Abridged minutes of the Kingston Citizens Advisory Council meeting Feb. 6, 7-9 p.m., at the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue station on Miller Bay Road.
Present
Naomi Maasberg, at large; Clint Boxman, Rotary, meeting co-chair; Walt Elliot, at large; Dave Wetter, Village Green Foundation; Nancy Langwith, Downtown Kingston Association; Ken Hanson, Kiwanis; Steve Heacock, Carpenter Lake/Creek; Pete DeBoer, Kingston Port; Dawn Purser, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe; Maryann Harris, Kingston Garden Club, meeting co-chair; Dan Martin, Kingston Stakeholders; Annie Humiston, at large; Cindy McKay, secretary.
Correspondence
Reed Anderson has resigned from KCAC effective Jan. 20. This creates an at-large opening on the committee. Contact Rebecca Pirtle if you know someone interested in this position.
Chamber of Commerce representative Sandy Scott will be replaced by Mike Haley in February. Terms for Dave Wetter and MaryAnn Harris will expire soon. They will both submit notification of their interest to continue on the committee.
Old Business
Regarding Wolfle Elementary School being one of three schools recommended for possible closure: Motion was made and seconded to send a letter of support for Wolfle from KCAC. Ken will write and send the letter.
Presentation: North Kitsap EDC Jerry Kirschner introduced himself and said he is representing a group of people who are concerned with local economic development, the North Kitsap Economic Development Committee. The group has gathered and evaluated data and he will share their information, propose a direction and ask for the support of KCAC.
Kingston is changing in demographics, jobs and business. The age of the population is getting older, school enrollment is predicted to continue to decline, vacancy rates are at 35 percent commercial and 25 percent retail as of last year and that number is growing.
This community is aging and there has been a loss in the 30- to 50-year-old age groups. Expansion of non-retail and retail sectors is needed. Current businesses are attracted by the lifestyle and the low cost of living but they state there is a lack of skilled labor, permitting is difficult and there is a lack of advocacy.
The committee feels that now is the time to reinvigorate efforts. There are people willing to work on this, to create a Greater Kingston Economic Development Council with the following objectives: preserve current jobs, create new jobs, and promote and recruit businesses to relocate to the area.
Committee members are targeting an early March kickoff to the council. They will implement a conditional “sunset clause” of three years. If, in three years’ time there isn’t a show of progress or a plan, the indications will be that they are on the wrong path and goals will need to be re-examined. What the group is asking for at this time is support for a coordinated economic effort, representation from the KCAC, and support from represented community groups.
Jerry was asked why he thinks people are leaving the community. Jobs and the cost of commuting were the top reasons. School closures won’t help to bring in young families.
The question of why isn’t this is the job of the Stakeholders was asked. Dan explained that the Stakeholders are the urban economic development arm of the chamber. They fund events and local things in the downtown urban growth area — the landscape projects along the streets, for example.
Ultimately, the hope is to get all of the groups currently working on economic development to come together and work as a unit. KCAC participation is very important; it’s the link between the county and residents. Right now, there are 22 different groups trying to make things happen; these efforts need to be coordinated.
The first meeting will be around the end of February or the beginning of March. A motion was made and seconded to appoint MaryAnn and Clint to represent KCAC on the committee. Motion carried.
KCAC Visioning/County Update — Rob Gelder
Commissioner Gelder felt it was time to have a frank conversation about what is and isn’t working with KCAC.
He said there is no interest in combining this advisory council with any other council. He is, however, looking at the possibility of creating a North County Council that reaches out to smaller communities such as Port Gamble, Keyport, etc.
A review of how we function ensued. Which of the chairperson’s jobs are really necessary? What extra things do we take on ourselves that aren’t necessary? There is a negative perception of what the chairs have to do, as is evidenced by the fact that no one will step up into the position. Maybe duties need to be examined and split between members of the group.
This group does a lot of good things; why isn’t there more public participation? In the past, many found that the presentation was of no interest to them. Having a program that gives people a reason to come is more likely to generate public participation than a steady stream of community reports does.
Rebecca Pirtle said one example to look at may be Central Kitsap. They present community reports at 6 p.m., then have a special event/speaker at 7 p.m. They spin the meeting as a community forum. They’ve changed their message from regular monthly meeting to a special event to discuss a specific project and its working. Their attendance has increased significantly.
