Patriot Bremerton
C E L E B R A T I N G
100 YEARS O F
A C H I E V E M E N T
EARLY DAYS BREMERTON WATERFRONT
The Port of Bremerton had humble beginnings. As the story has been passed down through generations, it is said that the city of Bremerton had inadvertently built portions of its wharf, an important commercial and transportation hub, over privately-owned tidelands. The property owner’s threatened lawsuit prompted a signature-gathering campaign by citizens to put the formation of a port district within the city of Bremerton’s boundaries on the ballot in the hopes of resolving the dispute. Many changes within the Port District have transpired these 100 years and the Port is looking forward to recounting and celebrating its history with the public.
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Port turns 100 Celebrate the Port of Bremerton’s anniversary In Kitsap Week
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 | Vol. 16, No. 33 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Commissioners approve mental health sales tax By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
Kitsap County commissioners voted unanimously this week to institute a .01 percent sales tax for mental health and substance abuse programs. The ordinance goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014, and is expected to raise about $3 million per year. The commissioners’ approval of the tax increase followed a pair of public hearings and many months of legwork by supporters. Commissioner Rob Gelder, prior to casting his vote, talked about a public hearing last week in Poulsbo that left him more emotional than he thought he would be. He noted that nearly every speaker shared a personal connection to mental health and mental illness. “They were willing to sort of put themselves on the line to really truly bare their souls for all the public inspection and that takes a lot of guts,” he said. Gelder said that he did a lot of deliberative soul
searching before reaching his decision to vote for the tax. “What it boils down to is everyone’s lives have been touched in some way, shape or form by mental health or mental illness,” he said. “It may not be ourselves personally. It may be a family member, a friend and acquaintance or somebody down the road from us. But our lives are touched. Our community is touched by this issue and I think this is a really important step to take moving forward to try to really begin to turn the tide on this particular topic.” Gelder also said he will remain committed to making sure that the new funds are spent wisely. “This is not just about raising dollars for feelgood programs in our community, but is really about making strategic investments so that we can demonstrate how that investment pays off in the long run for the better health of our community,” he said. See TAX, A17
Kevan Moore/Staff photo
A Washington State Patrol Trooper takes one of the “suspects” into custody during last Friday’s Department of Homeland Security training exercise at Olympic College in Bremerton.
‘Active shooter’ exercise at OC helps train for real-life event By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
A Department of Homeland Securit y
“active shooter” drill at Olympic College this past Friday involved hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefight-
ers and medics and more than 100 volunteer actors from all over Kitsap County. Following a safety
briefing and the placement of actors, an officer in an olive drab uniform See EXERCISE, A17
Port selects former banker to help find its next CEO By Leslie Kelly
lkelly@soundpublishing.com
After a short executive session, the Port of Bremerton commissioners announced Tuesday that they have selected Jim Carmichael to help them find the port’s next CEO. Carmichael is the former CEO of Kitsap Bank, and although he was not at the port meeting Tuesday, port commission chairman Larry Stokes said he hoped Carmichael would accept this invitation and join the three commis-
sioners as they review resumes. The port is looking to replace CEO Tim Thomson who has Tim Thomson announced his plans to retire at the end of the year. In his 14-year career with the port, Thomson has overseen growth in the port’s two marinas and its industrial park. At an earlier meeting, Stokes said he wanted to add a fourth
person from the community to help the commissioners select the next CEO. Stokes made a strong speech saying that there were rumors that he had someone in mind for the job. “I want to make it perfectly clear that I have not talked to anyone, or considered anyone for this position,” he said. Stokes said he expected that the decision would be made by the commissioners and asked that a fourth person be selected and appointed soon. Following that request, the board of commissioners agreed
Tuesday on Carmichael. He retired from Kitsap Bank last year after 35 years with the bank. The port CEO job description had been posted for the past month and applications are being accepted by the port’s attorney, Gordon Walgren. The number of applications received is not being made public, but Stokes said that as soon as they know whether Carmichael is willing to take part, the committee will begin reviewing resumes and setting up a schedule for interviews.
They hope to make a selection by Dec. 1. In another matter, port commissioners voted to award a roofing job to Hanley Construction, Inc. of Port Orchard. After a competitive bid process, Hanley was selected as the low bidder for the re-roofing of the Pre-cast Building at 5648 Imperial Way in the Olympic View Industrial Park. Their bid was $64,910. The estimated cost was set at $82,000 and See PORT, A17