Friday, July 4, 2014 • Bainbridge Island Review
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New system at the library aides the hearing impaired Rotary grant enables installation of a hearing loop system for patrons BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
The Bainbridge Public Library is making some noise on behalf of the island’s hearing impaired, and everyone should be able to hear it just fine. Made possible by a grant from the Rotary Club of Bainbridge, the library has installed a hearing loop system to better enable islanders with hearing loss to attend and participate in the many diverse events held in the large Community Room. “We want to provide good access to our silently disadvantaged residents through the new
David Warren photo
Bob Bosserman, chairman of facilities for Bainbridge Public Library, and Rick Diaz, assistant installer at Now Hear This!, test the newly installed hearing loop in the Bainbridge Public Library’s Community Room.
hearing assistive technology,” said Bob Bosserman, facilities committee chair for the library’s board of directors. He noted that the Community Room, the library’s largest and most utilized public meeting space, is booked an average of 22 days a month. The equipment was installed by Rick Faunt of Now Hear This! on Sunday, June 15 and all testing and adjustments were completed before the end of the month. Hearing or “induction” loops transmit the audio from a PA system directly to telecoil-equipped hearing aids and cochlear implants. The telecoil functions as an antenna, relaying sounds directly into the ear without background noise or distortion, just like Wi-Fi connects people to the internet.
Though not a new technology, there has been a recent national campaign to increase the usage of the system. Data from the 2010 Census showed that of Bainbridge’s population of 23,000, nearly 30 percent is 50 to 64 years old, while 16 percent is 65 and over. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about 18 percent of adults 45 to 64 have hearing loss. The ration increases to one in three by age 65 and to nearly half by age 75. According to the library, at a minimum, the current hearingimpaired population of Bainbridge is between 2,500 and 3,000 and will continue to grow. For more information, visit www.bainbridgepubliclibrary.org.
ting food on trays, taking trays to seated patrons and cleaning up. For more information, call 360-377-8511 or 888-877-8511.
Around the Island VIRGINIA V
Tickets on sale for benefit cruise Tickets are now on sale for the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum’s annual fundraising cruise aboard the Virginia V. Riders can enjoy the panorama of Bainbridge Island’s waterfront as they cruise around the island on the beautifully restored steamship, the last of the “Mosquito Fleet” steamers. The annual fundraiser for the museum is a festive and informative event. It will feature Dennis Lewarch, the Suquamish Tribe’s archeologist and historic preservation officer, who will talk about the historical relationship between the Suquamish Tribe and Bainbridge Island. The cruise is 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 20 and will depart from the Bainbridge city dock. In addition to a delicious box lunch, each passenger will receive an informative guide including a map describing 33 place names the early Suquamish had for special hunting and camping areas on the Island. For example, Battle Point was called “Kaxtyo” in Lushootseed, which means “Stingy village, with stingy leader.” A second map designates the 30 Bainbridge Mosquito Fleet landings surrounding the Island with a description of each early 1900s settlement. Passengers can often identify these landmarks
by looking for pilings that still remain from the old docks. Organizers also note that watching the 1898 steam engine operate and pulling the steam whistle in the pilot house are always highlights of the cruise. Tickets are $125 ($100 for members of the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum). To reserve tickets, call 206-842-2773 or visit www.bainbridgehistory. org SUMMER JOBS
BYS launches intern program Bainbridge Youth Services is introducing its annual Kitsap County High School Summer Intern program this week. The six-week internships run from July 7 through Aug. 15. Sam Clarke, a BYS board champion for the program, designed it “as a way for youth to learn skills/traits that employers need, acquire significant knowledge, experience and career opportunities, while boosting their self esteem.” The new program was prompted by employment reports that predict that by 2020, about 75 percent of 122 million available jobs will require higher skills and offer higher pay — but only about 55 million workers will be qualified for those jobs. “Clearly we need new talent-creation systems, such as high school
BAINBRIDGE PARKS
Park board looks at land
Photo courtesy of the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum
The Virginia V, a restored “Mosquito Fleet” steamer, approaches the Agate Pass Bridge.
internships, to help ensure businesses have the qualified people they need, and youth have job-ready skills,” Clarke said. To qualify, interns must be a junior or senior in high school and reside in Kitsap County. Officials with the nonprofit said the paid internship program has been evolving over the last three years and will launch with a dozen employers across Kitsap County, including Bloedel Reserve, the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce, the Kingston Chamber of Commerce, the cities of Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District, Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, Bainbridge Athletic Club, Bainbridge Island Blueberry Farm, Kingston-CPA, Kitsap Regional Library and Papa Murphy’s. “The internship itself has two parts,” said Bob Linz, board president
for Bainbridge Youth Services. “The first part is for the intern to do a job the employer needs accomplished. The second part is for the employer to introduce the intern to the varied elements that make their business successful.” In this second role, the employer becomes more like a mentor sharing business planning, marketing strategies, finance oversight, human resource tasks and technology use that the intern might not normally see. The objective is to introduce the intern to career options and help them identify areas of interest and passion. Based on an application by each employer, staff at Bainbridge Youth Services matched student interns with each employer. Staff worked with high school personnel to find strong skill matches for each employer. “This first summer internship experience is mostly about us learn-
ing the best approach to matching youth interests and skills with employer’s needs, as well as making sure we prepare the youth to arrive on the job with basic skills, ready to turn off their cell phones, arrive on time, listen, apply themselves and learn,” said Marina Cofer-Wildsmith, executive director of Bainbridge Youth Services. More information about the program is available at www.bainbridgeyouth services.org. HELP NEEDED
Meals on Wheels needs volunteers Meals on Wheels Community Dining is seeking volunteers at its Bainbridge Island location. Volunteers work with pre-cooked, pre-heated food that has been delivered to the location. Volunteer tasks include setting tables, measuring food temperatures, put-
Bainbridge park officials will review an agreement with the city of Bainbridge Island over the transfer of the Lumpkin and Blossom properties from the city at the park board’s next meeting. The board of the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 10 at Strawberry Hill Center, 7666 NE High School Road. PRIMARY ELECTION
League hosts voters forum The League of Women Voters of Kitsap will host a candidate forum featuring candidates for Kitsap County assessor and Kitsap prosecuting attorney on Tuesday, July 22 at the Norm Dicks Center in Bremerton. Candidates for the prosecutor’s position will speak at 6:30 p.m.; the forum with candidates for assessor begin at 7:30 p.m. Candidates for county prosecutor are Russ Hague (D), Tina Robinson (R), Bruce Danielson (I) and Bob Scales (D). Assessor candidates are Paul Andrews (D), Phil Cook (R), W. Sean Smith (R) and Gary Sobeck (D). The Norm Dicks Center is at 345 Sixth St.