Members of the public will have the opportunity to learn how Bainbridge Island’s groundwater might be affected by different land use, population growth and climate change scenarios. Staff of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which has been working with the City to develop a hydrogeologic model of the island’s groundwater, will present the results at a public meeting at Council Chambers from 5:30 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27.

“Since groundwater is the sole source of drinking water for island residents, it’s imperative that we have a thorough understanding of our aquifer system in order to make sound, knowledgeable management and planning decisions,” said Cami Apfelbeck, Water Resources Specialist and Groundwater Monitoring Program Manager for the City. read more »

Kitsap Home Builders Association (HBA) announced that due to the low inventory of homes for the Parade of Homes has been cancelled this year. However, commercial builders have expressed an interest in producing a virtual tour on the HBA Web site. Commercial properties will be featured in a similar format as past Parades with information about the builder and the project. The public will be able to view the properties on line. read more »

Coates Design Architects has been awarded LEED Platinum Certification for a home designed for Ed and JoAnne Ellis of Bainbridge Island. Coates Design is the first firm to achieve LEED Platinum Certification for a single-family residence in Washington, outside of the city of Seattle.

LEED Certification is the international standard for measuring building sustainability, and the certification demonstrates that a project is truly green. LEED Platinum is the highest possible level of certification. The Ellis residence incorporates many green technologies, including geothermal heating, photovoltaic energy collection, vegetated roofs, rainwater harvesting and passive-solar strategies that minimize energy use. read more »

Wade Perrow Construction LLC (WPC) of Gig Harbor received an AGC Safety Team award at the AGC’s Annual Refund and Award Celebration. WPC earned the “Safety and Claims Management” award for achieving an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of .60 and for no time-loss or impairment claims in the last 3 years.

American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced a diverse group of 11 historic and culturally significant sites in the Seattle-Puget Sound area to receive grants for historic preservation projects. When the Seattle-Puget Sound Partners in Preservation initiative launched in April, the public voted online over a four-week period for their favorite historic places from a slate of 25 candidates across the Seattle-Puget Sound area to receive a portion of $1 million being given away in preservation grants from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The additional historic sites announced were chosen by an advisory committee comprised of civic and preservation leaders from the Seattle-Puget Sound area, as well as representatives from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. read more »

The South Kitsap Regional Park, located in Port Orchard, was selected for a nationwide pilot project by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). The park’s Phase One design will be one of more than 150 projects that will participate in a new program testing the nation’s first rating system for green landscape design, construction and maintenance.

Kitsap County, which owns the park, will not receive read more »

The BJC Group Inc. has been awarded the contract to construct the Bay View Building located at 3323 Harborview Drive, in Gig Harbor. The project involves the construction of a 3,300 square-foot two-story office building with below grade parking. Work is scheduled to commence at the end of June and will be completed at the end of November.

The Architect for the project is Miles Yanick and Company of Bainbridge Island. The exterior design compliments the historic nature of the adjacent Gig Harbor buildings. read more »

Hall & Company of Poulsbo, a firm providing professional liability insurance to architects, engineers and environmental consultants, is one of the first businesses in the state to install a solar array and capitalize on Washington State’s Renewable Energy Production Incentive Program. “It’s simple,” states owner Mike Hall. “As sure as the sun will shine, I will make a 14 percent compounded annual return on my investment over the next ten years. And the project will continue to yield energy savings for another 20 years beyond that.” read more »

Locally owned and operated Rush Commercial is undertaking a major new design/build project which will add value and services to the community it has served for nearly two decades.

The new LeMay/Pierce County division headquarters, located at 4109 192nd Street East in Frederickson will be comprised of an existing 42,500 square-foot remodeled truck and equipment maintenance building and a new, two-story 15,700 square-foot office building. read more »