POULSBO — Even though the North Kitsap School District and Marine Science Society of the Pacific Northwest have physically moved out of the Marine Science Center building, a few issues still remain unresolved with the city.
When the center closed, city officials expected both tenants to remove all of their property from the building, but Mayor Donna Jean Bruce told the city council that wasn’t the case until recently.
“The school district moved out but they left a ton of stuff that they had to get out,†Bruce explained.
After a walk through of the building with city staff, the school district came back and filled at least one large dumpster with items that were left in the building, she said.
“Now the school has until the end of the month to patch the walls and replace rotted wood, because one of the conditions of the lease was that they would leave it as they found it,†Bruce said.
While the issues with the school district appear to have been resolved, the city has still not received the last two months rent from the MSSPNW, which also left many items in the attic of the building, she explained.
While Bruce addressed the city’s issues with the building, Bight of Poulsbo founder Bill Austin, who is spearheading efforts to open a new center, updated the council on that progress.
“We all have one common goal: to see some smiling faces on kids again going through the marine science center,†Austin said.
Several people have already offered to help form a new non-profit organization to continue efforts to open a new center, he said.
“We have come up with a bunch of people who have offered to spend a lot of time doing this,†Austin explained, noting that the group includes representatives from the school district, former marine science society members and state legislators.
The Bight is working on a presentation for council concerning its plans and is eager to bring the center back to life, he said.
“I suppose we could move in, once we come before you guys,†he said as he thanked the council for its support of the group’s efforts.
