Little Norway honors old, builds new in 2007

Published 10:05 am Saturday, April 26, 2008

The city of Poulsbo saw its share of major discussions, debates, choices and changes throughout 2007, leading to a year full of growth and development as well as the carrying on of beloved traditions and revitalization of Liberty Bay gems. Here is a recap of the first half of a year that, despite harried issues, saw a community dedicated to a variety of causes and the betterment of Poulsbo as a whole.

Community group

forms to tackle CAO

POULSBO — In a last-minute attempt to find a middle ground between proponents and opponents of the city’s proposed increases to stream setbacks and buffers, both sides came together as part of a Critical Areas Ordinance working group.

The group’s formation was officially announced at a Jan. 3 city council meeting by Mayor Kathryn Quade.

“There is a wide cross-section of people on both sides of the issue,” she said.

Among those who participated in the group were Art Castle, executive director of the Kitsap Homebuilders Association, Chris May, a senior freshwater ecologist at the Battelle Marine Science Laboratory in Sequim, Noll Road Association President Becky Erickson, Mark Kuhlman of Team4 Engineering, which has several projects in the Noll Road area, John and Molly Lee of the Johnson Creek Association and Councilman Dale Rudolph.

Passenger-only ferries

get city council support

POULSBO — Kitsap Transit Executive Director Richard Hayes came to Little Norway looking for additional support for plans to float passenger-only ferry service in Kitsap County Jan. 17.

He left town with a formal resolution supporting the three-tenths of 1 percent local sales and use tax from the Poulsbo City Council as members approved the measure with a 6-1 vote.

“One of the positive outcomes will be stable, steady growth for local businesses from having better regional connections,” Hayes told the council.

The rebirth of the passenger-only service will have an immediate impact on the environment as it is expected to save 102,200 gallons of fuel annually and significantly reduce vehicle emissions, he said.

Finance director looks back at time in Little Norway

POULSBO — City Finance Director Nanci Lien was busy trying to tie up loose ends as she finalized preparations for her new position with the city of Olympia.

At the end of January, Lien bid farewell to Little Norway after almost two decades working in the city’s finance department.

Lien’s association with city government goes back almost 30 years. She handled the city’s insurance policies with the insurance company that is now Edgren, Hecker and Lemmon on Lindvig Way.

That relationship led to Lien being hired as the city’s first budget analyst in 1986 before she was named the city’s finance director in 2004.

In addition to handling insurance policies, she also did some accounting for the firm, so coming to the finance department as a budget analyst wasn’t totally unfamiliar territory. Also, government tends to move at a slower pace than the private sector, and communication and customer service are crucial.

“I came from the business of customer service, and when I wake up, I ask myself how am I going to help people today,” she said.

Mayor says police study not aimed at elimination

POULSBO — In an attempt to calm the storm surrounding the process study of the Poulsbo Police Department, Mayor Kathryn Quade clearly stated Jan. 24 the review didn’t necessarily mean its days were numbered.

But the implication that they could be was enough to bring dark clouds to city hall.

The study, conducted by Miller & Miller, P.S. of Seattle, was actually touched off by the department itself and was a response to former Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran’s request for two additional officers and a sergeant in the city’s 2007 budget. The rest of the city’s departments were examined during a 2003 process study.

“It is my intention to look at all the options,” Quade said.

Those options included the possibility of contracting with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office for police services in the city.

A reticent Quade assured officers and the public the goal of the study was not to find an excuse to eliminate the department, but rather to improve its effectiveness and efficiency as the city continues its rapid growth.

“That (contracting with KCSO) is my least preferred option, but I woulwwd be remiss in my responsibility to the citizwens if I didn’t examine all of the options,” she said. “It is not my intention to get rid of them.”

Harlan’s hands resting after 49 years in Little Norway

POULSBO John Harlan almost spent his career at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, but one trip to the chiropractor marked the beginning of an adventure that lasted almost five decades.

John Harlan, who was one of three chiropractors in Poulsbo in 1958, is retiring this month. His younger brother, Tom Harlan, took over his practice on Fjord Drive in February.

“I was just out of high school and was in the drafting/engineering program at the Navy shipyard,” John Harlan recalled. “I developed a lot of pain in my back and shoulder area and went to see the chiropractor here in Poulsbo.”

After leaving the chiropractor’s office feeling better physically, he said he made the decision to become a chiropractor himself.

