BREMERTON — As Bremerton begins to show a steady pulse after more than a decade of being on economic life support, Mayor Cary Bozeman hasn’t been afraid to find partnerships.

Those joint endeavors have provided a boost to propel the city into an atmosphere of prosperity instead of being mired in poverty.

“Most cities just can’t afford to do it by ourselves, and we’ve been able to build better facilities,” Bozeman said.

Even though the Norm Dicks Government Center in downtown Bremerton wasn’t built through a public/private partnership, Bozeman said, nonetheless, it is an example of the benefits of seven different government agencies working together.

Those agencies included the Bremerton Housing Authority, the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, the city of Bremerton, Kitsap County, the Washington State Extension Service, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks’ office and the Kitsap Business Assistance Center.

“It’s an economic issue and you have to be negotiating in good faith,” he said. “I think you have to trust each other.”

As long as all of the partners are committed to the same overall goals, then it’s just a matter of working out the details, Bozeman said.

“Sometimes you can make it work, but it’s not always going to,” he said.

The widespread acceptance of partnerships as a common way for governments to accomplish things is in marked contrast to past notions of governmental operations, he said.

“I think the old idea is that government would do it by itself, but now everything we do is in partnership with other organizations,” Bozeman said.

The Kitsap Conference Center at the Bremerton Harborside is another shining example of how government and private groups can work together, he said.

“It took four partners that really wanted to get it done, and Anthony’s (restaurant) was the key,” he said.

Seeking and implementing those types of partnerships aren’t “thinking outside the box” anymore, they’re just good business, he said.

“As elected officials our job is work in the public interest,” Bozeman said. “None of this can happen unless it’s in the public’s interest.”

While he’s not an elected official, KCCHA executive director Norm McLoughlin is another advocate of public/private partnerships.

“Sometimes a public/private partnership can accomplish things that neither could do on their own,” McLoughlin said. “The Poulsbo Place neighborhood is a good example.”

In the ‘80s, that area was covered with condemned and rundown homes next to an empty school, and a senior living facility that badly needed renovation, he recalled.

“The views from that neighborhood were fabulous, but you couldn’t blame private developers from steering clear of it,” he said.

KCCHA stepped in and built 44 town homes to be used for affordable rentals, turned the school into a community center, and built affordable apartments for seniors, McLoughlin said.

It also built 19 condos, and sold them as affordable homes, bought and renovated a 120 unit apartment building, and helped the senior living facility find money to renovate, he said.

“All these public investments got results – in 1999 Security Properties bought much of the rest of the land and transformed it into Poulsbo Place, which has won national design awards,” he said.

When it comes to partnerships, McLoughlin said there are some commonalities and differences in regards to the use of public property.

“As in any partnership, all partners must agree and be clear on expectations,” he said. “If the development is on public property, you must follow municipal law, which means you have to accept the lowest qualified bid, pay prevailing wages, among other rules. However, this can depend on how the deal is structured.”

Each type of partnership has its own advantages and drawbacks, so communication is key to public understanding in making them occur, he said.

“Good, clear communications and understanding of risks are crucial so people can make the best decisions and achieve the best results,” McLoughlin said.