What do a teacher, business owner, engineer, lawyer, construction worker and biochemist have in common? They are all volunteer firefighters in the Bainbridge Island Fire Department. Thus, while the careers held by our volunteers are very diverse, our volunteers are united by their motivation of service to the community.
On Bainbridge Island, it’s water, water everywhere. But is it quality and not polluted, polluted everyplace? And what about the quality and quantity of the island’s groundwater? What is its recharge rate? Such questions – and many, many more – are at the heart of the ongoing pilot study of the city’s water resources.
Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God.
I spent a recent weekend on the seashore in Westport, Wash. It’s easy to forget the allure of the pure Pacific Ocean, living here on Bainbridge Island on a salt water sound, or bay or harbor or canal.
City
Picking Blackberries yesterday and falling into the brambles, I thought of the mighty effort I had taken for a blackberry pie.
By renovating the old and building anew, Bill Nelson and other business people have embarked on a plan that may eventually turn Lynwood Center into a bustling community village (see page 5). It’s an ambitious endeavor, especially considering today’s economy. If successful, there will be a huge impact on the island’s south end as it is transformed into the first full-service commercial center outside of Winslow.
The other day I helped my son Adam move into the house he will be occupying this year with six other Gonzaga University sophomores, and the experience was an interesting case study in nonlinear behavior. By way of example, if you or I bought a bookshelf kit and brought it home and emptied the contents of the kit on our living room floors, we would probably feel inclined to put the kit together to get it out of the middle of our living room floor. We might even fill the bookcase with books, which, presumably, is the reason we bought the thing in the first place. I learned last week that neither my son nor any of his roommates are afflicted with such traditional notions of linear behavior.
More than 100 island property owners attended an event Saturday featuring Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery, who explained why the county’s latest land assessments took what many considered to be astronomical increases over the previous year. The emotions of those attending the meeting at the Commons generally ranged from angry to frustrated or to just plain confused.
Balgue, Aug. 2, 10:45 a.m.
As fortunate as we are to live on this beautiful island, Bainbridge isn’t immune from national economic downturns. And as taxpayers we aren’t immune from the fear that local government will run up excessive debt, as the federal government has over the past eight years.
For 11 years, Judy Hartstone has been the driving force behind PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society), the nonprofit organization that is a savior for Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap cats and dogs in need. Unfortunately, she’ll be leaving her job as executive director and the island later this year for a destination yet to be determined. She’s calling it a sabbatical.
(On Aug. 27) the mayor and her City Council came together and plunged the city $1.7 million further into debt. Prior to the council’s vote, many members of the public, including several financial experts, urged the city to reduce its expenses rather than issue more debt. The council ignored the community’s concerns and immediately voted to increase the amount of debt requested by the mayor. After months of divided votes on budget issues, the council was united in its thirst for more money no matter what the cost.
