POULSBO — Utilizing sports fields, rerouting parking and creating user-friendly spaces for theatre groups were some of the many ideas suggested for a North Kitsap recreational event center Tuesday.
And in about a month, those ideas will be presented again to the public in the form of what the new facility could look like.
The Kitsap Public Facilities District hosted a community workshop Tuesday night, in which about 50 residents came together to brainstorm on what they wanted to see in a regional event center located on the site of the Poulsbo Learning Campus.
The campus includes North Kitsap High School, Poulsbo Junior High, Poulsbo Elementary, the North Kitsap Community Pool and auditorium, adjacent ballfields and parking lots. The idea is to take the campus and upgrade the facilities, making it more user-friendly for all North Kitsap residents.
“It was a very fun, very positive meeting,†said Public Facilities District board member and vice chair Linda Berry-Maraist.
While anticipated suggestions were offered, such as improved ballfields, fields with lighting and artificial turf football fields, there were also a wide variety of groups represented, including drama and alternative sports groups, Berry-Maraist said.
Improvements to the auditorium to make it easier for community theater groups to use, a dog sports area and a frisbee golf course were some of the more unique ideas.
“A community center so kids could walk there after school and take a cooking class or an art class,†Berry-Maraist added.
Most area children either have to join a sports team to participate in after school activities or go home, Berry-Maraist said, so improving the campus to make it easier for kids to take part in extracurricular activities is part of the group’s goal.
“There were a lot of great ideas. It was pretty exciting,†she said.
The KPFD has 22 years of funding ahead of it, thanks to an authorized sales and use tax that will allow a portion of state sales tax and use tax be shifted to the district. While it is estimated revenues will total between $8 million to $15 million at the end of the funding period, the agency wants to spend it wisely, Berry-Maraist said.
“There will be a very large number when you are looking for a dollar figure, but it’s not here tomorrow,†she said.
The agency, which is also working with the City of Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Department, North Kitsap School District and Kitsap County, will research grants as well as partner with private and public agencies to ensure as much community involvement as possible.
There will be another community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the North Kitsap School District boardroom, in which the first conceptual drawings will be revealed. There will be further discussion on the vision of the center at that meeting as well.
