I, along with many in Silverdale, was saddened to see the landmark Old Town Pub closed to the public due to deterioration of the building, which is owned by the Port of Silverdale.

Kitsap County has been working proactively with the Port of Silverdale and months ago outlined several safety concerns about the building. While the port has made some improvements in regards to those safety concerns, the decision to have tenants vacate the building was made after Kitsap County received in early October a copy of an engineering report that was commissioned by the port.

The port’s report identified underlying structural issues with the building previously unknown to the Kitsap County. The severe structural issues listed in the report, coupled with the previously identified safety concerns, created a very dire condition and significant threat to residents and pub patrons — a situation so dangerous that the port’s engineer would not personally inspect certain portions of the building due to safety concerns. Based on this information, the decision was made to vacate the building.

As your county commissioner, my first and foremost priority is to protect the health and safety of our citizens. We will continue to work with the Port of Silverdale in determining how it can remediate the issues. I’d be supportive of a grassroots effort to save the building and welcome anyone who wishes to have a conversation about it.

Ed Wolfe
Kitsap County commissioner