Review Bainbridge Island
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014 | Vol. 114, No. 10 | www.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.com | 75¢
An oldie but not a goody Fire department, city begin work to design a new facility that both can call home Design consultants say current police and fire stations do not meet standards
Council sets policies to get committee back in line UAC must follow Open Public Meetings Act, members to stop using private email for business
BY CECILIA GARZA Bainbridge Island Review
It’s high time that the Bainbridge Island fire and police departments get new facilities, design consultants said Wednesday. At a special public meeting, consultants working on a joint facility for the departments emphasized the current quality of each facility is not just a little below standards, but way below standards. “It’s an essential facility,” said Jeff Humphreys of Mackenzie, Inc. the consulting firm hired for the design. “These are facilities that need to remain operational in any type of disaster.” While the most recent building standards for emergency facilities were published in 1989, the police station dates back to the 1920s when it functioned as a fire house. Bainbridge’s three fire stations were also built either before the current standards were adopted or with little planning for the future, consultants said. In both cases, the buildings are either equally out of compliance or contain equally insufficient amount of space, architects on the team said. For example, Station 21, which serves as the department’s headquarters, has no patient treatment room. The technology assistance room is essentially a closet, when it should be an office, and there is insufficient administration workspace and number of sleeping quarters for volunteers and employees. In addition, where the station faces Madison Avenue, its garage has little actual wall space to reinforce it in the case of a seismic event. Instead, its six 12-foot-wide doors act as a wall.
SPORTS PREVIEW: It’s anchors aweigh for the BHS sailing team. A11
BY CECILIA GARZA Bainbridge Island Review
The Bainbridge Island City Council is giving the city’s Utility Advisory Committee a makeover just in time for this year’s Capitol Improvement Plan update. At Monday’s meeting, the council brought forward policy recommendations to bring the committee back into working order. “This is a starting place,” said Mayor Anne Blair. “The hope would be is that we would be in a position to bring it forward in a resolution next week.” The committee — which has not met since January due to low membership — came under criticism several times last year for nonexistent record-keeping and an internal dispute that turn to city | A10 Photo courtesy of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department
The Bainbridge Island Police Station during the 1920s when it served as Winslow’s fire house.
Cecilia Garza | Bainbridge Island Review
Bainbridge Island Fire Chief Hank Teran speaks during a public meeting on the potential of a joint facility with the Bainbridge Island Police Department. “From a functional standpoint we need those doors there, but from a structural standpoint there’s not much left of that wall,” Humphreys said. We need to have more
meat there to actually keep the building from wanting to buckle.” While all three of the stations provided the same kind of conditions of little work-
space and outdated systems, the most significant shortfall, the consultants said, is at least two of the three buildings have zero life in the case of a seismic event. “We can’t fix the problem unless we know what the problem is,” said Fire Chief Hank Teran. “The last thing we want to do is to ignore anything that’s out there.” As for the police station, the major concern is the size. Built in the ’20s and for a different use, the building’s 4,000 square feet, Humphreys said, is one of the the smallest he has seen. Similar to the fire stations, several of the areas in the police station are multipurpose rooms, cramped and below handicap regulations. In one case, the evidence turn to design | A8
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
The Pavilion, currently the home of several vendors, restaurants and a theater, is currently for sale.
Pavilion up for sale BY CECILIA GARZA Bainbridge Island Review
One of Bainbridge’s busiest commercial centers is now on the real estate market. The Bainbridge Island Pavilion and the adjoining properties up to the corner of Madison Avenue and Wyatt Way were listed Tuesday evening for $14.9 million. “It’s a good opportunity for a new buyer with deeper pockets and more investment savvy to turn to sale | A10