coordinator.

McMurray has more than 20 years’ experience in natural resource, community engagement and public relations, including involvement with the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the local and state Audubon Society and the Watershed Information Center in Yakima. Most recently, she served as public information manager for Educational Service District 105.

McMurray will oversee the Land Trust’s Stewardship Program, which involves annual monitoring of its 40 conservation easements.

As stewardship coordinator, her primary duties will include coordinating volunteers, organizing site visits and assisting with mapping and photo documentation of current easement properties.

“We are excited to have someone with Brenda’s background and expertise overseeing our growing Stewardship Program,” Executive Director Karen Molinari said. “Our goal is to offer more support to landowners who have donated conservation easements.”