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Commissioner Garrido chairs the Olympic Consortium, which addresses workforce development issues. This three-county group (Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap) is currently highlighting the construction trades business sector to create an agenda and actions; and connecting topics such as career and technical education, aerospace and community-driven construction. A lot of exciting opportunities are coming together with other agencies, nonprofits and community partners. As chair of the Olympic Consortium Board, Commissioner Garrido is spear-heading many of these initiatives. She also attended workshop sessions in Washington D.C. as part of her leadership role with the Olympic Consortium.
Homes for All
In March, Commissioner Garrido and Policy staff visited
the Othello tiny house village in Seattle. There are 28 tiny houses on the site,
which is home to 65 people, including 14 children. Shared spaces provide a
kitchen, recreational activities and a hygiene center. Three residents are
elected to govern the village on issues of security, kitchen, and arbitration. The
Kitsap group found it valuable to observe how a working tiny house village
runs, as such a village may be an important way to address homelessness issues
in Kitsap.
The Homes for All initiative is reviewing several local
properties that could become a low-cost, secure, well-maintained village such
as Othello. On May 13, Ekklesia Church coordinated with other churches to build
five tiny homes. After completion, the houses remain on display in Port Orchard
to raise awareness of homelessness and possible solutions. Commissioner Garrido
also gave a presentation to Port Orchard City Council on July 11 about creating
a similar village in South Kitsap.
Commissioner Garrido has also worked with Sara Hatfield,
the Career and Technical Education director at South Kitsap High School. The
SKHS students are building a tiny home as part of their curriculum, and include
many different classes and disciplines in their project. This tiny house will
give students valuable job skills as they graduate and enter the workforce,
while providing housing for the rising population in need of housing here in
Kitsap County.
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 Growing
Aerospace Opportunities
As a board member for the Kitsap Aerospace and Defense
Alliance (KADA), Commissioner Garrido promotes good, well-paying jobs for
Kitsap residents by encouraging aerospace and defense firms to Kitsap County.
In June, Commissioner Garrido travelled to the Paris Air Show in France, along
with three other KADA representatives, to market Kitsap County as an employment
center for aerospace and defense companies. Kitsap’s skilled workforce, close
proximity to military bases and other manufacturing companies and available
land are strong selling points for companies seeking to relocate or expand. A
delegation of 63 participants representing Washington state aviation business
interests and elected officials joined 2,300 exhibitors from 48 countries in Le
Bourget, France for the event, which is the world’s largest air show.
Prior to the Air Show, some of the group also travelled
to Toulouse, in Southern France, as part of the Pre-Show Business Meeting, to
meet with members of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, tour the Airbus
assembly plant, and participate in panel discussions and forums about
challenges to the aerospace industry.
Career Connected Learning
Commissioner Garrido was invited to attend Governor Jay
Inslee’s Summit on Career Connected Learning (CCL) in Redmond. The summit goals
were:
- Inspire business, industry, labor and education stakeholders with actionable steps they can take in their own communities to support high quality career-connected learning and pathways to great jobs.
- Build a network of champions committed to
supporting early, frequent, and excellent career-connected learning
opportunities for Washington's youth, especially those from under-represented
populations.
- Highlight promising practices and programs in
career-connected learning.
Attendees heard from kids as young as middle-school aged
who learn valuable work skills while being supervised by professionals in
various fields. Career-connected learning seeks to help youth plan for life
after high school, by exploring various interests. The governor’s plan seeks to
develop public-private partnerships, increase access to training and resources,
and build connections between industry and educators. The program will expand
CCL access in rural and underserved communities, build stronger mentorship
programs, strengthen the High School and Beyond plan, and increase access to
youth and adult apprenticeships. Commissioner Garrido remains a passionate
supporter of workforce development and career-connected learning, and continues
to advocate for opportunities in Kitsap County and beyond. For more information
about the Governor’s Summit, visit http://www.washingtonstem.org/govsummit#.WTh9IKHn-70.
Most people don’t think about Public Works in their daily
lives, but they would certainly notice if their jobs didn’t exist! Kitsap
County’s Public Works Department maintains and operates over 900 miles of
roads, four sewage treatment plants, 185 miles of sewer pipe, hundreds of
stormwater ponds and pipes, six solid waste and recycling transfer stations and
one hazardous waste facility. In addition, they help keep surface water and the
Puget Sound clean, educate citizens about environmental issues, design roads,
bridges, stormwater and sewer facilities, maintain county vehicles, and
countless other tasks.
Commissioner Garrido was proud to be a part of the annual
Public Works PRIDE event, a full day of training that recognizes the great work
of the women and men of Kitsap County’s Public Works Department. The gathering
introduces employees to other employees they may not work with on a day-to-day
basis. They learn about what other divisions and departments do, and explore
creative collaboration. PRIDE expresses a core value of the department: (Professionalism,
Respect, Innovation, Diversity and Excellence), and the PRIDE day is part of
National Public Works Week.
A delegation from Kitsap County headed to Seattle in late
March to participate in the Regional Open Space Leadership Forum at the
University of Washington. Joining
Commissioner Garrido were the directors of Kitsap County’s Parks, Public Works
and Community Development departments.
