Earl Nightingale (1921-1989) is credited with saying, “Everything begins with an idea.”

Here is an idea:

Kudos to the coalition of Kitsap donors, Tribes and non-profits for accomplishing the preservation of the 4,000-acre Port Gamble Forest.

Now, if the county could somehow leverage its ownership of this land into a financing plan to create much-needed affordable housing for its forgotten low-income residents throughout the area, a historic win-win-win could take place. Stranger things have happened.

County ownership of the Port Gamble Forest affords tremendous monetary value which could possibly be pledged to federal housing agencies in exchange for affordable housing funding to enable the acquisition of properties for developing the suggested housing throughout Kitsap.

Executing such a plan would take the cooperation of city, county, state and federal agencies, along with various non-profit organizations partnering with dedicated private housing developers to structure such a concept. But in the world we live in today, anything is possible. Who predicted a book-seller (Jeff Bezos) would parley his business into one of the world’s largest retailers (Amazon)?

Anything is possible and it all begins with an idea, as Nightingale said.

Bill Effinger
Poulsbo