North End boardwalk afloat

Published 6:00 am Saturday, October 28, 2006

KINGSTON — The Carpenter Lake Trail boardwalk has taken a long time to grow into existence, much like the bog it floats upon. Unlike the habitat of the North End wetland, however, the boardwalk was deemed permanently finished Wednesday, and crowds gathered at the grand opening were submerged into the world of habitats and wetlands.

Surrounded by Carpenter Lake, 120 residents and Gordon Elementary School students were treated to a history lesson of the area and a speech about the construction process that led to the path’s completion. Community members who assisted with the project or grew up in the area were also invited to speak about their personal experiences with the bog.

“I first became involved in the project when the county was purchasing it for open space,” said past Carpenter Lake stewardship chairwoman Carolina Veenstra. “Once it was purchased, I was asked to help. For many years, it was just about keeping the project going.”

And though the project almost sank permanently into the quag — both figuratively and literally — during its 12-year metamorphosis, the Carpenter Lake stewardship waded through endless hours of work to get the job done.

The boardwalk idea was first floated in the early 1990s. In 1994, 35 acres were purchased by Kitsap County to serve as open space. The next year, the stewardship was formed. It wasn’t until a decade later, in spring 2005, that boardwalk construction started.

It was expected to be finished by the end of that year, but problems with weather and neighbors mired the project, delaying it until July. “I’m actually kind of glad that the project was put on hold for that time,” said Chinook Properties vice president Kyle Clark. Chinook Properties was in charge of the construction, and during the hiatus, Clark observed that many of the pilings installed were sinking. “You get out there and realize that the ground’s floating. We discovered that it’s floating on this giant root mass. By the time we got out to the end of the boardwalk, we had pilings that were sunk into the upper 40s (feet) before we hit solid ground.”

Though unaware of the root mass at the time, 1960s residents in Kingston realized that the bog could claim anything it wanted, including large farming equipment.

“It was in the 60s, I used to stay at my dad’s farm that was near here,” said Kingston resident Richard Anderson. “There was a Japanese farmer that owned some of this property, and he had a Deere tractor. He got it stuck in a field, and my dad and I went out to see if we could help. It was getting towards the end of the day, and we decided to leave it until tomorrow. The next day, we get out there ready to pull it out, and the tractor’s gone, we couldn’t see it at all.”

Anderson said he and his father used a steel measuring rod in attempt to determine how deep the tractor had sunk. The rod didn’t touch anything, he said, and for all anyone knows, the tractor is still in the bog somewhere.

“With all our modern devices, we should see if we can find it and pull it out,” Anderson said, laughing. “Probably would still work, too, it was a Deere after all.”

After enjoying stories and a “bough” cutting ceremony, the public flowed down to the boardwalk and delighted in the sounds of birds and the scenic vegetation that make Carpenter Lake unique.

“The ever elusive Carpenter Lake is now available to anyone who wants to see it,” said current stewardship chairman Steve Heacock, adding that he hopes the wetlands will help draw all parts of the North End schools and public together.

While the boardwalk is open 24/7, visitors may not want to wander the area at night, said Stillwaters Environmental Center administrative director Naomi Maasberg.

“It is a wildlife habitat,” she said, noting that there will be animals out prowling. “I don’t know too many people who would want to walk around there at night.”