The Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce is considering forming a downtown Kingston business improvement district. It’s a good idea and should be pursued.

A business improvement district would put control of much of downtown in the hands of those driving the economy there — local businesses. A business improvement district would provide a strong, unified voice on downtown Kingston issues.

It’s not known yet how a business improvement district would generate revenue to support downtown. Businesses could pay an assessment, based on the size of the business. Those assessments could be used for marketing, and for trash receptacles to replace the BigBellys removed by the county. A well-marketed, clean and litter-free downtown would draw more customers to the Little City by the Sea, and that would generate more business in downtown shops. The economic circle goes on.

A business improvement district would provide focused leadership on downtown issues. And that’s important, because Kingston — an unincorporated community of 3,000 — is served by a host of public agencies that serve specific needs.

The state Department of Transportation is responsible for the highway that  bisects the community; those BigBellys were placed on state right of way, which is why the county didn’t maintain them. But the state doesn’t have a waste collection division, so it fell upon Chamber of Commerce volunteers to maintain the BigBellys.

The Port of Kingston, a publicly funded government, has authority only at the port.

The Village Green Metropolitan Park District oversees Village Green Park.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue provides fire protection, Kitsap County provides law enforcement and maintenance of county parks.

Lacking a single, central government, downtown Kingston would best be served by a business improvement district.

KCN Editor Kipp Robertson reports that Edmonds’ improvement district — known as the Edmonds Downtown Alliance — is a potential model for Kingston. The alliance, created in 2013, has about 350 members in the downtown Edmonds area, according to the alliance’s website. The alliance is a vehicle by which businesses collectively fund programs related to beautification, cleanup, marketing, parking and security.

There’s a sense of urgency to Kingston’s establishment of a business improvement district. “We have a ton of tourist traffic through our town in summer months … And we really need to get our locals engaged in utilizing these [businesses] year-round,” said Colleen Carey, executive director of the Greater Kingston Area Chamber of Commerce.

About trash, she commented, “From February on, it’s going to be mayhem,” Carey said. “People will need a place to put trash.”

The Kingston Community News supports the creation of a business improvement district for downtown Kingston.

— Should downtown Kingston businesses form a Business Improvement District? Share your view on our online survey at KingstonCommunityNews.com