Bellringer more
than hits mark
Community contributions topped $32,000 as the 2002 Bellringer fund drive came to a close in January, surpassing the $25,000 goal. The fund through the Raab Foundation and Poulsbo Noon Lions, helps hundreds of North Kitsap residents in need.
Bight nails
Nelson project
Work began in January by the Bight of Poulsbo remodeling the Nelson farmhouse by June 1. The deadline, which was met, allowed other work to begin on the park.
Dally serves time for embezzlement
Municipal Court worker Deborah Dally was fired in January and eventually plead guilty to 10 counts of first-degree theft for embezzling city money between 1996 and 2002. Dally was sentenced to 57 months in prison. It took city staff until September to rectify court records and refund the $290,000 in stolen money.
Regis receives
second censure
The Poulsbo City Council unanimously voted Jan. 15 to censure Councilman Mike Regis for violating governing rules regarding executive sessions. The vote was the third time the council considered a censure against Regis and Regis’ second actual censure.
Grant purchases
Hostmark Apts.
A $835,000 federal grant to purchase and rehabilitate the Hostmark Apartments, which caters primarily to low income seniors, was announced in January. The first face-lift of the facility in about 10 years began in July and concluded in December.
Oldest Eagle
takes flight
Former Poulsbo Boy Scout Troop 1571 member Erling “Bub” Olsen, 84, became the oldest person in the history of Boy Scouting to receive the rank of Eagle in March. Olsen earned scouting’s highest honor as a teen but never actually received his medal until nearly 70 years later.
Old Town
Study begins
In March, the $20,000 Old Town Poulsbo Study was approved. The study was partially in response to citizen complaints incongruent developments. Currently there is one set of development standards for the entire city.
Miss Poulsbo,
Kitsap crowned
Danielle Deitch of Poulsbo was chosen Miss Poulsbo 2003 and Bremerton resident Maria Knox was chosen Miss Kitsap 2003 at the March 15 Miss Poulsbo/Miss Kitsap Pageant. The event marked the first time in 15 years that a Miss Kitsap was crowned.
Chamber slapped with IRS fines
The Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce received an estimated $8,000 fine for late tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service in April. The event sparked an audit and Executive Director Robert Ford later resigned. A new executive director should be in place by the beginning of 2004.
Wal-Mart wants
space at Olhava
Wal-Mart announced in April that it hoped to be first retailer at Olhava. The announcement was good news to some, bad news to others. The non-profit Citizens to Stop Wal-Mart (Poulsbo First) was formed and appealed of the site plan and environmental documents in May but the appeal was overturned by the Poulsbo City Council in July.
Market idea
gets nod
Meetings began in April to plan a Poulsbo Farmers’ Market. The group has since incorporated, elected officers and is planning for a July 2004 opening in the parking lot of the Valley Medical/Dental Center.
Styron named Miss Viking Fest 2003
Jessica Styron of Poulsbo was named Miss Viking Fest 2003 in April. Megan Brose and Ashley Ogle were named 2003 princesses.
Viking Fest roars into town again
Little Norway celebrated May 17 with the35th annual Viking Fest. Activities included the annual parade, road race, Lions pancake breakfast and lutefisk contest.
Lord found guilty for 1986 murder
For a second time, Brian Keith Lord was found guilty in the 1986 slaying of Poulsbo teenager Tracy Parker and sentenced to life in prison without parole in May. The verdict followed nearly 17 years of appeals by Lord, who had previously been found guilty and sentenced to death.
Lindvig bridge work begins
Work began on the Lindvig Way Bridge in May. The project replaced a culvert connecting Dogfish Creek to Liberty Bay with a bridge, which is what was located there until the late 1960s.
Work Flow Process Study goes forward
The “Work Flow Process Study,” a look at city processes to identify possible time and money savings, took place from June to August. The study suggested ways to improve efficiency in the city, which are being considered.
Poulsbo’s WAN goes online
The City of Poulsbo’s# Wide Area Network went on-line in June. The WAN connects City Hall and other outlying city buildings to KPUD fiber and each other.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 people visited Little Norway July 3 for the annual Courtesy Auto Group 3rd of July Fireworks on the Fjord at the Anderson Parkway. The event included live entertainment, eating contests and the traditional fireworks display over Liberty Bay.
Foundation takes
critical step
The Liberty Bay Foundation’s Nearshore Habitat Evaluation & Enhancement Project (NHEEP) finished a two-year water quality testing phase in July. The NHEEP includes phases of assessment, evaluation, restoration and public education. For two years, foundation members and volunteers took monthly water samples from about 50 sites, the first-ever such test of local waters.
Rotary fulfills
10-year pledge
The Poulsbo/North Kitsap Rotary followed through with a pledge made to the Olympic College Poulsbo branch campus about 10 years ago when it presented the college with a check for $100,000 in August. The money was designated for distance and e-learning and other high tech uses. It was the first of two large donations the campus received from the Poulsbo. The other was a $65,000 donation from John and Teri Hern of Courtesy Auto Group.
Regal replaces
Septemberfest
Poulsbo’s Regal Cinema, Viking Fest Corporation, Courtesy Auto Group and Funtastic Carnivals sponsored the first-ever Seabiscuit’s Western Weekend in August. The sponsors hope the event will become an annual one, replacing Septemberfest, which was cancelled due to inability to find a location.
Moratorium
placed, removed
At its Aug. 6 meeting, the Poulsbo City Council placed a 6-month moratorium on new building within the Old Town Study area pending the completion of the study. The decision was later repealed at the council’s Sept. 3 meeting after overwhelming feedback from Old Town residents.
