Review Bainbridge Island

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: Spartans rally from two ones to beat Bellevue. A10

FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2014 | Vol. 114, No. 19 | www.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.com | 75¢ A

A new summer spot

What a scream!

Pool at Pleasant Beach may open by next spring BY CECILIA GARZA Bainbridge Island Review

In other parts of the country, summer isn’t summer without the neighborhood pool. It’s where summer birthdays are celebrated and poolside barbecues happen. For kids and adults alike, it’s the best spot for alternately soaking up the sun and cooling down. On Bainbridge, kids instead jump off the Point White pier or test how long they can last in the shocking “refreshment” of the Puget Sound before rushing out again. That’s about it. There is no perfect sunbathing patio, kiddie water playground or poolside picnic table. At Pleasant Beach Village in Lynwood Center, though, that will all soon change. “There really isn’t, at least from my perspective, there isn’t anything like this on the island,” said John Jacobi, the owner of the familyfriendly shopping and community center.

“There’s nothing there that says kid-friendly as this will be.” By spring 2015, Jacobi said, a community pool complete with a hot tub, kiddie pool, picnic tables with barbecue grills and shower facilities will be open for its first visitors. “The reason we did it, we talked to an awful lot of people in the community,” Jacobi said. “And they expressed an interest in having a community center … So that’s what we’ve have designed.” Once the pool is complete, visitors will be able to park behind the existing shopping strip on Lynwood Center Road. There, at the top of the hill, is what Jacobi says is the perfect sunspot for a pool. The sun rises, reaches its highest spot and sets without any obstruction from buildings or trees. Like the rest of Pleasant Beach, the new community pool will be a family-friendly space and turn to pool | A18

Highway interchange drew interest for CVS pharmacy Developers had more than one new drugstore in the planning stages BY BRIAN KELLY

Bainbridge Island Review Brian Kelly | Bainbridge Island Review

KiDiMu’s first-ever Kids for KiDiMu Walk was held in downtown Winslow Saturday, May 3. At the end of the walk, the popular bank Recess Monkey played for an eager audience of kids and parents. The group went through a big songlist of kiddie favorites for the appreciative crowd. At top, Alexa Jane Cantwell, 5, and Jack Cantwell dance to the music. At right, bass player Jack Forman leads the crowd in a goofy-face singalong.

Developers from Ohio weren’t the only ones who thought Bainbridge Island could use another large drugstore on High School Road. The city’s hearing examiner recently approved the plan by Visconsi, an Ohio-based developer, for a new shopping center on High School Road that will be anchored by a Bartell Drugs store. Documents released this week by the city, however, show that a Michigan-based development company approached Bainbridge officials last summer with plans for a 12,500-square-foot, 24-hour pharmacy on the southwest corner of Highway 305 that’s currently occupied by a Chevron gas station.

Last May, owners of the gas station purchased the closed 76 Station on the other side of High School Road for $1.2 million. There are now two Chevron stations on both sides of High School Road near the busy Highway 305 intersection. The following month, in June 2013, according to city records, the Velmeir Companies, a development firm that counts as its clients CVS Pharmacy, the Home Depot, Dairy Queen and others, asked city officials for a predevelopment conference to discuss their plans for the property. The land is owned by Car Wash Enterprises, Inc. of Seattle. Velmeir representatives said their proposal included a 24-hour pharmacy with a drive-through lane. Project officials also said the store would sell alcohol. In a meeting with city planners on July 16, the developers were turn to pharmacy | A3