POULSBO — Dark clouds rolled over the dirt, scrub brush and mud at Olhava Monday afternoon, but blue skies were pushing through from the west. A sign of better things to come?

Perhaps.

Supporters of Olympic College Poulsbo this week received their first good news since the project received the approval of the Poulsbo City Council over a year and a half ago. The $13 million in state funds, which represents the fiscal backbone for the branch campus, are safe and sound, according to the Office of Financial Management.

The declaration comes roughly one month after OFM put the state’s hefty monetary pledge for the college, and many other projects, on hold due to the stormy fiscal waters that have recently swept the nation.

Shortly after OFM’s October statement was made though, Poulsbo Mayor Donna Jean Bruce and Sen. Betti Sheldon were once again stepping up to the frying pan — hoping to keep the dream of higher education here from slipping into the fire.

In separate letters to Gov. Gary Locke and OFM Director Gary Brown, the two advocates made their cases as to why the $13 million should be re-allocated into the 2002 budget. Both Bruce and Sheldon pointed to the city’s financial ties to the 20-acre campus which is only one portion of the 216-acres of undeveloped land at Olhava.

The once densely-wooded property was cleared in late-2000 but initial infrastructure work promised by developer First Western has yet to materialize at the property. Lack of progress at the site, located on Poulsbo’s northwestern edge, hasn’t gone unnoticed though and has been a source of constant friction between officials from Olympic College, Poulsbo and First Western.

“While the college has not yet broken ground, the city has made significant commitments and the funds for the college should be released so that the city’s and the college’s investment in this project can be realized,” Mayor Bruce wrote Oct. 26, before detailing Poulsbo’s planning and engineering efforts concerning water, sewer and transportation.

“The Olympic College is a one-time opportunity for the City of Poulsbo and all of North Kitsap County,” she continued. “We urge you to consider our investment in the infrastructure necessary to support the college as meaning that the Olympic College project is underway and funding should continue.”

Sen. Sheldon spoke with the OFM director Monday morning and confirmed that the $13 million nest egg had not unexpectedly hatched and flown the coop.

“The reappropriation is there, it is safe, even if we go back into the capital budget we will not touch that money,” Sheldon said, paraphrasing what she had been told by Brown.

“Even though the funds are safe right now, it is not a good idea to let that money sit. We need to act on that campus (and) we need to act as quickly as possible,” she added. “These are not the times to sit on reappropriated money — we don’t know what’s around the corner.”

One of Poulsbo’s most vocal advocates of the branch campus, councilman Ed Stern agreed, but noted that the ball was now squarely in the city’s court.

“We’ve pulled it out of the fire literally,” he explained. “The senator has done her job in Olympia, so it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves here.”

This means getting First Western back on the track of progress after months of derailment, Stern and Sheldon said.

“We need to really act on this to get First Western to step up to their obligations and get this campus moving,” Sen. Sheldon pointed out.

Stern said important dialogue would be taking place between officials from Poulsbo, Olympic College and the developer during the next week that will hopefully “set the table” for a Nov. 14 city council meeting with Mark Zenger of First Western.

“If cats have nine lives we’re at 14 here — and I don’t think we should press our luck any longer,” Stern said. “We break ground by spring or we break heads.”