Vandals hack park trees

Three trees were chopped down and obscene graffiti was spray painted on buildings and amenities at the children’s play area at Battle Point Park Tuesday night.

Three trees were felled, including two poplars at the north soccer field and an ornamental plum in a small memorial grove.Another poplar was “girdled,” the tree’s bark stripped away around the trunk to kill it.

Cleanup costs were estimated at $500, although one park official conceded that it was hard to place a value on mature trees.

“It’s amazing how much damage a person can do with a hatchet and a can of spray paint,” said Terry Lande, park director.

The vandalism was discovered by park patrons Wednesday morning, some of whom had gathered for a ceremonial check presentation for the ongoing Transmitter Building restoration.

Park maintenance workers covered the graffiti with black plastic until it could be documented by police and painted over, but not before it was seen by children in the play area and a group of day-campers nearby.

“It’s a sad day,” said Amy Curran, who helped build the KidsUp playground five years ago.

“It makes you sick,” agreed Bernadette Stephen-McRae, a parent active in the roller hockey program that uses the nearby rink.

It was the second recent incident of vandalism at the 90-acre park. Several days earlier, someone broke out two windows at the Transmitter Building, which currently is being fixed up for use as a children’s gymnasium.

But Lande said vandalism hasn’t been much of a problem at Battle Point or at other parks.

“By and large, most people respect our parks,” he said.

While Battle Point used to be among the island parks with an overnight caretaker on the grounds, the residence has been converted to a park office. The park gates have not been locked at night for several years.

“We haven’t had any problems,” he said. “This was a problem, but it could have happened with the gate locked.”

Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to call Bainbridge Police at 842-5211.

– Douglas Crist

Feds to match Clearpath fund

The U.S. State Department has announced it will match up to $60,000 in contributions made by any grassroots and private-sector donors to Clear Path International’s landmine accident survivor assistance work in central Vietnam.

The matching period will last at least through the rest of 2006. This means that contributions to Clear Path through the One Call All Campaign of the Bainbridge Foundation this fall, contributions made at Clear Path’s upcoming benefit event on November 5 or donations sent by mail or on the organization’s Web site will be eligible for the match from the State Department.

The dollar-for-dollar matching challenge was one of two grants for Clear Path International announced by the State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

The government agency said it would also contribute $75,000 toward Clear Path’s initiative to construct a rice production facility in Cambodia, where hundreds of landmine victims will learn farm-based skills in the coming years.

“This is very exciting news for us,” said Martha Hathaway, Clear Path’s executive director. “It’s the first time we have received assistance for our humanitarian work from the government.”

Since it was founded on Bainbridge Island in 2000, Clear Path International has assisted more than 3,000 landmine accident survivors in Vietnam, Cambodia and along the Thai-Burma border, and it has sent 60 containers of medical equipment and supplies to hospitals in 22 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

All that work during the past six years was funded by individual grassroots donors, charitable foundations, churches, businesses and service clubs, Hathaway said.

“The State Department’s announcement of the matching challenge recognizes the strength of our grassroots and foundation support,” she said. “Now, private-sector donors know their contributions will have an even greater impact because of the government match.”

The $75,000 grant for the Cambodia rice mill project does not require a match from private-sector contributors. The rice mill has already received major private-sector funding from the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis and the United Nations Association USA’s Adopt-A-Minefield program. To date, Clear Path has raised $280,000 of the $325,000 needed to complete the mills.

To make a contribution to Clear Path, see www.cpi.org.

Have a chat with Jay Inslee

Islanders have two opportunities to exchange ideas with U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, the 1st District Bainbridge Democrat who is seeking re-election to Congress.

Bay Hay and Feed will host a Hot Dog Roast and fund-raiser for Inslee and his Congressional campaign from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 13.

The community is invited and the hot dogs and music are free.

In a second event, Inslee will meet with “spiritual progressives” for a conversation on “Restoring Heartfelt American Values” from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Aug. 17 at Suquamish United Church of Christ.

Inslee will discuss “how we can win back our country this November from politicians who have succumbed to the old bottom line of power and money.”

The conversation and question-and-asnwer session is hosted by the Kitsap Network of Spiritual Progressives and the Rev. Tom Thresher.

The event welcomes members of liberal and progressive communities from throughout Kitsap County who “want to reverse the corrupting power of money in politics, end our tragic war, work for social and economic justice, use renewable energy, reverse our addiction to oil, embrace stewardship for the earth, work for a better future for generations to come and press for a new bottom line based on true and heartfelt American values,” organizers said.

The event is not a fund-raiser. For information, call Barry Peters at 963-7701 or see www.spiritual progressives.org.

Last chance to rock the dock

Washington State Ferries will present its final concert of the summer at 7:30 p.m. August 12 on Pier 52 in the Bainbridge holding lanes.

The concert features local band 3D playing rhythm and blues and dance classics from the ’60s through the ’90s.

“Folks are pleasantly surprised when they see that we’ve turned the north holding lot into a concernt venue,” said Traci Brewer-Rogstad, director of Marine Operations at WSF. “During the last two concerts, it’s been fun to see people coming off the ferry stop and listen to the music.”

Concert-goers are advised to arrive early for the show, which ends at 10 p.m. Seating is limited and guests are welcome to bring their own chairs.

Food is available for purchase from the terminal’s Upper Deck vendors. Discount coupons will be given out the night of the concert. Northwest Harvest will accept monetary donations.

For information see www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.