A civic century to celebrate
It was 100 years ago last January that the Ford Model T was introduced, the first Mother’s Day was observed and a small fishing village boasting the charms of Scandinavia made its debut to the world as an incorporated city, holding its inaugural council meeting in the offices of the Herald.
With a new city hall and comprehensive plan in the works, the city of Poulsbo began a year of celebrating its century milestone, remembering the past and looking forward to the future.
As Poulsbo’s government approached 2008, Poulsbo Mayor Kathryn Quade said it would benefit from the 100 years of knowledge and efforts from all who’ve worked to make Little Norway what it is today.
“It’s a wonderful synergy,” she said, adding as the city celebrates past milestones while moving toward “future dreams,” citizens “can come together in a real home-style way.”
And come together they did, from an opening gala Jan. 12 to a closing gala in December, and at several celebrations in between.
Poulsbo detective resigns amid investigation of wrongdoing
Poulsbo police detective Grant Romaine resigned after an internal investigation report surfaced revealing he allegedly abused his police authority.
The report stated he indulged in actions of harassment toward women, lying on the job and surfing law enforcement databases for personal searches.
The investigation began Sept. 19, 2007 at the request of former Poulsbo interim chief Jake Evans, and was conducted by the Bremerton Police Department.
Romaine was placed on administrative leave Oct. 8, 2007, and resigned one month later. PPD chief Dennis Swiney said no criminal charges were filed. The resignation was not forced, nor was it an admission of guilt, he said.
The 61-page in depth report prepared by the Bremerton police was released by the city in January and contained findings of Romaine’s usage of the Internet and police databases, as well as accounts of several police officers questioning his integrity.
Accounts of alleged unsolicited and overbearing pursuits of women dated back a decade, and dozens of names were listed as subjects of unauthorized searches, including the names of relatives, a former girlfriend and coworkers.
At the time Poulsbo Mayor Kathryn Quade said at high value for the city was maintaining good service and leadership, and it will “continue to strive to have the best police force possible.”
Precious property for sale stirs up citizen disappointment
More than a dozen nearby residents of Poulsbo’s Mitchusson Park came to speak on behalf of a patch of preserved greenery they’ve come to cherish — a parcel the city, despite the concerned citizens’ best efforts, staked for sale in January as part of their city hall development plan.
The move wasn’t an unexpected one, as the council precluded its November 2007 purchase of part of the Third Avenue and Moe Street city hall land with the provision they would surplus the rural property to help offset costs. But it did fall on unwelcoming ears as several from the nearby hood spoke of a place that’s probably the last of its kind.
“I think that we’re going to lose a bunch of the charm of this Norwegian community,” said 30-year First Avenue resident Bill King.
Many stood to encourage the city to keep the property, which will more than likely be developed if sold. Zoned to hold 4-5 houses per acre, the area was first acquired by the city in 1997 for $295,000 and was at one point set aside to create a working farm in which local students and families could have a hand.
While Mitchusson Park will most likely become another of Poulsbo’s newest developments, it’s abutting neighbor, Betty Iverson Kiwanis Park, saw a playground replacement later in the year.
New grill on the block
A much-anticipated Poulsbo eatery opened its doors wide to the hungry in February. And boy did the masses come.
Taprock Northwest Grill served up an array of Pacific Northwest flavors to a palatably impressed crowd that had anxiously been awaiting its opening. The restaurant is a replacement for Mitzel’s American Kitchen, which burned down in a May 2006 fire.
Eaters arrived in full force to test out the establishment. And for the most part, they were pleased.
Leon and Marilyn Leslie offered hearty compliments to the kitchen.
“The cook’s really a good cook,” said Leon, who ate the plank cedar salmon for lunch. “You look for good salmon and he knows how to cook it.”
Marilyn was equally impressed with her salmon teriyaki.
“We loved it,” she said.
Viking Fest carnival moves to King Olaf
Viking Fest found a new home, for the year at least.
The May celebration, which rang in its 40th anniversary, was decided to be split between Poulsbo’s Anderson Parkway and King Olaf lot by the Poulsbo City Council in February.
The decision ended a months-long spark-filled discussion between the Viking Fest Corporation and Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association, which represents downtown business owners who expressed frustration at the carnival’s size, use of parking spaces and general atmosphere. The carnival was previously located on Anderson Parkway.
The Community Services Committee served as mediator for the debate since July 2007.
EDC to strengthen tourism, telecom jobs
The city of Poulsbo’s newest committee hit the ground running in February.
The Economic Development Committee (EDC), a group spearheaded by Poulsbo City Council Member Kimberlee Crowder, joined the ranks of the council’s five other committees, each of which meet in an informal setting to discuss issues, hear from citizens and make recommendations to the city council as a whole.
The committee was created to focus on strengthening tourism, creating jobs and advance economic growth in Poulsbo.
Council Member Ed Stern said the city’s first EDC focused on telecommuting and was successful, and he’s glad economic focus is being brought back to the city level.
Each of the committee’s members, council members Becky Erickson, Crowder and Stern, have worked in the private business sector, a facet Stern said makes the group’s efforts uniquely beneficial.
“This is not your typical public sector ‘we’re here to help’,” he said. “We’ve been in the trenches.”
