Nonprofit working on plans for new Silverdale Community Center

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 21, 2026

The Silverdale Community Center Foundation is currently seeking a space to open a community center that would be open to the public.

The community center would be a space to host a variety of events, including dances, fundraisers, luncheons, and county meetings. The foundation hopes to have plans for a remodel of a preexisting location by this summer.

Renee Overath, Donna Hart, and Roy Wildes, among other volunteers, began the nonprofit in August 2025 in hopes of connecting the community.

“Silverdale has limited meeting space. Many clubs and civic groups move around a lot due to limited space. We want to provide a more permanent location for groups,” said Hart. “Also, Silverdale needs a gathering space where we can have indoor community activities, arts and crafts instruction, and activities for seniors and for teens. Our goal is to provide those activities and spaces.”

Central Kitsap Community Council (CKCC) was involved in the first design and planning of the community center. “Our nonprofit group Silverdale Community Center Foundation grew out of that group (CKCC),” said Hart. “We conducted interest surveys through the CKCC to determine location, programming, size, and interest in the facility. We have letters of support from many community groups.”

The nonprofit is currently searching for a location in the Silverdale Urban Growth Area and on a bus line to make the center widely accessible to the community.

The new building won’t, however, be the first time Silverdale has been home to an event center. The unincorporated community in Kitsap County had a community center (Billie Eder Center) that was demolished in 2016 after closing in 2015 due to water damage. Prior to its closing, the old community center already had issues with part of its building and roof. The building’s poor condition made it a liability risk, which led to its permanent closure.

Silverdale Community Center Foundation will soon be ready to take donations to help fund the center and nonprofit, as the demand for a center in Silverdale is growing. “We will be working on a fundraising plan, a marketing plan, and having our first marketing event possibly in April,” Hart said “We will also be looking for an executive director to bring onto the board after we complete the real estate transaction.”