The day was spent with over 100 community, nonprofit,
government and academic leaders from the Central Puget Sound area discussing
open space trends, opportunities and challenges to long-term preservation. Goals
of the forum included celebration of the Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS)
and making the case for a regional open space alliance. The ROSS is a
collaborative research and planning initiative for the central Puget Sound
region, spearheaded by the University of Washington’s Green Futures Lab. The
ROSS helps create a vision for a coordinated regional open space system
supported by a regional open space advocacy community.
According to Parks Director Jim Dunwiddie, “it was
encouraging to see different organizations working together, forming
partnerships to protect open space.” Commissioner Garrido is committed to
preserving open space in Kitsap County so that future generations can enjoy the
natural beauty of the area and can have natural experiences that we currently enjoy.
For more information on regional open space preservation, visit http://openspacepugetsound.org/.
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 The unique character of South Kitsap’s Burley neighborhood is anchored by the Burley Community Club. The members of this club host many events throughout the year. They raise funds to support the Burley Community Hall as well as managing the Burley Post Office, Burley Park and the Burley Cemetery.
There is also an active Burley Bazaar and Events group, that coordinates the annual June Bug Flea Market at the Burley Community Hall. The 2017 proceeds were donated to CHEW Dog Rescue, Harbor Hope Cat Rescue, Rabbit Haven and Sunrise Equine Rescue. For more information, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BurleyJuneBugFleaMarket/.
Additionally, neighbors in Burley are beginning a project to create a trail on county property to access the Burley Lagoon. With the help of Commissioner Garrido and Public Works staff, the community is finalizing a trail location that benefits the public while respecting the needs of adjacent neighbors. This will be a fantastic recreational amenity for Burley residents. Stay tuned for details, as organizers will need volunteers to help with the construction of the trail.
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In early March, Commissioner Garrido attended the Puget Sound
Summit along with over 100 representatives from local, state and federal
government agencies and tribes. Also representing Kitsap County was Kathy
Peters, the staff coordinator for the West Central Local Integrating
Organization (LIO). Washington State Senator Christine Rolfes also joined the
Summit, held in Olympia.
The Puget Sound Summit gave each LIO (Kitsap County is
part of the West Central Puget Sound LIO) a chance to update attendees on their
ecosystem recovery plans. A unique “passport” was created so that attendees
could keep track of visits to posters created by each LIO and learn about
activities happening in other parts of Puget Sound. To learn more about efforts
to help the recovery of Puget Sound, visit the Puget Sound Partnership webpage
at www.psp.wa.gov.
 Commissioner Garrido addressed the Kitsap Veteran Homelessness Symposium on May 25. The event was a celebration of achieving the goal of zero homeless veterans in Kitsap County, according to the point-in-time count that occurred in January. However, it is an ongoing effort to ensure that all Kitsap veterans have a home and can achieve self-sufficiency.
 The popular skate park at South Kitsap Regional Park recently underwent an expansion. The new addition is dedicated to the late Mike VanDenBergh, who was involved with initiating the skate park.
After receiving many complaints about the high number of
ships in Yukon Harbor creating noise, light and concerns about sewage dumping,
Commissioner Garrido met with the U.S. Coast Guard to get answers. She met with
two commanders from the Coast Guard, as well as the Director of the Puget Sound
Vessel Traffic Service.
According to the Coast Guard, many ships were staying in
the area due to our extremely wet winter. Many of the ships transport grain
which cannot be loaded in the rain. Due to this weather, the five mooring
locations between Bainbridge Island, Black Island, and Manchester have been
used much often than in the past. Those areas were established in 1967 as
safer, more protected mooring spots than those in Elliot Bay. Having ships drop
anchor in these waters reduces the risk of anchor dragging, which harms Puget
Sound’s to marine life.
Although the issue is outside of Kitsap County’s jurisdiction,
the community has noticed changes in the ships practices since Commissioner
Garrido’s meeting. The ships have been
emitting less of the light and noise that was impacting shoreline properties.
It was also a good learning experience on how freight traffic is handled in
Puget Sound.
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The new Kitsap Transit fast ferry service began service
between Bremerton and downtown Seattle on July 10. The trip takes just 28
minutes, cutting in half the time of the same journey on a Washington State
ferry. Prior to the launch of commuter service, a dedication and inaugural run
was held for elected officials and other dignitaries. Governor Jay Inslee,
Representative Derek Kilmer, and former Representative Norm Dicks were among the
guest who joined the Kitsap County Commissioners, mayors of Bremerton, Port
Orchard and Bainbridge Island, Kitsap Transit officials and others on a ride
through Rich Passage to Elliot Bay.
The Rich Passage I was developed especially for that
route. Previous attempts to create passenger-only service between Bremerton and
Seattle caused beach erosion along Rich Passage. The new boat’s design creates
almost no wake at high speeds. It must actually travel at 37 knots through Rich
Passage, slowing down for fuel efficiency when it reaches open water.
As a Kitsap Transit Board member, Commissioner
Garrido has an important role in overseeing the fast ferry, and is committed to
ensuring that taxpayers get what they are paying for. In 2018, service is set
to
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