By KENDALL HANSON
editor@kingstoncommunitynews.com
The annual Kingston Open House hosted by the Kingston Citizens Advisory Committee at Kingston Middle School has become a one-stop opportunity to see what organizations in the area are doing, according to Kingston Port commissioner Pete DeBoer.
This year’s event hosted more than 30 different organizations who provide a variety of services and advocacy for the community, including public entities, non-profit foundations and local businesses that work to improve local conditions.
One of the most visited booths of the evening was that of the Old Kingston Firehouse, the brainchild of Firehouse Partners LLC, which will be opening its doors for the first time in May. The Firehouse will host two Kingston businesses, the Oak Table Cafè and the well-established Peninsula Video which is expanding into a bona fide art house theater.
Attendees were able to see what long-term community service organizations such as Greater Kingston Kiwanis and Kingston Rotary were doing, talk to local educational organizations such as Stillwaters Environmental Center and Washington State Extension, as well as meet with the northend commissioner Steve Bauer, Kingston’s port commissioners and more.
New groups at the open house offered an opportunity to see what nearby communities are doing as well. The Greater Hansville Area Advisory Council, similar in scope to KCAC, had a booth, as did a watchdog group, Citizens for Accountable Government in Eglon and Hansville.
Other new presenters included Common Threads, which concentrates on multicultural and diversity awareness in North Kitsap. This group was originally formed by North Kitsap School District, the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe and the Suquamish tribe, but has since expanded to a membership as diverse as Olympic College, Olympic Property Group, Stillwaters, the Kitsap Council for Human Rights and others.
“This event gives area residents a chance to ask questions one-on-one,” said KCAC co-chair Greg Platz. “When you can get 250 people together to ask questions and find answers, it’s a good thing for the community.”
