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It’s been a busy couple of months, as
your Central Kitsap Commissioner, with time
focused on finding ways to make Kitsap and especially Central Kitsap stronger, healthier
and safer for citizens while balancing growth with protecting
Kitsap’s precious natural environment. Each
day is a new experience, filled with hopes from citizens to guide us forward and
challenges to overcome to make it happen. As your Commissioner, I’m committed
to making Kitsap a better place for all generations and will continue to work
for the people of our County. I hope you’ll enjoy this quarter’s newsletter and learn a
little about issues and events I’m involved with, especially in Central Kitsap. Please
contact me directly at ewolfe@co.kitsap.wa.us
for additional information on projects or
any other issue or concern.
 Public-Private Partnerships are the Future
Serving our Veterans
Public-private joint ventures come in many different forms and approaches. What brings these diverse interests together is working towards common community goals by leveraging financing options and reducing/sharing long-term operational costs. The County-owned Central Kitsap Community Campus is one such place where Kitsap County, along with stakeholders and citizens, continue to explore the feasibility of a public-private joint venture for redevelopment of this property. One recent consideration for the property was a new Veterans Administration (VA) clinic. The VA released a request for lease proposals in late February and the county discussed steps needed to submit a proposal. The current VA clinic is located in Bremerton, severely undersized and does not adequately provide access to medical services to not only veterans residing in Kitsap, but surrounding areas like Mason, Jefferson and Clallam counties.
As a military veteran of the armed services, I’m proud of the men and women serving in all armed forces today and our resident veterans that make Kitsap their home. There are over 38,000 veterans currently residing in Kitsap County. By 2030, we anticipate Kitsap’s veteran population to increase by seven percent. This is astonishing considering other Washington state counties will see a decline in their veteran populations over the same timeframe. With this information, new and expanded veteran clinic services in Kitsap are desperately needed to serve those who have served our great nation. While a proposal wasn't ultimately submitted for the CK Community Campus property, the Board of County Commissioners continues to support a new VA clinic in Kitsap County.
For more information on the campus project, visit https://spf.kitsapgov.com/ckcampus or contact Angie Silva in the Commissioners’ Office at (360) 337-4841 or asilva@co.kitsap.wa.us.
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Commissioner Wolfe Continues to Work With Community Partners
You may wonder whether a Commissioner’s time is always
spent at County meetings, community events and other agency board meetings. The
simple answer is ‘yes’ and it’s a 24/7 effort. Being an elected official comes
with great responsibility and a sense of duty to serve people and
ensure their lives are better. As your County Commissioner, I’m committed to this
philosophy and will assist our community partners in creative ways to build
stronger, healthier and safer communities. Below is a small snapshot of events that
demonstrate my commitment:
 Night to Shine
Commissioner Wolfe and his wife Wendy were honored to volunteer at the “Night to Shine” event at the
Kitsap County Fairgrounds, where 350 guests with special needs were given a
prom-like experience thanks to the Tim Tebow Foundation and New Life Church.
Between the guests and volunteers, approximately 1,300 people were in
attendance. Volunteers helped the guests locate formal clothing, get their hair
and makeup done, shoes shined, take a limo ride, and have photos taken. It was
a great night for all of Kitsap’s special guests, and will hopefully continue next
year.
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Spitfire Grill
Commissioner Wolfe made his acting debut in Central Stage Theatre’s (CSTOCK) production of “Spitfire Grill” at the Silverdale Beach Hotel. He appeared as Eli during the first week of the show, and was proud to play a part with the exceptional cast. This was the first dinner theater experience offered by Central Stage Theatre. Funds raised helped towards a new community arts theatre in partnership with Central Kitsap School District. Commissioner Wolfe along with Commissioners Gelder and Garrido recently pledged $150,000 towards the construction of this new facility to ensure public access for all citizens.
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 Silverdale Kiwanis
In January, the Kiwanis Club of Silverdale
invited Commissioner Wolfe to speak at its monthly meeting to share information
and receive feedback on important County projects and services. The club is
doing great work in Silverdale and Central Kitsap and their perspectives are
valuable. For more information, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Kiwanis-Club-of-Silverdale-270620203008014/.
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 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony
Commissioner
Wolfe attended the somber commemoration of the 75th anniversary of
the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December. The event was held at the Naval
Undersea Museum at Keyport, and was the 23rd annual event hosted by
the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport. The public is invited to
attend each year.
