POULSBO — A bomb threat closed city hall for nearly three hours Thursday morning, sending 30 employees into local coffee shops and disrupting morning business.

The threat was made by an anonymous caller at about 7:10 a.m., who said there was a bomb in the Jensen Way building and then hung up, said Poulsbo Police Detective Grant Romaine. Employees were allowed to return to work at around 9:55 a.m.

The call sent chills through the tight-knit community and rushed Poulsbo Police Department and Washington State Patrol to the scene.

“I don’t remember another bomb threat,” City Clerk Karol Jones said. “This is the first one I can remember in more than 20 years.”

As city employees arrived to find a host of law enforcement at city hall Thursday morning, everyone remained calm, she said.

After the all-clear was given, everyone returned to building and went right to work without any hesitation, Jones said.

The PPD was first to arrive on scene. State patrol units were radioed for additional assistance, Romaine said.

“The state patrol was on its way to Shelton and turned around and came to Poulsbo,” he said.

The building was evacuated by the time troopers arrived. The WSP bomb squad and bomb-sniffing dogs searched the premises, finding no evidence of explosives, he said.

“This is a serious incident, and we’re still investigating,” Romaine said.

Even so, Interim Poulsbo Police Chief Jake Evans, who began his duties on Monday, said he was pleased by the department’s overall response to the incident.

“We had a few usual wrinkles, but our guys did a good job of clearing the building and searching around the building,” Evans said.

The department did its best until the state patrol arrived with its full array of experts, he said.

“We couldn’t have ordered a better drill,” Evans said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Mayor Kathryn Quade echoed Evans’ assessment of the department’s response and said some important lessons were learned in the process.

“We need to have a current map of the building, because there were a few places we didn’t have access to,” Quade said. “There are areas for improvement.”

Overall, the PPD’s response was extremely professional and a credit to its officers, she said.

The response from the state patrol, with its four bomb-sniffing dogs and other equipment, was a poignant reminder of how things have changed in the city, she said.

The incident brings the security issue to the forefront as Poulsbo prepares to build a new city hall, she said.

“Security is important,” Quade said. “It’s a fact of the times we live in.”

Even though the Kitsap County District Court had hearings scheduled Thursday morning, Poulsbo Municipal Court did not, said Poulsbo Municipal Court administrator Linda Baker.

The threat didn’t impact any of the court’s operations and after the building was cleared for employees to return, it was back to normal, Baker said.

When Poulsbo Councilwoman Connie Lord was informed of the incident Thursday afternoon, she said she was absolutely shocked.

“We’re not a backwater town anymore. We’re right in the thick of it,” Lord said.