‘SeeStack’ tower would give unique panorama of Bainbridge Island

The Sakai SeeStack would soar 94 feet into the Bainbridge sky “to see above the trees, to peek at our neighboring peaks and to look deep into the Salish Sea.”

Dreamers, height seekers, lovers of the sea: Matt Carrig has a proposal for all of you.

The freelance designer (who also buses tables at Restaurant Marché) wants to construct the perfect panorama by way of an island observation tower.

The Sakai SeeStack, as he’s titled it, would soar 94 feet into the Bainbridge sky “to see above the trees, to peek at our neighboring peaks and to look deep into the Salish Sea.”

Carrig unveiled his idea at a recent planning meeting for the eventual development of the Bainbridge park district’s Sakai property on Madison Avenue. The proposal takes advantage of Sakai’s — relative to the island — high elevation: 200 feet. Enough to get an unobstructed view, Carrig said.

But on a recent surveying trip to the high school’s grandstands, and after consulting topographical maps, he discovered a slight snafu: “I don’t think it’s going to be high enough to get above the treeline, so either the tower itself needs to be moved to a slightly higher place on the island or it will just need to be made higher,” Carrig explained.

The park district’s Hilltop property could meet the criteria, if not for a bigger problem.

The rammed earth and recycled steel construction, as proposed, is way too tall for city regulations. Rules on building heights max out at 40 feet, and the SeeStack is supposed to be more than twice that, which means its only chance at creation is through major modifications to the municipal code.

Carrig is not naive about the obstacle there. He realizes the idea is a long shot, which is why he wants to give the public the opportunity to voice its support.

“If magically, miraculously, this project moves forward, it is certain to be a huge undertaking,” he said. “It must be a concerted effort.”

He’s in the process of recruiting a local architect to come on board, as well as other organizations that could lend strategic aid.

Then beyond, lay campaigning and financing — ideally from individual donations.

Carrig said he doesn’t want another bond measure to pay for the project; he wants a barn-raising.

If possible, Carrig would like to preserve the tower’s original size. The figure, 94 feet, is symbolic: it’s two times 47, the latitude of Bainbridge and Seattle.

Also, four times 23.5, the axial tilt of SpaceShip Earth.

For perspective, this would be one-third the size of the tallest-known Douglas fir and one-sixth the size of the Space Needle.

Other details of the design worth mentioning: Carrig calls for an external “helical” staircase and an internal lift “to serve elders, the disabled and the dispirited.”

Rather than rely on traditional cables overhead or piston-powered hydraulics below, the lift would propel itself with an onboard drivetrain, fueled in part by tower-top solar panels.

The deck of the tower, which would “crown the pillar” at 86 feet, would have a wide railing adorned with educational plaques, on topics such as geologic history, geography, weather, tides, flora and fauna and visible landmarks.

But that could all get changed in the collaborative design process Carrig envisions.

Or never come to pass, if the proposal gets no traction.

Either way, Carrig will be fine.

“I’m not determined to see it built,” he said of the tower.

He’s just happy to get people talking.

“My hope is that this exciting ‘what if’ idea awakens a local dialogue, stoking the fire for more atypical ambitions of public infrastructure,” he said.

To learn more about Carrig’s proposal, contact him at seestack@gmail.com.