Apparently Poulsbo will never tire of the continuing shell game of choosing a viable city hall location. Where’s the pea? Briefly at the aptly named Centennial Park (it could be another century before the direly-needed building finds a home after all), then — swish.

Is the pea under the EDS Building shell? It was, but it ended up as a no sale-no deal situation for the city — swish. The pea was off to 10th Avenue, where studies were done, land was bought and then … a public vote was taken — swish. The pea is now somewhere downtown where it has been swishing around under a fast moving shell since November.

The game, to date mind you, has cost the city taxpayers an astounding $3.31 million. That’s a lot of clams and not a thing to show for it.

But fear not taxpayers, the city hall pea will reportedly be halting somewhere in Historic Downtown Poulsbo, which runs primarily along Front Street and Jensen Way from Iverson Street south to Hostmark Street, and also includes Moe Street, sometime in 2008. When the site is chosen, and the golden shovels are poised — and for $3.31 million the city could have practically afforded to buy solid gold shovels for the occasion — then the drafts, designs and permitting will ensue.

Costing? Well, a few more clams.

And finally, all will be said and done, and the shell game will end. Or will it?

For some downtown business owners, it might just be beginning while the corridor at a yet-to-be-determined site takes on all the charm of a construction zone as a 30,000-square-foot structure and everything that’ll go with it is built. During this process, which will no doubt take months to complete, downtown business owners will likely look back fondly the weekends when all they had to contend with were a few noisy carnival rides during the three-day Viking Fest weekend — swish.

But city hall will be downtown, the people and long-time shell game aficionados on city council have spoken.

And while many in the corridor in the community might feel $3.31 million for a bunch of swishing is a bargain, others are still scratching their heads as to why the city hall pea didn’t just stay where it could have been joined in a fine pea pod with other city offices on 10th Avenue.

Promises for a 2008 start are all fine and dandy, but considering that Poulsbo’s City Hall could already be taking shape and possibly be opening next year on 10th … well, then it seems like there will be few winners when the game subsides.