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United Way Campaign Kickoff
County Administrator Karen Goon made a sizeable donation to buy the privilege of throwing a pie in her boss' face! Commissioner Wolfe is not holding it against her, since it was for a good cause: the United Way campaign kickoff. Each year United Way raises money to support community programs and organizations that provide healthier, stronger and safer communities. This year Kitsap County employees raised $55,617.64 for United Way.
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Klahowya Secondary School
Tom Coleman,
teacher at Klahowya Secondary School, invited the Commissioner Wolfe to speak to
his AP geography class in February on international boundaries. The Commissioner very familiar with this
subject from his previous career as a Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State and
Ambassador for oceans and international maritime boundaries. In this capacity he negotiated, on behalf of the U.S., over 40 treaties and international agreements.
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Bringing Residents and Organizations Together
Working towards solutions for the common
good
The Central Kitsap Community Council (CKCC) is a
volunteer advisory council to the Board of County Commissioners for the Central
Kitsap community. This advisory board is my eyes and
ears for what’s happening in Silverdale, Illahee, Seabeck, Bremerton, Chico, Brownsville,
Island Lake and many other neighborhoods. Bringing people together, whether residents or
part of an organization that serves CK, to discuss what’s important and what is
needed for improvement is a valuable forum.
To achieve this goal, the County recently reorganized the
CKCC to encourage diverse representation and bring forward different
perspectives along with a new energy and focus on implementing its core mission:
a communication forum for CK residents. With this new focus, the CKCC is
currently testing out new meeting times and locations to promote more public
outreach opportunities. Please visit their
Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CKCommunityCouncil?ref=br_tf
for upcoming discussion topics and meeting information. I look forward to
seeing you there!
Clean Water Revival Along Clear Creek Trail
Commissioner Wolfe is committed to working
with Clean Water Kitsap partners to improve habitat and reduce flooding in
Silverdale
Clean Water Kitsap hosted a bus tour in January which
highlighted recently completed projects in the Clear Creek watershed. Guests
learned about efforts to improve habitat, expand the floodplain to prevent
further flooding, remove invasive species, and plant native trees and plants.
The biggest project in the watershed was the $22 million Bucklin Hill Bridge
project, which was completed in July 2016 and improves traffic as well as
salmon habitat.
The Clear Creek floodplain project, just north along
Silverdale Way was one of the largest in the watershed. Improvements include removal
of 1,500 feet of an existing road, replacement of two culverts, creation of 500
feet of new stream channel, and the restoration of about 30 acres of floodplain
and habitat.
Pictured are: North Kitsap Commissioner Robert Gelder, myself (Ed Wolfe), and Public Works Director Andrew Nelson
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A Day in the Life as a Commissioner
2017 Agency Board
Assignments
Each elected County
Commissioner has the honor and pleasure of serving on several boards of public agencies that serve Kitsap
County’s citizens. These boards also include elected officials from each city
in the county, and are charged with reviewing and making decisions on policies,
contracts, land use large purchases and budgets.
I am proud to serve as chair of both the Kitsap Public
Health District Board and the Housing Kitsap Board of Directors this year. The
Health District prevents disease and protects and promotes the health of all persons
in Kitsap County through its Community Health and Environmental Health
divisions. Housing Kitsap manages, preserves and builds safe affordable housing
serving individuals, families and communities throughout Kitsap County. For
more information on these two organizations, visit https://www.kitsappublichealth.org/
or http://housingkitsap.org/.
Budget
I am committed to the policy of living within our means and finding innovative ways to
provide the highest quality of services possible. Before adopting this years’
budget, the Commissioners asked County departments and separately elected
officials to prepare “status quo” budgets or in other words, budget proposals
that contained no new requests for staffing or other program increases. We need
to do things better, smarter and more efficiently than ever before.
The Commissioners are responsible for setting the budget
for all county departments and elected offices. Nearing $374 million annually, the
Commissioners oversee the budget for human services, elections, veterans
assistance, homeless service funding, law and justice programs including the courts,
sheriff’s deputies, jail operations, roads, sewer, stormwater, emergency management
and more.
For more information on the 2017 budget, visit http://www.kitsapgov.com/das/2017%20Budget%20Information.htm.
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