“I went to chiropractor college in St. Louis and soon as I graduated I came back to Poulsbo,” he said.

In 1958, he began his professional career with Dr. Rasmussen on Front Street.

“You could still walk down the waterside of the street and look between the buildings and see water,” John Harlan said. “There was no parking lot.”

Tom Harlan, who was going into the sixth grade at the time, said he remembers when his older brother opened his Front Street office.

That memory led him to follow in his brother’s footsteps and eventually begin his career under his brother’s tutelage.

“He was an inspiration,” Tom Harlan said. “I knew if he could do it, I could do it, too.”

College Marketplace ready for next phase

POULSBO Wal-Mart and The Home Depot may be the kings of the College Marketplace now, but their royal court will soon be joined by a sit-down restaurant and a hotel.

At least that’s the latest word from Olhava and Associates president Mark Zenger, who has led the development of the western Poulsbo retail center.

“All of the commercial is in, and a sit-down restaurant and hotel are in the works as well,” he said.

Those two entities are components of the development’s master plan, which was approved by the city in 1998.

“The commercial guys always come first. Then they’re joined by everybody else,” Zenger said.

“Everyone else” is what excites Poulsbo City Councilman Ed Stern, who said the future holds great things for the development.

“The best is yet to come, which is the office park,” Stern said. “We’re talking about family-wage, community-based jobs and not having to commute across the Sound.”

Residents will be able to work in the community they live, which will provide a healthy amount of tax revenue, he said.

“It’s a win-win,” Stern said.

Poulsbo Chamber honors best of 2006

SUQUAMISH A Boy Scout, a grocery store manager and a Kitsap County judge now all have one thing in common. Recognition from the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce at its 2006 awards banquet on Feb. 9 night at the Kiana Lodge.

Garrett Steele from Troop 1577 and Central Market manager Tom Anderson were named as two of the chamber’s community builders, while Judge Jay Roof was tapped as “Person of the Year” for his work in the county’s drug court program.

Other honorees at the Friday night event included chamber volunteer Lee Anderson, who received the Pearce Dressel Volunteer of the Year award.

Builders, Realtors urge city to lift moratoriums

POULSBO When the Poulsbo City Council extended two citywide ordinances March 7, the hope of the development and real estate communities was that neither will impact the 2008 construction season.

The council enacted moratoriums on any development within 200 feet of any critical areas and on planned unit developments at its Sept. 10, 2006 meeting. The prohibitions were set to expire on March 10.

So far, the city had failed to meet its publicly stated timelines for adopting both ordinances, which was a source of concern within the development community, Kitsap Association of Realtors Executive Officer Mike Eliason said.

“It’s been extension after extension,” he said. “It’s kind of like dealing with the IRS. At some point the work needs to get done.”

Since the 2007 construction season is a loss, city officials must ensure the moratoriums don’t impact the 2008 season.

While critical of the continued delays, Eliason praised the city for its inclusion of property owners and special interest groups on its critical areas working group.

Waterfront Park improvements unveiled

POULSBO After more than three decades of service, Poulsbo’s Waterfront Park has spent the last three months getting a much-needed facelift.

Crews from Fischer General Contracting recently completed the long-awaited restoration of the failing bulkhead along Liberty Bay and also added new sidewalks and grass.

The improvements are the first the park has received since the Kvelstad Pavilion was erected by Bight of Poulsbo founder Bill Austin in the 1970s.

“It’s such a huge upgrade from the old park,” said Checkers Espresso owner Jim Wise. “It’s going to be a great treat for people.”

As beautification chairman of the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association, he said once the new benches and lights are added to the park, the public will be able to enjoy the refurbished area that much more.

Port of Poulsbo looks to expand

POULSBO The sight of Argosy and other cruise ships in Liberty Bay could become commonplace if the Port of Poulsbo’s expansion plans are successful.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Mayor Kathryn Quade said. “What’s good for the port is good for Poulsbo.”

Those comments came after Port of Poulsbo Marina manager Kirk Stickle gave the Poulsbo City Council an overview of the proposed changes at a March 21 meeting.

“We are working with (the Washington State) Department of Natural Resources to expand our harbor lines,” Stickle said. The expansion of the port’s inner and outer harbor lines is the first step in the overall marina improvements. “Once we get this done, then everything else will begin to fall in place.”

Project engineer Shane Phillips said the enhancements could cost several million dollars, but additional studies must take place before the exact cost is determined.

