POULSBO — Efforts to open the Martinson Cabin in Nelson Park continued gaining steam Aug. 9 as the city council’s community services committee signed off on the proposal.

The Poulsbo Historical Society and curator Erica Varga are pushing to use the cabin for exhibits and events focusing on the area’s pioneering past.

However, in order to use the cabin for that purpose, the society had to go through three council committees to resolve issues with security, occupancy and maintenance before receiving the full council’s approval to make the dream a reality.

Councilman Mike Regis and Councilwoman Connie Lord had reviewed the proposal in earlier committee meetings and told Mayor Kathryn Quade they were comfortable with it.

With their approval, the proposal is tentatively slated to go before the full council Wednesday night for a final vote.

When the proposal was submitted to the council’s public works committee on July 26, Councilman Ed Stern called the proposal “the most complete and thorough I’ve ever seen.”

Stern and councilmen Jeff McGinty and Mike Regis signed off on the proposal and forwarded it to the finance/administration committee to discuss funding for the maintenance and security aspects of the proposal.

“We’ve been granted access to the cabin and began work on it and we are working for a September grand opening,” Varga told councilmen Jim Henry and Dale Rudolph Aug. 2.

Under the agreement the city signed with the Bight of Poulsbo, which moved the cabin to Nelson Park, the city also assumes any utility, security and maintenance costs, she said.

“Staffing was estimated at $10 an hour, but if the society uses the cabin, we will waive that fee and staff it with volunteers,” she said.

The society will be responsible for the maintenance and care of the cabin’s interior, and the only issue is who will be responsible for the grounds maintenance, she said.

“Utilities are estimated at less than $50 a month and I think the best I can do is less than $50 a month,” Varga said.

The largest remaining issue is security and that cost will vary depending on how much security the council believes the building needs, she said.

The bottom line security measure would be to have polycarbonate material placed on the windows with ultraviolet coating, which would cost about $1,000 and the top of the line security would involve a monitored security system with a smoke detector, which would have a one-time cost of $860 for installation, a cellular phone for $40 a month and cost between $26-$40 a month for monitoring, Varga said.

Henry’s initial reaction was that he preferred a cellular phone instead of a landline, because a landline could be more easily damaged.

“Security is one of those you don’t have enough of until you have to use it,” Henry said. “I would recommend going with the $40 a month option.”

The recent vandalism to the Sylvan Way branch of the Bremerton library occurred without rhyme or reason and the city needs to do all it can to prevent similar incidents at the cabin, he said.

“This is one of a kind and once it’s lost, it’s lost,” Henry said.

Rudolph said the level of security will determine how much the society will be able to borrow from other historical collections, because it won’t receive many loans unless the lenders know their items are protected.

“What’s unique about this project is it’s just finishing up what we started,” Rudolph said, noting that the cabin project began in 2004.