Friday, March 29, 2013 | North Kitsap Herald
Option
Continued from page A2 Pope to log, or buy the trees and allow development,” he said. Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish are expected to be stewards of some of the parcels, but Port Gamble S’Klallam Chairman Jeromy Sullivan said S’Klallam is looking at purchasing some of the land through its own means. Johnston said Forterra has submitted its notice to exercise the option — meaning the coalition has raised enough money to continue with a purchase. Forterra is moving forward on all five blocks, giving the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe more time to consider the Hansville block purchase. “We were able to demonstrate an earnest money indicator to Pope that we’re prepared to move ahead on negotiations for the Hansville block … with support of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe,” she said. The Hansville block, which borders the reservation to the north, has not received any grants so far. Sullivan said the Tribal Council wanted to keep the option agreement open.
“But [we, they] haven’t decided how much [funding] or how much land or how we’re going to acquire that land,” he said. “We have our priorities and our priorities haven’t changed. “I think [the agreement’s extension] is great for all 7,000 acres, I think it’s obtainable,” he said. Staples-Bortner said the Great Peninsula Conservancy is “seriously considering” reaching out to the public for a capital campaign to try and purchase more of the land. “I am thrilled by how this coalition has worked together as a team,” she said, being represented by trails, cultural heritage and habitat groups. The state Legislature is currently debating regarding the budget, which includes a few grants for this project. Staples-Bortner said the coalition expects to hear in April if the grants are awarded, and the funding would come in July. The project has received, so far: n $9 million from the state Department of Ecology, committed by the state legislature in 2011. The majority of that funding, $7 million, is part of the state’s contribution to the clean-up
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of Port Gamble Bay. The cleanup agreement between Ecology and Pope was finalized March 22. n $3.5 million from the Navy’s mitigation agreement to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe for shoreline acquisition. n $1 million from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for shoreline acquisition. n $400,000 from the U.S. Forest Service for the Heritage Park Addition. Grants pending: A total of $3.65 million for shoreline acquisition, the Divide Block, and the Heritage Park Expansion from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. Jon Rose, president of Olympic Property Group, the real estate arm of Pope Resources, said in an earlier interview the company was not going to “foreclose” on the grant opportunities still pending just because they are not announced by March 28. “Whatever grants they have in place that we have agreed it’s appropriate for them to go after, we’re going to see how those play out,” he said. Rose said the company has been working on a community partnership for the land in Port Gamble since
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2007. “The potential level [of the grant funding] is larger than I could imagine it could be, and that’s great,” Rose said, adding that the community has “done an amazing job.” He said partnering with the community for these kind of environmental efforts is a Pope business practice. “We make a habit of trying to find important and very authentic partnership opportunities for the community,” Rose said. Preserving this large amount of land, particularly surrounding Port Gamble Bay, is considered an investment in North Kitsap’s cultural and environmental resources. Gelder said the acquisition will boost the local economy by the recreational tourism opportunities it will create. He said the project will have a big impact on water resource protection; North Kitsap is drier than the rest of the county and cannot rely on snow melt or reservoirs for water. By avoiding development on our most impervious surfaces — the sands and soils around Port Gamble Bay — we can protect our aquifers, he said. Any acquired land will have conservation easements.
Public Meetings April 1 Poulsbo Civil Service Commission, 3 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www.cityofpoulsbo. com. April 2 n Indianola Port Commission, 7 p.m., Indianola Clubhouse. Online: www. portofindianola.com. April 3 n Poulsbo Finance Committee, 5 p.m., City Hall, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www.cityofpoulsbo.com. n Poulsbo City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www. cityofpoulsbo.com. April 4 n Poulsbo Port Commission, 7 p.m., multipurpose room on E Dock. Online: www.portofpoulsbo.com. April 8 n Poulsbo Tree Board, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www. cityofpoulsbo.com. April 9 n Poulsbo Planning Commission, 7 p.m., City n
Hall Council Chambers, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www.cityofpoulsbo. com. April 8 n Kitsap County Board of County Commissioners, 5:30 p.m., Commission Chambers, 614 Division St., Port Orchard. Online: www.kitsapgov.com/boc/ n North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Board of Commissioners, 7 p.m., headquarters station, 26642 Miller Bay Road, Kingston. Online: www.nkfr.org. April 10 n Poulsbo Fire Department Board of Commissioners, 4 p.m., headquarters station, 911 NE Liberty Road, Poulsbo. Online: www.poulsbofire. org. n Poulsbo Community Services Committee, 4 p.m., City Hall, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www. cityofpoulsbo.com. n Poulsbo Public Works Committee, 5 p.m., City Hall, 200 NE Moe St., Poulsbo. Online: www.cityofpoulsbo.com.
Select Soccer tryoutS Parent InformatIon meetIngs Room 224, Bainbridge High School
U11:
April 9th, 6:30pm
U12:
April 9th, 7:30pm
U13-U18:
April 11th, 7:30pm www.bifc.net/SelectSoccer Questions: 206.451.4202