Stickle said the project also includes a floating breakwater, expanded moorage and a new floating attenuator (a device that reduces the strength of audio signals). The marina’s guest moorage slips are booked every weekend through the end of October, so there is an obvious need for more slips in the marina, he said.

Alex Duchemin takes Miss Poulsbo crown

BREMERTON Cheers erupted from a section of lime green fans in the Bremerton High School Auditorium Saturday night as Alex Duchemin was crowned Miss Poulsbo 2007.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this honor,” Duchemin said with a smile, following the Miss Poulsbo/Miss Kitsap Scholarship Pageant.

Duchemin, a 22-year-old graduate of Western Washington University, has a degree in English elementary education. Her platform, titled “The Power of One,” focused on bringing differently abled individuals together as one.

“We are so proud and so happy,” said her mother, Wendy Duchemin, through tears. “Her platform isn’t just a platform, she really practices it.”

After asked how she would implement her platform in the community for the onstage question, Duchemin said she wanted to introduce an adaptive aquatics program in the community. Through this program, she said, people of all different ability levels could come together and swim as buddies, one with a disability and one without.

Court upholds call on Vinland cell tower

POULSBO Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Daniel Hartman upheld the Poulsbo City Council’s Oct. 18, 2006 decision to allow Verizon Wireless to construct a 140-foot wireless monopole on Rhododendron Lane April 20.

In its 4-3 decision, the council overturned an earlier decision by the city’s Hearing Examiner Theodore Hunter, which denied the project because “it would be significantly detrimental to the general welfare of persons living in the neighborhood (of Finn Hill Road and Rhododendron Lane).”

In that decision, written by City Attorney Jim Haney, the council stated by using the term significantly detrimental, PMC 18.76.060 requires more than a determination that the monopole would be visible from nearby properties; it requires that the visual and aesthetic impacts of the monopole be both detrimental, i.e., adverse and significant, i.e., more than moderate.

The council also disagreed with Hunters assessment of the citys consultants review of the project.

The Hearing Examiner erred in making this finding, the councils decision states. Adcomms conclusion that the site does not appear to lend itself to using the utility poles was based on three facts.

Those facts include adding 30-feet to the 90-foot utility poles would not have less of an impact than a single 120-foot pole, the relocation would move the facility closer to the road and the use of the poles would reduce the opportunity for co-location with another wireless provider.

Even though Hartman won’t officially sign off on the ruling until May 4, attorney David Horton, who represented the neighbors opposed to the tower, confirmed the judge had ruled in the city’s and Verizon’s favor.

Keyport Mercantile returns to town

KEYPORT During its heyday, the Keyport Mercantile was at the center of the community’s activity, but as time passed, it became simply another aging building with little hope of recovery.

Many in the area expressed their desire to see someone accept the challenge of restoring the store’s interior and breathing life back into what was once the community’s center, but no one person could do it.

That all changed when several new families, who live within a couple of blocks of the building, dared to attempt what others had tried and failed.

“We all wanted to see it return, but no one could do it by themselves,” said Brian Watne, who, with his wife Meche, his mother-in-law and three other couples, now runs the store.

Merely attempting to have someone at the store during normal business hours is a gargantuan task in itself, let alone tending to the financial aspects of the store, he said.

Before Keyport Mercantile finally opened its doors earlier this month, the residents had to drive 10 minutes just to get a loaf of bread, Meche Watne said.

“We’re right in the middle of Silverdale and Poulsbo, but we wanted something here,” she said.

Instead of purchasing the building, all of the couples formed a small corporation to lease the space and get a feel for running the store, before considering the idea of buying it outright, she said.

Nilsen’s ending 58 year stint in Poulsbo

POULSBO Bruce Nilsen got his first taste of the family business at the tender age of 11 on the ground floor, literally.

“All I did was sweep and clean up,” Nilsen said. “I didn’t start working until I was 11. I’ve had a good run.”

That run in Little Norway came to end June 29, when Nilsen’s Appliance Center celebrated the end of an era from 6-8 p.m. that evening with a farewell party for its loyal customers and employees.

“I think we’ve outlasted our stay here by about 10 to 12 years,” Nilsen said.

However, just because the business is consolidating its warehouse and repair services in Lofall and its retail offerings at its Silverdale store, its presence won’t be leaving the North End.

“One of the reasons they (his dad and uncle) moved the store to Poulsbo (from Kingston) was to serve the North Kitsap area,” Nilsen said. “We’re going to continue doing that.”