Commissioner Gelder proposed the group revisit the mission statement, define what works, and define the membership and the organizational structure. There needs to be an intense session that reviews the mission statement, possibly a retreat to hammer out how the group wants to work. What do the county commissioners need from this group? What do they see as the value of the body? These questions are part of what needs to be addressed.
The group needs to be more concrete about what gets done. Objectives are not concrete and difficult to measure so it’s difficult to know if things are getting better. What kind of work is KCAC trying to get done? Does this committee influence anything within the county?
Commissioner Gelder stated that the county will soon have a new staff person to provide support and coordination as necessary. Heather Adams will start in this position next week and will serve as the liaison for commissioners Gelder and Brown.
KCAC decided that next month’s agenda should be a planning meeting. This will include a discussion of the history, the mission, the by-laws, and a conversation about what is a help and what is a hindrance. The next meeting needs to focus on the basic function of this group.
It was shared that the meetings seem to have morphed over the years. Goals should be made at the beginning of the year then visited at each meeting to measure accomplishment. Even if some things don’t get done, success can be measured. Goal-oriented meetings are important.
Parks & Open Space — Walt Elliott
The Arness Park big belly will be replaced with trash cans serviced by volunteers.
The county is considering a gate or fence at the Skate Park to reduce trash and vandalism.
Volunteers and volunteer groups are needed for trails maintenance activities.
Draft 2013 goals include: a comprehensive plan for trails maintenance, support of Village Green fundraising, support of the North Kitsap Trails Association and Kitsap Forest & Bay Project, develop a new trail map for Quiet Place Park, create a pool of volunteers for Arness Park maintenance and trash removal, pursue toilet installation at Arness Park, fund summer Randy-Kans, support NKHS service clubs and adult volunteer stewardship at the Skate Park, work with Dennis Oost on county trails plan and related activities, resolve ongoing public access to the White Horse trail, ensure continued parking at Eglon trailhead, work with PUD to remove leftover electrical debris on the GPC/PUD trail, support the creation of sidewalks on State Route 104, support a paved trail from Norman Road to White Horse trail, update the trails appendix to the Kingston Sub-Area Plan, pursue resolution of public access to tidelands.
Carpenter Lake/Creek — Steve Heacock
A stream-monitors training workshop was held at the Stillwaters Environmental Center on Feb. 2. Twenty new volunteers participated to learn about the stream monitoring projects and to be trained in the methodologies used to monitor the creek and estuary projects.
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe — Dawn Purser
The Point Casino has a new marketing director, Ian Hay. He will be the new liaison for the Chamber and any other groups that Scott Laursen was involved in locally. Call 297-0700.
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Dictionary was distributed to S’Klallam families. This is the product of years of time and dedication to this project. The Port Gamble S’Klallam history book will be available for purchase this month. It is very interesting and educational. Copies are available for $16.99 at the Tribal Center or on the website.
The Heronswood Foundation is well on its way. With the help of Dan Hinkley and other dedicated local gardeners, there has been a lot of work done in the garden. They are currently working on getting a steering committee together to develop membership programs, fundraiser activities and other community education opportunities. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, contact heronswoodgardens@gmail.com.
Downtown Kingston Association — Nancy Langwith
The preliminary Calendar of Events for 2013 includes:
— Kites Over Kingston — March 30, sponsored by Windermere Real Estate at the Port of Kingston.
— Kingston Wine Walk — June 8, sponsored by the Kingston Chamber.
— Concerts on the Cove — July and August, sponsored by the Events Committee of the Kingston Chamber. Many big names will be performing, including Crème Tangerine, a Beatles tribute band and the Blues Counselors.
— Kingston Slug Hunt — Aug. 17, sponsored by the Kingston Chamber of Commerce.
Kingston Rotary — Clint Boxman
The Kingston Rotary Golf Tournament will be held at White Horse Golf Course on June 21 at 1 p.m. Rotary is actively looking for business sponsors. Foursomes can now register online. All information pertaining to the event can be found at www.knkrotarygolf.com.
Kingston 4th of July Fun Run planning is in high gear. A lot of great enhancements have already being made to this year’s event. There will be a 1-mile kids dash, a 5k and a 10k race. Information can be found on our website: www.kingstonrunning.org.
Rotary is always looking for new members. Contact membership chairman Clint Boxman, 297-3046.