Rotary names
citizen of year
Long-time Poulsbo resident Nadene Meek-Edwards, 94, was named the first-ever Poulsbo/North Kitsap Rotary Citizen of the year in August. Meek-Edwards was chosen for her more than 60 years of volunteerism, including her current work at the Poulsbo senior lounge.
Village target
of thefts
Thieves hit nine Poulsbo Village storefronts Aug. 12 in the worst burglary in the shopping center’s nearly 20-year history. Thieves cut the locks off doors to gain access and then mainly focused on stealing cash.
Oyster Plant
gets decking
New piles were driven and a deck surface was completed by volunteers from the Poulsbo/North Kitsap Rotary to build Oyster Plant Park’s first pedestrian pier in August and September. The pier was funded through a $56,000 grant from Interagency for Outdoor Recreation and matching funds from the city and was the second phase of the park’s development.
Rotary builds
transition home
Work got underway in August by members of the Poulsbo/North Kitsap Rotary remodeling housing for two families in Poulsbo. The structure will eventually become the first-ever transitional housing managed by the Kitsap County YWCA’s Alternatives to Living In a Violent Environment (ALIVE) program in Little Norway. The project is a partnership between the Rotary, Kitsap County YWCA and the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority.
Bight takes on
Martinson cabin
Just after completing renovations to the Nelson farmhouse at Nelson Park, the Bight of Poulsbo decided in August to undertake restoring the 100-year-old Martinson cabin. Members hope the structure, which has now been taken apart and is being stored, will be placed at Nelson Park. The city council has yet to give the cabin’s placement at Nelson an official thumbs up.
Library gets
first lift
A much needed elevator at the Poulsbo Library was up and running in October. The lift between the facility’s two floors had been sought after since 2001 and was finally paid for by a $50,000 grant from that State Department of Housing and Urban Development.
‘Fisk feast
packs First
An estimated 1,250 lutefisk lovers packed the First Lutheran Church gymnasium Oct. 18 for the church’s 90th Annual Lutefisk Dinner. The long-running Poulsbo tradition usually draws visitors from around the globe to feast on the Norwegian delicacy.
Olhava causes
muddy waters
Record-breaking rainfall across the Puget Sound Oct. 20 caused a temporary stop-work order on the Olhava development in early November. City staff said overly-turbid water discharging from the site caused the week shutdown. Work was later allowed, after First Western added new discharge methods, including adding a filtering system to the site.
Phelps a no
show at Box
The Poulsbo Players received a letter from the Rev. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kan. announcing their intent to picket the Jewel Box Theatre’s production of “The Laramie Project” Oct. 25. The group also intended to picket a handful of local churches Oct. 26. The congregation opposed the production because its members claimed it promoted homosexuality. In the end, about 200 anti-Phelps protesters showed up to a counter event planned by several local groups and Phelps’ congregation failed to make an appearance.
Aitchison out
in election
Poulsbo City Councilwoman Jackie Aitchison was defeated by former councilwoman and challenger Connie Lord in the Nov. 4 election to end a 12-year run as an elected official. Councilman Jeff McGinty was challenged by Elizabeth Hutley and reclaimed his seat. Incumbents Mike Regis and Jim Henry ran unopposed and were re-elected. In the Port of Poulsbo election, Commissioner Glenn Gilbert narrowly beat out challenger Gary Hoskins.
T&C to retire
Poulsbo Market
Town & Country Markets officially announced in November that it will close its 29-year-old Poulsbo Market in March 2004. The store was T&C’s first venture in Poulsbo but suffered under a lagging economy and competition from its sister store Central Market and the possibility of other grocers coming into the city. The company plans to keep Central Market open indefinitely.
Sons bask in
lutefisk success
About 350 dinner guests showed up Nov. 15 to feast on lutefisk with all the trimmings during the Poulsbo Sons of Norway’s 5th annual lutefisk dinner. One of two major lutefisk feeds in Little Norway, the dinner is one way the lodge helps celebrate and preserve Norwegian heritage.
Christmas Child
sets new record
The annual Operation Christmas Child drive, receiving shoeboxes full of holiday cheer for needy children, took place Nov. 17-24 at Poulsbo’s Christ Memorial Church. This year’s donations topped 4,700 shoeboxes, surpassing last year’s 3,500 shoeboxes contributed.
Paladin gets
landmark grant
Poulsbo’s Paladin Data Systems announced in November that its proposal to the U.S. Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP), part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, was recommended for funding. The $4.3 million grant proposal is for the Poulsbo-based software company to design, develop, deploy and manage the first-ever regional infectious disease tracking system for the Puget Sound area.
Jule Fest
takes stage
The Lucia Bride, Vikings, Julenisse and Santa once again graced the Poulsbo Waterfront for the Sons of Norway Jule Fest Dec. 6. Despite cold, wet weather, hundreds stayed for this awe-inspiring sight.
Sons chorus
hosts history
The Poulsbo Vestre Sund Mannskor male chorus at the Sons of Norway had a little old with the new as it hosted a joint concert with the 114-year-old Norwegian Male Chorus of Seattle Dec. 7. More than 100 community members showed up to the concert, which was also a fund-raiser for the 2-year-old Poulsbo group.
Berezowski named
new planning director
Interim Planning Director Barry Berezowsky was named Planning Director in December. The former senior planner had served as interim since May, when Glenn Gross announced he was retiring. Gross, who had been with the city for eight years, left the position in June.
Council axes
sprinkler fee
At its Dec. 17 meeting the Poulsbo City Council repealed part of its utility fee schedule regarding charging for commercial sprinkler systems. Poulsbo Fire Department staff had protested the fee because they argued it created a disincentive to sprinking buildings. A new fee schedule that charges for the fire flow needed to extinguish a building should be in place in early 2004.
