A few weeks ago, when Electronic Data Systems (EDS), announced that it was vacating its longtime location on 8th Avenue, the Herald wondered: is this an option for the new City of Poulsbo Municipal Campus?

We contacted Maxine Levy at EDS only to find that the space available was 15,000 square feet, some 11,700 square feet shy of what the city needed. Or was it?

After the July 27 article concerning the tech company’s impending move ran, we received a call from Bev Lyon, property manager of Poulsbo Village, informing us that the 15,000 estimate we had received from EDS was incorrect. The EDS spot had 26,673 square feet available — right on par with what Poulsbo was seeking.

Furthermore, EDS had the high tech wiring the city was looking for, the parking the city was seeking (some 139 spaces) and seemed to fit the exact mold of what the municipal campus was shaping up to be. The EDS location was right down the street from the city’s $674,000 boondoggle at the Morris Property and even fit the city’s continued push toward infilling (i.e. building up) as opposed to building out.

So why wasn’t the city council hot to trot on the location?

We’re not sure.

What we are certain of is the elected body was never formally offered the EDS building as an option. They also weren’t told that Poulsbo Village had even approached the city with the proposal.

We were in the same boat until Lyon stepped forward.

The Herald did a public records request for information pertaining to the municipal campus for the months January 2004 to July 2005. It brought in a few tidbits of interest here and there, a bit of trash talking that the Herald opted not to run but that ended up in the Bremerton Sun despite the fact that that paper did not file its own public records request for the information — as is the practice in every other city in Kitsap County — but nothing on the EDS alternative.

It should have.

However, Lyon’s June 23, 2005 letter to Mayor Donna Jean Bruce was omitted. Whether by design or oversight, the letter wasn’t provided to the Herald by the city.

Last Friday, Aug. 5, we asked the mayor about the EDS option.

She claimed that she had no knowledge that the site was available until she read our July 27 article about EDS’ plans to vacate.

If this is so, how does one explain the first few lines of Lyon’s June 23 letter:

Dear Madam Mayor,

Thank you for your time this morning to discuss the possibility of relocating the City of Poulsbo City Hall and related departments to Poulsbo Village.

Lyon’s letter continued noting that the building was in the process of undergoing a face lift and would serve the city’s needs as it builds its new campus.

Our question is: Why build at all?

Why spend $6 million-$8 million of taxpayers’ dollars building a new city hall and swap land that was purchased with taxpayers’ dollars when a viable facility is already available?

From our standpoint, the EDS site meets the city’s needs to a tee. It is also adjacent to the Morris Property, which rumor has it, will most likely become a park. So you’ve got a municipal campus and a nearby park. Public works, if it stays in its current location, is right down the street to boot.

We’re having a hard time seeing any kind of drawbacks on this one. So are some members of the city council who were contacted earlier this week.

Last week, this paper prompted the question as to whether or not the city was on the right track with its municipal campus and whether or not a proposed deal to swap land and buildings with Olympic Property Group with the aim of creating the desired structure on 10th Avenue was a good move.

Prior to hearing from Lyon, it seemed to be.

But in light of the EDS offer, we’re now sure that it should be the second alternative (if that) and not the preferred option. We’re also sure that, for whatever reason, city council was kept in the dark on this one.

The question is why.