Putting the plan into place

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, March 29, 2006

SUQUAMISH — Kitsap County officials are encouraging residents in Suquamish who have concerns about their community to come forward and make sure they have a say in how their area grows.

Kitsap County’s Department of Community Development is seeking residents interested in being a part of the newly-formed Suquamish Citizens Advisory Committee. The idea of the committee is one result of the work done by a group of residents who helped the county update the Suquamish Subarea plan in 2004 and 2005. The plan is a land-use planning document that outlines the projects, goals, policies and visions for how Suquamish should evolve as a community, per residents’ desires. While the plan was adopted by the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners last fall, members of the group didn’t want the document to sit on a shelf and collect dust — they wanted to see it put into action and get started immediately on some of the projects outlined in the plan, said DCD community planning manager Scott Diener.

“The group is so eager to get started, they have started some advance footwork,” Diener said.

The group felt that a way to make sure the plan was implemented was to establish the citizens advisory group. Members had studied the Kingston Citizens Advisory Council, which works closely with the county on land use and development issues in Kingston. The subarea committee decided a similar group was needed in Suquamish.

The success rate with having these types of groups in the county has been high, Diener said, as there have been been dynamic relationships formed between the county and unincorporated communities as a result.

“I think that’s a model the county has found most successful with community and county interaction,” he said.

Several aspects the Suquamish subarea group wants to see implemented include the results of the Imagine Suquamish workshop that took place in 2004, when about 50 residents got together and discusssed what was needed in Suquamish to improve community’s quality of life, such as building a community center.

“That was a very successful (event),” Diener said. “We don’t want to lose sight of that initiative.”

Other key issues the subarea plan highlights are preserving parks and open space and addressing transportation and community safety issues, such as installing crosswalks and improving the lighting in dark parts of the neighborhood. The subarea group members also hopes the SCAC will forge better relations with the Suquamish Tribe, as they hope to meet on a regular basis about activities within the community, Diener said.

So residents can learn more about the SCAC, Kitsap County Commissioner Chris Endresen will be hosting an informational meeting 6:30-8:30 p.m., April 4 at 4945 Hendrickson Rd NE in Suuqamish. Call (360) 598-3325 for directions.

There will be 11 people appointed to the committee by the county, which will include “at large” positions as well as those who would represent various community groups in Suquamish.

Endresen will explain how the advisory group will work, what will be expected of the residents, what will be expected of her and what will be expected of the county staff, which will be the primary liaison between the residents and the county.

Kitsap County volunteer services coordinator Jan Koske will be taking applications for spots on the SCAC through the first week of May. She can be reached at (360) 337-4650 or by email at JKoske@co.kitsap.wa.us.