The Bremerton City Council voted unanimously to the lease the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Cabin to the NAD Guardhouse Cabin Foundation last Wednesday.

“I’m very happy. I think it was a good move on their part,” said Bob Dollar, foundation vice president and treasurer. “We’re all working toward the same goal, which is to make Kitsap a better place.”

The city will lease the cabin for five years and then likely another five years, provided the foundation completes the agreed upon repairs.

It’s a unique partnership that allows city property to be repaired without tax dollars as the foundation will pay for all repair and maintenance costs. It also solves a problem the city couldn’t afford to solve.

“Our available structural repair dollars are basically allocated to buildings that are the most heavily used by the public,” said Wyn Birkenthal, parks and recreation director. “We’re not going to be able to prioritize over $100,000 in capital for the cabin.”

The only fee the foundation will pay is a leasehold excise tax of 12.84 percent of the estimated lease value $5,040, or $645 per year.

Foundation president John Larson expects the foundation repairs to begin January 2015.

“We’ll start off on some small stuff right away and the logs themselves will be in year three and four,” Larson said.

Restoration and preservation costs are estimated at $170,000-$200,000, according to the foundation’s proposal to the city.

“We’re hoping to do this whole thing on donations and a string and a prayer,” Dollar said.

Prior to the meeting, the foundation had received about $2,000 in donations, according to Larson. He said some donors had been wary of giving before a lease was signed.

Almost on cue, a donor gave over $500 the day after the meeting, Dollar said. The Kitsap Golf Country Club also donated seven 40-foot logs about two weeks ago, he said.

The foundation has an eight-point plan for generating funding, among them is a new take on an old fundraising method.

Similar to buying a brick and putting your name on it, we’re going to do that with a log instead of a brick, Larson said.

• Also during the meeting, Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan presented the council with crime statistics from the past year.

Police reports rose 26 percent from 635 to 805, while arrests dropped from 196 to 133.

Domestic violence, burglaries, trespassing, theft, vehicle theft, residential burglary and mental health calls also decreased significantly.

Vehicle prowls however, are up 50 percent from 14 to 21.

“We are seeing an upsurge in vehicle prowling, package thefts and mail thefts,” Strachan said. They’ve been centered around Manette, Marine Drive and Madrona, he added.

Residents are advised to have packages delivered to a neighbor or work if they won’t be able to accept them in person, or arrange to pick them up from the delivery store.

Shoplifting stayed about the same, increasing from 12 to 13 percent. Strachan said it’s been centered on alcohol at a couple stores.

“The privatization of alcohol has led directly to a much higher incidence of shoplifting,” Strachan said. “And the retailers’ willingness to do something to basically secure the alcohol has also really changed those numbers.”