POULSBO — There’s a lot to report on from Poulsbo City Hall. To begin with, there’s what’s happening on the streets of Poulsbo — literally.
On the streets
Keep your eye open for a long, black gadget on the streets that looks a lot like a steampunk slingshot dragster designed by Rube Goldberg. In real life, it’s the Public Works Department’s new crack sealer.
According to Public Works Superintendent Mike Lund, the $45,000 machine can seal as many cracks in two hours as a whole crew working for eight hours. The city got a deal on the sealer because it was a demonstrator; they normally sell for $65,000. The units are designed to last for 25 years; the one the city bought had all of eight hours on the dial.
“We’re trying to find the best ways to save [residents] money and do maintenance prevention on our streets,” Lund said.
This philosophy also applies to finding the most affordable means of resurfacing city streets that is acceptable to the public and its pocket book. Government funds to maintain and replace roads are only available for government byways: county, state and federal roads and highways. Poulsbo residents have to shoulder the costs of maintaining city streets.
One affordable alternative: chipsealing, which Mayor Becky Erickson has said is 80 percent cheaper than asphalt. Lund said the City of Bainbridge Island uses chip sealing; so does the county and state.
Consequently, the city approved a contract to Doolittle Construction (the same company that does work for Bainbridge) for $215,823 on June 19 to do demonstration projects at Urdahl Road, Kevos Pond Drive, 12th Avenue NE and 9th Avenue.
The work is scheduled to begin in early August. After it’s done, the city wants to know if the finished road surface is acceptable to local drivers.
A map with a project description and a comment form are available online.
Separate but equal
At the June 28 joint City Council/Port Commission meeting, the two governmental bodies discussed working more closely together. The challenge is that both are entities with powers of taxation, but the port district is entirely inside the city limits and the port leases waterfront property from the city. Because they are both public agencies, this means there are lots of rules and restrictions when it comes to working together. For example, the city has a whole floor full of planners and engineers on staff. The port has none, and city planners cannot work on a port project because the law does not permit spending taxpayers’ money working for someone else, Mayor Erickson explained at a later meeting.
The solution the two groups of elected officials agreed on was that, in the future, one port commissioner will attend the city’s weekly Planning and Economic Development Committee meetings. But only one commissioner — if two commissioners came, that would be a quorum of the three-member port commission and the committee meeting would turn into an official port meeting.
Despite the legal obstacles, the two agencies have negotiated the red tape before to successfully carry out joint endeavors. The most recent example was the repaving of Little Anderson Parkway and repair of the seawall there.
The tide’s not the only thing going out
Port Manager Brad Miller reports that the port may have to move its docks 75 feet out further from the shore. It seems the seabed in front of Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park is filling with sediment. Part of that is because of fill washing out from under the park and adjacent parking lot, Poulsbo Port Commissioner Jim Rutledge said at the June 28 meeting. Remember: where the park and lot are now was once all water — the buildings on the shore side of the parking lot once hung out over the water. Speaking of water …
Get your water bill adjusted
At the July 19 meeting, the council voted to amend PMC 13.80.090 “in order to provide for adjustments in water and sewer bills under certain circumstances.”
Before you rush off to City Hall, there are very strict conditions under which you can claim an adjustment. It only pertains to “an unexpected water loss not attributable to a broken or leaking water pipe if the property owner can demonstrate that the water was not discharged into the city sewer system. The adjustment shall be limited to one adjustment per property owner for the life of the property ownership.” The examples given were water accidentally left running unattended and malfunctioning equipment.
If you think you qualify, you will need to make your request in writing.
Run and fun at the parks
Two events at city parks got the go-ahead at the July 19 city council meeting. There will be a free waterfront concert 3-11 p.m. Sept. 9 at Muriel Iverson Waterfront Park sponsored by the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association. Then, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 15, the Orca Running Club will present a half-marathon and 10K race starting at American Legion Park. All of the running will be done on sidewalks and rights-of-way, so drivers don’t have to worry about street closures.
— Terryl Asla is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at tasla@soundpublishing.com.
