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Friday, February 21, 2014
East High gym’s roof in desperate need of repair BY KEVAN MOORE KMOORE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
The old East High gym, now part of Bremerton’s Youth Wellness Campus, is in dire need of a new roof. “We need to get a roof on this gym as soon as possible because it may not make it through another winter if we don’t fix it,” said Bremerton Youth Wellness Campus Executive Director Patricia Hennessy. The old gym, which is about 30,000 square feet, and an
auxiliary gym, at about 10,000 square feet, are covered by the same leaky roof. Early estimates peg total roof repairs at somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000. “Earlier this year, the auxiliary gym took a pretty hard hit and it’s unusable right now because of all the damage that’s been done, so the Boys and Girls Club can’t use it at all,” Hennessy said, noting that the main gym, at least for now, is still in use. Hennessy said that the gym is a cornerstone of the entire
campus and a big part of Bremerton’s history. “We don’t want the gym to go away because we can’t reroof it,” she said. “It’s a top, top priority and we’ve bumped it to the front of the ($16 million fundraising) line.” Hennessy says that private grants, state funding and individual donations are all being pursued to replace the roof. “We’re leaving no stone unturned and turning over all of those stones quickly so that we can get those funds to do the repairs,” she said.
One such fund-raising effort will be a “prom” set to be held June 28. More information about the special fund-raising event will be forthcoming in Youth Wellness Campus newsletters which folks can sign up for at www.youthcampus. org. Supporters can also follow the Youth Wellness Campus on Facebook and Twitter for ongoing updates. The gym is part of a campus that includes a $3.5 million Boys and Girls Club that opened in November along with a low-cost dental clin-
ic. The Bremerton School District plans to house a $4 million central kitchen on the campus in coming years while demolishing about 125,000 square feet of unused former classroom space. Other plans for the seven-acre site call for improved green spaces, a music pavilion, a farmers’ market and more. Built in 1955, the original gym includes room for sideby-side basketball practices. The newer auxiliary gym building provides space for yet another game or practice.
The gym is a highly coveted space used by numerous youth sports and fitness organizations. It is currently being used by 20 groups serving more than 600 youth. Supporters say that once the gym is re-roofed and fully renovated, it will become a hub of fitness and physical activity — in an area with very few similar options. Local youth will be able to take part in basketball leagues, PeeWee sports, open gym sessions and other youthrelated programs, all operating in the gym.
Hosting a booth and having staff spend time at the Seattle Boat Show was well worth it,
according to Kathy Garcia, marina operations manager for the Port of Bremerton. Garcia recently gave port commissioners a report about the nine day show. “Being there resulted in bringing two new tenants to the marina in Port Orchard, and one new tenant to the Bremerton Marina,” Garcia said. “They were long days, but well worth the time.” Garcia said one of the most popular topics for boat owners and others who stopped by the booth was the port’s new cruising club.
“People liked the promotion,” she said. “It captured a lot of attention.” The Olympic Cruising Club was the idea of Bob Wise, a consultant with the port who is working to bring more tenants to the Bremerton Marina. It allows permanent tenants at Bremerton to “cruise” about the Kitsap Peninsula and stay over at other participating marinas for one or two nights with no moorage fee charged. The cruising club is only a few months old and doesn’t cost the port anything, Garcia said. “It’s a one-way deal,” she said.
“We aren’t being charged for it and our tenants can participate. But tenants at the ports who are a part of this, don’t get free moorage here.” Wise had previously explained that the cruising club is an experimental thing for the first year. If it takes off, it may be extended and could become a two-way deal. Garcia said there were officials of other marinas in the area who asked about it and may want to be a part of it. She said it was also a popular selling tool for bringing boaters to the Bremerton Marina. And she noted that there will be an article about the Bremerton Marina and the cruising club in an upcoming issue of Marina Dock Age, a national publication. In all, 51,684 people attended the show. Attendance was up about 2 percent over 2013, including the fact that the show closed a day early, due to the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl.
“Thirty-two states were represented, along with five Canadian provinces and even one party from Brazil,” she said. Garcia said she had several leads on boaters who were interested in Bremerton. But she said most of them were in leases that required 30-day notices. She said she was going to follow up on those leads. “Love our Live-a-boards” was a theme at the port’s booth and Garcia said that got attention, too. “Some people didn’t know that we offered live-a-boards,” she said. “And many people asked about what there is to do within walking distance of both marinas. We shared the ‘walking maps’ and pointed out the shopping, the restaurants and the museums. They were impressed with the quality of life we have to offer.” Commissioners thanked Garcia and other staff for participating. “It was a success,” said Garcia. “We created a buzz.”
Port pleased with participation in Seattle Boat Show BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
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