Patriot Bremerton
FRIDAY, march 1, 2013 | Vol. 16, No. 4 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Empty Bremerton marina continues to be a hot topic
SPEAKING OUT Rape survivor Tami Chesson shares her story in Kitsap County Page 9
Development expert weighs in on Bremerton revitalization By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
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The topic of the Bremerton marina’s 65 percent vacancy rate has led to heated discussions between the city and port commissioners over what form of management is best to get more boats to call the marina home. By Leslie Kelly lkelly@soundpublishing.com
Port of Bremerton Commissioner Roger Zabinski took a moment at the end of Wednesday’s port meeting to let the other commissioners know he’d had a conversation with Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent. But his summary of the call was described much differently than the mayor remembered. “She raised her voice at me,” Zabinski told the other commissioners. “She said we needed to do our job and fill the
(Bremerton) marina. And she said she thought the marina was filthy.” Zabinski’s comments came after the commissioners were reminding those attending the meeting of the ribbon cutting at the Water Street Boat Ramp at the Port Orchard marina, which happened the following morning. The commissioners were sharing how happy they were to have that project completed and talking about Harper Pier and upcoming projects. But Zabinski said that the commissioners should not forget the work that needs to be done at the Bremerton
marina. “I’m the commissioner for that area and it’s important that we not forget the work that needs to be done to fill that marina,” he said. Lent was not at the port meeting, but on Wednesday morning, Lent acknowledged that she had had a conversation with Zabinski the day prior to the port meeting. “He called me to talk about meeting with the (city) council,” Lent said. “He told me he wanted to give an update to the council about what was happening See MARINA, A13
Region braces for federal spending cuts By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
Folks at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and beyond were bracing this week for the federal government’s across-the-board cuts known as sequestration to kick in on Friday. It’s not just public sector workers, though, that are likely to feel the pinch. “The people who run the convenience stores, the service stations, the dry cleaners, the restaurants, things like that - they’re going to feel an impact too,” noted
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during a recent visit to Bremerton. Some 29,000 civilian Department of Defense workers, including more than 13,000 in Kitsap County, are facing furloughs should the sequestration deadline not be met this week, reducing gross pay by about $173.4 million. The Navy, meanwhile, will face more than $4 billion in cuts above and beyond the $4.6 billion shortfall they are already plagued with due to a continuing resolution in Congress rather an actual budget. “Every day that Congress
refuses to do its job is another day thousands of middle class jobs are put at risk,” Representative Derek Kilmer said this week. “Congress must act before Friday. Families in Washington State can’t afford these non-strategic across-the-board cuts. I call on my colleagues to stop this self-inflicted wound and do what’s right for our economy and national security. Congress must replace this mindless approach with a balanced plan to address our long-term financial sustainability.” According to Kilmer and the White House, the
impacts of sequestration will far-reaching and acute in Washington state. It will have an impact education, environmental quality, military readiness, child care and more. Even folks that don’t have a job already, but are looking for one will be hit hard. Washington will lose about $661,000 in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, meaning around 24,510 fewer people will get the help and skills they need to find employment. Local educators were espeSee CUTS, A13
The City of Bremerton has a long way to go on its path to revitalization, but an internationally renowned expert in branding, downtown development and marketing laid out a roadmap last week. “Your problem is you haven’t really given us (folks in Seattle and the other side of the Sound) a reason to come over here,” said Roger Brooks, the expert that has made two trips to Bremerton in recent weeks. “We’ve got everything over there that you’ve shown us over here. That’s why you do branding. What sets you apart? You’ve got the Navy, now what? How’s it working for you? Has it revitalized downtown?” City officials and elected officials from Bremerton and Port Orchard gathered last week in a reserved auditorium at the recently opened SEEfilm Bremerton Cinema to hear from Brooks, who has crisscrossed the country and the globe for 30 years, about ways to recruit more businesses and tourists to the area. He also visited Bremerton late last year for a similar visit with a wider audience of residents and business owners. Jerry McDonald, a Harborside Condominium resident who arranged the Brooks visits, has so far been pleased by the local reaction. “I think that it’s ignited a lot of interest,” McDonald said. “A lot of people are talking about it and it’s got a lot of people thinking. I think we can do it. It’s just a matter of getting the right people going.”
For McDonald, any talk about revitalizing Bremerton, needs to include a discussion about Port Orchard. “My thinking on this whole package is to market both cities at the same time for the same reasons so that people bring more money than they go home with,” he said.
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Roger Brooks, an internationally renowned development expert, made two recent trips to Bremerton. Br o o k s , w ho claims his company, Destination Development International, has recruited more than $2.8 billion in new tourism development projects in 45 states, across Canada and Europe, sounded a similar refrain. “If you don’t hang out in downtown Bremerton and Port Orchard, neither will we as visitors,” he said. “This is the age of third places — home, work and the third place where you go to hang out. Starbucks built an entire brand out of third places.” McDonald said he was one of the original buyers of downtown Bremerton’s See REVITALIZATION, A13