New city hall, passing of matriarch mark second half of year in Poulsbo

Published 10:14 am Thursday, December 30, 2010

Poulsbo experienced both loss and renewal in the second half of 2010.

Two beloved community members died, while a new city hall was finished and a longstanding building was leveled downtown. The down economy continued to be felt, raising concern when the city cut nearly 10 percent of its staff sought new partnerships with nearby municipalities to save money.

The town said goodbye to its matriarch Muriel Williams, daughter of Kitsap County Herald founder Peter Iverson, when she died July 2. She was 93. Williams lived most of her life in Poulsbo, and was known to be deeply invested in both the town’s history and its future. A frequent writer of letters to the editor, her last letters centered on her distaste for the new city hall. Her final letter, written in April, was a protest:

“There are natural disasters and then there are manmade disasters as witness, Poulsbo’s new City Hall. The monster grows.”

She’d rarely miss a Poulsbo City Council meeting as she kept a careful eye on the comings and goings of local government.

“She was very quiet, but determined,” said Williams’ son, Peter Williams. “If she believed in something she would listen to what others had to say but if her mind was still made up, she wouldn’t bend to the will of the mob.”

In August Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson announced the city would offer a Voluntary Separation Program to its employees. The program offered incentives to those who volunteered to leave their jobs. City officials hoped it would prevent layoffs. The city faced a $1.3 million budget shortfall at the time, which was eventually lessened when nine city employees left their jobs through the program. Through those cuts and other decreased spending, city leaders reduced the budget deficit to just over $200,000 by the end of the year, but many departments had to shift responsibilities to accommodate for the loss.

In September the Poulsbo Police Association announced its dissatisfaction with the city’s plan to balance its budget by cutting staff. They released an independent analysis of the city’s finances, suggesting the reduction was unnecessary.

Poulsbo Police Officers’ Association President Dan LaFrance worried not just about his department, but departments city-wide, as each depends on the others.

“You cut and cut and cut, every department in the city is going to bleed and bleed and bleed,” he said.

Erickson promised no further cuts would be made to staff. She took a 10 percent cut in her $65,000 salary, effectively reimbursing the city for her health care costs.

A veteran service office in Poulsbo that assisted more than 1,000 military members and their spouses closed Oct. 14 after a search for a suitable place to relocate turned up empty.

Volunteers from American Legion Poulsbo Post 245 said they were unable to find a new permanent home after the National Guard Armory on Jensen Way was shuttered and sold in 2009. The service office was operating out of the basement of City Hall, but that building was vacated when the city moved into its new municipal campus.

“There’s a profound sadness that this office is being closed down,” said service officer Earl Jones.

In preparation for opening its new city hall Poulsbo lined up a deal with the City of Bainbridge Island to lease court space in the building. The Bainbridge City Council approved lease negotiations in October for a rental agreement that would mean about $42,000 in revenue for Poulsbo annually.

“The idea of sharing resources, where both parties benefit, you’re going to see this happening a lot in the next couple years” as municipal resources decline, Erickson said.

Many Bainbridge residents expressed disapproval of the agreement. The cities were still finalizing terms at the end of 2010, though officials said they hoped for a January court move-in.

In November the Port of Poulsbo announced plans to demolish the former North Kitsap Armory building on Jensen Way to make room for a paid parking lot. The port purchased the building from the state in 2009. Port Commissioner Arnold Bockus estimated at least 50-60 parking spots could fit on the land.

The building was demolished in mid December.

On Nov. 17 the city officially opened its new home, a 30,000-square-foot building at 200 NE Moe Street, the largest building project the city has undertaken.

Lemolo resident Cindi Nevins applauded the building’s style during an opening ceremony, and said it could mean more visitors to the city’s campus.

“It might encourage people to come down and participate,” Nevins said.

A new city hall had been in the works for several years, and after numerous failed efforts the city began construction on its new home in 2008 under the purview of former mayor Kathryn Quade. The three-story building also includes the city’s first parking garage.

A few days after being honored in absentia at the city hall opening ceremony, former Poulsbo mayor Mitch Mitchusson died.

He was remembered as a trailblazer who led the city out of tumultuous years and rebuilt public trust in government from 1985 to 1999. Mitchusson died Nov. 19. He was 71.

“If it hadn’t of been for him I don’t know where Poulsbo would have been today,” said former Poulsbo mayor Donna Jean Bruce. “He was really a great mayor. I’m not sure there was anyone quite like him since and there probably won’t be anyone quite like him in the future.”

Late November brought a storm that left many in North Kitsap without water and electricity for days. Flooding from a burst sprinkler system closed the Poulsbo Marine Science Center indefinitely. A power outage in the building also killed the animals in its tropical tank, which must be heated. The building’s other tenants were relocated and the city is still assessing what repairs must be made before the center can reopen.

On Dec. 15 longtime Councilman Dale Rudolph attended his final City Council meeting as an elected official. Rudolph retired after a 17-year council career that began with an appointment to office by Mitch Mitchusson in 1993. City staff and leaders applauded Rudolph’s committment to improving the city, and for working hard for good solutions without a personal agenda.

“The ability to influence the direction of your hometown, as a planning engineer especially, is an incredible opportunity,” Rudolph said.