The NAD Guardhouse Cabin now has an opportunity for a new and improved life.
A group of grassroots community members have banded together this past year to form a non-profit foundation to raise money, donations in kind and volunteer hours to repair a one of a kind slice of Bremerton history.
The NAD (Naval Ammunition Depot) Guardhouse Cabin is a part of a City of Bremerton Parks and Recreation property that is located at 6002 Kitsap Way. NAD Soroptomist Park is a 50.87 acre community park with many amenities that include a disc golf course, a Navy F-8 Crusader jet on display, a play area and a picnic shelter.
The cabin was built by Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. It served as the guardhouse for the ammunition depot for many years until 1959.
In 1989, the Boys Scouts began to lease the cabin from the city and a vast majority of people identify the cabin with this group. When the Boy Scouts organization terminated their lease in June of this year, the idea and implementation of the NAD Guardhouse Cabin was born.
This past week the Bremerton City Council voted to approve a lease with the NAD Guardhouse Cabin Foundation to improve this wonderful community asset.
I have had the great pleasure of serving with both John Larson and Bob Dollar during my last two years on the Bremerton Parks and Recreation Commission.
Both of these men had served for many years as parks and recreation commissioners long before the opportunity and the idea for the NAD Guardhouse Cabin Foundations came into existence.
When citizen’s commissions and committees work as they should the result is that members become educated, informed and aware of where they can make the decision to move from the problem oversight side of the table to the problem solution side of the table. That is exactly what the creation of the NAD Cabin Foundation has done.
John, Bob and many others have dedicated an untold number of years, hours and stewardship decisions to the service of our city on various commissions, committees and panels.
The average person in the community does not ever see or understand the important roles, decisions and recommendations that are made on their behalf by their appointed representatives. Many do not ever know how that representation plays into the final decisions of the administration and votes of the city council.
Most of the appointed representatives conduct their service with little public recognition and or fanfare beyond their official council appointments. I would like to see that change.
I would like to see both the city council and the mayor, publicly acknowledge these individuals when their terms of service are up.
I will take this opportunity to fill that gap for now and thank John Larson and Bob Dollar for their years of service on the Bremerton Parks and Recreation Commission. Linda Simpson should be thanked for her term of service on the Bremerton Planning Commission that just expired.
Thank you all. This city is a better place for all of your efforts.
Colleen Smidt is a longtime resident of Bremerton who writes weekly about community issues. Email her at colleensmidt@gmail.com.
