Port Orchard beautification effort aims to freshen up downtown

With Bay Street businesses facing foot traffic challenges, community members are rolling up their sleeves, literally, to spruce up downtown.

The Port Orchard Beautification Day, part of an ongoing initiative by the Port Orchard Bay Street Association, brought volunteers and local business owners together July 12 to clean and care for public spaces along Bay Street.

“It’s really about making people aware that downtown still exists, that it’s something we need to work on and be proud of, like what it used to look like,” said Sarah Butler, a POBSA board member. “When our event center comes, it’s gonna just fit right into the mold.”

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Although turnout for the event was lighter than hoped, Butler said that’s typical for the summer season.

“Unfortunately, most everyone bailed, but that’s normal with it being summertime,” she said. “So I didn’t get as much done as I wanted. But hey, one day and one event at a time, and we will make it happen.”

Beautification days have become a catalyst for community involvement and for encouraging downtown businesses to take pride in their storefronts.

Butler said businesses downtown face a common challenge: getting customers in the door.

“Our businesses are struggling, and there are so many other ways to purchase things, but we have so many unique and different things downtown,” Butler said. “I think people just haven’t gone there, so they don’t know about them. That’s probably our biggest downfall. I wish there was more awareness.”

Butler added, “It’s encouraged some of the building owners and the business owners to get more involved and make their places look better. That’s my goal, if I can make it look pretty and then everybody joins in, that’s the whole purpose.”

For Butler, the message is simple: Port Orchard’s downtown is unique and worth exploring.

“Come visit, it’s unique, it’s different, and you’ll be surprised at the food, the little stores, and the knick-knacks you’ll find that you won’t find anywhere else,” she said.

The ongoing beautification projects are also tied to larger city efforts, including preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring international visitors to the region.

Butler said she’s been working closely with Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu on various improvement projects, such as repainting curbs, parking spaces, and eventually, crosswalks.

“He’s been able to help me repaint the curbs, he’s going to be repainting the parking lot spots,” Butler said. “I’m hoping eventually, I’m trying to get a hold of someone with the state, to be able to paint our crosswalks. That’s a big one, but it’s a state highway kind of thing.”

Even with upcoming road construction, Butler said the downtown businesses want residents to know they’re still open and planning special events. “We’re gonna try to have little mini fairs downtown in between that road part, that’s kind of the goal of the businesses down there,” she said.

The July 12 cleanup focused on expanding the effort further down Bay Street, from City Hall to Port Orchard Ford, including sidewalk cleanups and moss removal on nearby walls.

Butler praised local businesses like Augusta Landscaping and Greener Landscaping, which have partnered with POBSA to maintain beautified areas.

“They come down, they help out anytime, they bring their tools, they are amazing,” Butler said. “On the end corner where there used to be just brush, they’ve totally taken over the landscaping with the property owner’s approval. They just want to help their town look better.”

Butler said public-private partnerships, even small ones, can have a lasting impact.

“We’ve had Boy Scouts and Girl Scout groups, we’ve had gardening crews, and I just give them a little section of an area downtown, and they claim it as their own,” she said. “It’s been a really cool thing to see our town people come together and support this project.”

Butler hopes the beautification movement inspires long-term improvements, including someday rebuilding downtown’s overhangs and installing a sprinkler system for easier maintenance.

“That’s my lifetime goal here, to get that back in place and make it a place where people want to come,” she said.