A look back at July 11, 1990 | This Day in History

Published 2:25 pm Wednesday, July 13, 2016

On July 11, 1990, the Bremerton Progress reported that changes were coming to downtown Bremerton.

First, the Progress ran a story titled, “Selling off a city: Local realtors liquidate city core,” and reported that Bradley Scott Realty was about to sell more than $6 million worth of commercial real estate. At that time, it was the biggest single listing the company had ever undertaken.

Bradley Scott president Tim Arnold said to the Progress, “Bremerton is probably going to go through more changes in the 1990s than it has since World War II.”

Second, in the same edition, the Progress reported that the Port of Bremerton was considering adding a refueling station at the guest marina. At the time, the port’s then- Executive Director Ken Attebery was unable to confirm the plans, but Mayor Louis Mentor said a refueling station was needed, given “there is no place to get fuel in the Bremerton area anymore.” The closest options were in Port Orchard or Poulsbo.

If your boat has a motor, odds are you’ll steer toward a port where you can refuel over one that doesn’t offer fuel. And when you refuel, you might also stop in at the dock general store for some ice and snacks, or maybe wander ashore a while for groceries or souvenirs.

A refueling station, in other words, is an enormous draw.

That summer, plans were still being evaluated and bid on to designate what the waterfront and marina would look like. At the same time, the USS Turner Joy was newly accepted into the Bremerton Historic Ships Association, having been recently retired. It would open to the public as a museum two years later.

The marina (complete with about 50 guest-mooring spaces, rather than the proposed 75) and the USS Turner Joy are all staples of today’s downtown built environment, but the public fuel dock never happened. The Bremerton Marina does partner with the Port Orchard Marina, which has a fiuel station, 1.5 miles away.

Third, in the summer of 1990, Olympic College offered a free 50-hour class called “Women in Transition,” aimed at helping women complete the change from home life to the work force or school. OC then maintained an Office of Women’s Programs.

The course was designed for anyone who had worked “in the home for 10 or more years, who needs assistance in obtaining gainful employment”; had been a dependent but lost support through death, divorce or separation; had relied on federal assistance but became ineligible; or currently relied on child support.

In August 1997, the Kitsap Sun reported that the Women in Transition program was cancelled, having run out of state funding after seven years.

A comparable program was offered more recently, in the summer of 2008. The Bremerton Patriot reported that Olympic College’s Women’s Programs and College Success, the Washington State Displaced Homemaker Program, and Olympic College were partnering to provide a one-day workshop for “homemakers in transition.” The qualifications were largely unchanged in the two decades separating the offerings.

The biggest change was the duration — from a whole summer of training to one day.

Olympic College does not currently maintain a Gender Studies program.

— Contact intern Allison Trunkey at atrunkey@soundpublishing.com.