The committee created partnerships with some of the area’s major agencies, including the Port of Poulsbo, the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association and the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce.
Soap box derby goes A-Oh-Tay
It was a scene straight out of “The Little Rascals” on Dauntless Drive at Olhava in March.
Colorful coaster cars and helmeted drivers peppered the make-shift track near Poulsbo’s College Marketplace for the Kitsap Soap Box Derby Association’s first Little Norway race.
But there certainly were no He-Man Woman Haters in sight.
Boys and girls alike from the ages of 8 – 17 put the pedal to the metal — or in this case let gravity do its thing — as their cars sped from 15-20 mph down a curved portion of roadway.
The derby is usually held on Ridgetop Boulevard in Silverdale, or in Bremerton, but in an effort to find a new place for their track to call home without disturbing the flow of nearby businesses, the association decided to give Dauntless Drive a try.
“If you’ve ever had tunnel vision and tried to drive at the same time, that’s what it’s like,” said Ryan Fauser, 16, a driver from Salem, Ore.
He and buddies William Sarchet, 13, and Zaine Stapleton, 15, all took part in the racing, which saw about 40 drivers both days of the contest.
The three drove masters cars, the heaviest of the autos allowed. Younger drivers start out with stock cars, and the intermediate tool downhill in super stocks.
Before running off to take his place behind the starting blocks, Sarchet had a single last piece of advice for potential derby runners: “Just one more thing, don’t crash.”
Affordable housing loses funding
The Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority’s (KCCHA) self-help housing program took a hard hit in the federal budget process in March, one that blasted the next planned development in Little Norway.
The Summerset development, a neighborhood slated for both self-help housing and regular market homes, was taken off the table after the release of the Federal Housing and Community Development Programs budget appropriations.
In 2008 the programs affiliated with self-help housing were shocked down to zero for 2009, affectively shutting down KCCHA’s Poulsbo plans.
KCCHA Public Affairs Specialist Torie Brazitis said the news was a shame, especially because the Housing Authority’s presence in Poulsbo had long been a positive one.
“What’s really sad is that it’s Poulsbo. We’ve had such a great success with Vetter (Homestead),” she said, adding the mayor and city council have been tremendously supportive, and the agency works “really closely and very well with the city.”
Vetter Homestead — which will continue as planned — is another KCCHA self-help building development in Poulsbo where home owners with pre-approved incomes can put in “sweat equity” hours by helping construct their home and the homes of their neighbors instead of offering up a large down payment.
It joins ranks with the city’s other self-help developments, Austrubruin and Whitney’s Glen.
MSC loses legislative funding
It seems one Liberty Bay educational institution simply couldn’t catch a break.
The Poulsbo Marine Science Center, an aquarium with a set of classrooms and a floating lab for area students, saw $100,000 in much-needed state funding pulled after Gov. Christine Gregoire’s March veto.
The funding was originally passed in the legislative budget session, though an additional $40,000 to fund a life-support system for an aquarium tank was not included.
It wasn’t the first time the center had faced dire financial straights. It first closed in February 2005 because of funding shortfalls, but was reopened in September 2007 after a few dedicated volunteers worked to refurbish its interior.
The state invested $100,000 for the floating lab, which is now nearly finished, and gave the center $150,000 for two years of operation, meaning the aquarium can still function through June 2009.
But more is needed to develop the center’s educational curriculum, and Marine Science Center board president Bruce Harlow said at the time the process of looking for financial help elsewhere must begin.
“We’ll just have to roll up our sleeves and figure out if there’s alternate sources of funding,” he said. “It’s really time to sit down and talk with the board and the city and the supporters we’ve had and see what might be done.”
Liberty Shores sticks with Medicaid
Liberty Shores Assisted Living Retirement Community withdrew its cancellation from the Medicaid program, meaning 11 residents formerly notified of eviction would not have to move.
The home previously attempted to cancel its contract in response to heightened regulations for boarding facilities offering the program. Senate Bill 6807 was signed into immediate effect by Gov. Christine Gregoire March 28.
Despite Liberty Shores’ March 27 notification of Medicaid cancelation, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) deemed the facility still under the law’s hand, as a period of notice must be given before withdrawal can take effect.
“As a result of the Department’s (DSHS) interpretation of this new law, Liberty Shores has decided to remain in the Medicaid program,” read an April 14 letter from Northwest Care Management president Tom Johnston to Liberty Shores residents and families.
Several family members of residents met with area legislative representatives to discuss the issue, as well as ways to improve Medicaid reimbursement so facilities faced with the new regulations do not suffer financially.
“The real issue here is funding,” said Christine Rolfes, 23rd district representative (D-Bainbridge).
SOP: Save our pool! Citizens unite before City Hall
Armed with signs of every size, shape and color, nearly 150 kids and adults marched through downtown Poulsbo in June in support of the North Kitsap Community Pool, which faced dire budget straights and possible closure.
One even proclaimed: “It’s my birthday and I want the pool.”
Passing drivers honked their horns and rolled their windows down to voice their own support as the group made its way toward the doors of city hall, where they continued to vocalize their message in solidarity.
Poulsbo Mayor Kathryn Quade greeted the crowd and invited them to file through the chambers at the start of the televized city council meeting so their signs and spirit could be seen.
