POULSBO — I didn’t say that about the project, did I? Someone else said that, but I didn’t. Check the tape.

Much has been said about the proposed municipal campus project since it was announced July 27, 2005. But sifting through the quotes wasn’t tasked until eight months later when Poulsbo City Councilman Mike Regis asked the city clerk’s department to review the city council meeting minutes and refresh council members on what they said about the project.

That request led the Herald to go back, examine its files and do the same.

In part two of a two-part series, the Herald examines what Councilmen Ed Stern, Mike Regis, Dale Rudolph, Jeff McGinty and Jim Henry along with Councilwoman Connie Lord said on the issue.

Here are the highlights. The entire record can be found on the Herald’s Web site at www.northkitsapherald.com.

Councilman Ed Stern:

• Aug. 20, 2005 Herald

If the council has not decided to move ahead with the municipal campus project by mid-September, Stern announced his intentions to recommend the city make the necessary repairs to its current building as chairman of the finance committee.

• Sept. 24, 2005 Herald

“We believe that no existing building can compete with a newly built building based on current codes based on a 50-year life cycle,” Stern said.

However, the council’s desire to build a new building does not preclude alternative site selection, he said.

• March 11, 2006 Herald

As he fielded questions from the throngs of community members touring the building, Councilman Ed Stern said the discussion about the municipal campus site was a “great problem.”

“People care and it would be great if we could apply this to all the issues that were raised in public,” Stern said.

• March 25, 2006 Herald

“I just don’t want to preclude larger public discussion,” Stern said.

Stern replied that while he knows the council did its due diligence on the 10th Avenue site, it wasn’t transparent to the citizenry and many residents feel there wasn’t enough public participation.

“My concern is when in life can you be right and end up being wrong,” Stern asked.

t Councilman Mike Regis:

• July 30, 2005 Herald

That link to downtown will be one of the key aspects in the development of the property, Regis said.

“If we can’t tie it back to downtown on a pedestrian level, then we don’t need to do it,” Regis said.

• Oct. 1, 2005 Herald

“We still need to do substantial refinement, but definitely this one (conceptual site plan) has attributes that were commendable,” Regis said. “It clearly has its challenges.”

• March 22, 2006 Herald

“We seemed to have lost that focus and I think that needs to be brought back into a fuller arena,” Regis said.

Issues beyond just the building itself may impact the 7th Avenue site and those also need to be considered in any comparison that will be made, Regis said.

• March 25, 2006 Herald

The council did its proper due diligence before purchasing the 10th Avenue property and it has an obligation to keep the project moving forward, Regis added.

“I’m not just representing the community at this time, I’m representing the community 50 years from now,” Regis said.

t Councilman Dale Rudolph

• Aug. 20, 2005 Herald

The city needs to get out of its current building before all of the large parcels of land in the city disappear, Rudolph advised.

“I feel almost helpless in some respects and it looks like it’s going to come down to how many votes do we have to move forward,” he said.

• Nov. 12, 2005 Herald

“This is the building of a lifetime and I think it’s important we have a local architect on the team,” he said. “I don’t want this at all to be a sham. I want this to be real.”

• Dec. 21, 2005 Herald

“I would like to be involved in the design because I’ve seen a lot of bad design by professional architects,” he said. “I want to be wherever I can be in the process.”

• March 22, 2006 Herald

“We’ve already got a cheap city hall and if we want to stay cheap, we should stay here,” Rudolph said.

In its comparison, the committee needs to ensure that both are based on a 50-year life span, he said.

“We’re not going to compare a new city hall to an off-brand city hall,” he said.

t Councilman Jeff McGinty:

• July 30, 2005 Herald

While agreeing with the proposal to start negotiations, Councilman Jeff McGinty stressed the need for a complete study by the architects before finalizing any real estate purchase.

“This is something we absolutely need to do, so we don’t end up with something like we did on the Morris property,” McGinty said.

• Nov. 19, 2005 Herald

“Sure there’s risk in any decision we make but we have a lot of data and I don’t know what else to ask for,” McGinty said.

• March 25, 2006 Herald

“I believe we did what was best for the public and their benefit, not mine,” McGinty said. “I would like people to stand up and support this project and tell us.”

t Councilman Jim Henry:

• Aug. 20, 2005 Herald

“I’m not one to stick my finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing,” Henry remarked. “Enough of this. It’s an election year. Let’s get off our tail and do something.”

• Feb. 15, 2006 City Council meeting

Henry stated that he is very impressed with the work that has been done and really likes the design.

t Councilwoman Connie Lord:

• Aug. 20, 2005 Herald

“The reason I voted for the due diligence was to see if the site was suitable,” Lord said. “However, I’m not sure how it will shake out.”

• Oct. 19, 2005 Herald

“I didn’t feel comfortable with all the information I had from a decision-making standpoint,” Lord said, noting that as a member of the municipal campus planning committee, she had expressed some concerns about the proposal.

• March 11, 2005 Herald

“I wish we could turn back the clock and ask people what they wanted,” said Councilwoman Connie Lord.

“This is probably the most important thing we’ve considered since I’ve been on council and we need to make sure we do the right thing,” she said.

Even though several people in the community have voiced their opinions on the municipal campus project, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will vote in a special election as proposed by Councilman Jim Henry, she said.

“It’s troubling for something to start out like this and I’m not pleased with it,” Lord said.