Dignitaries including Congressman Norm Dicks man the shovels in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new $16+ million headquarters for Kitsap Credit Union.

   Kitsap Credit Union (KCU) has made a $16+ million commitment to return to its roots in downtown Bremerton
   The institution, which was founded in 1934, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters in downtown Bremerton. The facility will include a full-service credit union branch and approximately 52,000 square feet of office space, of which, somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 will be available for lease. The credit union’s operations will fill the rest.
   Construction is expected to take a little over a year, and begin next month. It is anticipated the project will be finished in early 2006.
   Opus Northwest, the same firm which oversaw the Harborside project, will head up construction. The downtown Bremerton architectural firm of Rice-Fergus-Miller developed the initial plans for the facility.
   The building will also include a kiss-and-ride facility that will be owned jointly by the city and Kitsap Transit. Early designs for the building include a landmark glass tower that will house elevators and other mechanical functions for the facility.
   The groundbreaking ceremony itself was preceded by a well-attended reception across the street at the new Harborside Conference Center. The main event, which included the ceremonial first shovel full of dirt being dug, was witnessed by approximately 60 people.
   Manning the shovels were U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair); Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman; Kitsap County Commissioner Patty Lent; and Kitsap Transit Executive Director Richard Hayes, in addition to KCU President and CEO, Elliot Gregg.
   Dicks praised KCU for stepping up as one of the first private sector businesses to join the city's redevelopment.
   "This is a private sector decision, and that's why it's so important," Dicks said. "They believed in this whole revitalization effort."
   Bozeman chimed in, adding, "We needed a private sector institution to come along and say, 'We're joining with you in taking this risk.’”
   During his speech, Gregg visibly chuckled when he said the financial institution decided to commit to the downtown redevelopment effort after careful consideration by its board of directors — and some “very persuasive encouragement” provided by both Dicks and Bozeman.
   Gregg did say that locating the new headquarters downtown made financial sense because the credit union could consolidate all its administrative functions in one location. Gregg saluted the credit union's 70,000 members, saying, "They own this building," "And we intend to make them proud."
   In another downtown development, the on again-off again negotiations with Anthony’s Home Port to locate at the Harborside have finally come to fruition.
   The chain of upscale seafood restaurants will construct a $1.3 million, 6,500 sq. ft. facility adjacent to the conference center. It will seat an estimated 160 people and include a bar, outside seating as well as 80 parking spaces.
   Anthony’s paid the city a reported $300,000 for the pad site on which it will build.