12/10/2018 - Minutes
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City of Port Orchard
Economic Development and Tourism Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, December 10, 2018
Committee Members Present: Council Members Bek Ashby (Chair), Scott Diener, Jay Rosapepe
City Officials and Staff: Mayor Rob Putaansuu, Community Development Director Nick Bond, City Clerk Brandy
Rinearson, Long Range Planner Keri Sallee
Guests: Steve Pyle, Mike Dziak, Jack Edwards, Dave Jeffcoat, Matt Murphy, Christine Stansbery
Chair Ashby called the meeting to order at 9:34 a.m.
1. Update: Foot Ferry. City Clerk Rinearson said that she and Ashby met with the City of Bremerton to discuss
whether any changes should be made to days/hours of foot ferry service next year, based on the past summer’s
ridership. Kitsap County and the Port of Bremerton were invited but did not participate in the meeting. Port
Orchard and Bremerton proposed to continue with the same level of service in 2019, with the goal of supporting
the planned summer events and activities in both cities. Matt Murphy, Chamber of Commerce, requested that the
City Council evaluate the foot ferry’s success in more detail. Christine Stansbery, POBSA Board member, offered to
survey the downtown merchants to determine their needs and preferences for foot ferry service times.
2. Discussion: EVI Video Production. Steve Pyle and Mike Dziak, EVI Productions, discussed their proposal for
updated promotional video materials for Port Orchard, which will focus on the city’s economic, residential and
recreational attractions. The committee members suggested a number of topics to highlight in the script and
video footage, including: the foot ferry and high-speed Seattle ferry; proximity to Seattle and Tacoma
employment and shopping; the new Silverdale regional medical center; Port Orchard’s designated economic
opportunity and tax abatement zones; availability of large manufacturing and industrial sites near SR-16; Olympic
College; moderate housing costs and a relaxed small-town feel; opportunities for outdoor recreation including
boating facilities, McCormick Village regional park, and the waterfront park and trail; and downtown shopping and
special events. Ashby requested a 30-second video highlighting the city’s tourism attractions which could be
broadcast in markets such as the north Olympic Peninsula and King County, if LTAC funds can be obtained to
purchase air time. EVI will provide the committee with a draft script for review prior to undertaking the video
production work.
3. Discussion: Temporary Vendor Permits. Rinearson presented draft changes to POMC 5.96 (Temporary
Vendors) affecting master vendor/multiple vendor permit and business license requirements for vendor sales on
City property. The changes are being proposed to comply with state business license requirements that must be
adopted into City code by the end of 2018. Community Development Director Bond said that POMC 5.96 appears
to have some permitting overlap and redundancy with the City’s land use code regarding street use permits. He
and Rinearson will work with the City Attorney to resolve these issues and ensure that vendors experience a
streamlined and affordable permitting process, which may require a future update to POMC 12.24 (Street Use
Permits).
4. Discussion: Single-Use Plastic Bag Reduction. Council Member Diener said that he and Ashby have contacted
15 jurisdictions that have implemented single-use plastic bag reduction regulations. He shared reports from
Thurston County summarizing the County’s ban on single-use plastic bags at the 6-month and 2-year
implementation stages, to be provided to the full Council as background material for future discussions. Ashby
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also shared resource materials on recyclable sorting and processing, waste reduction, and reuse of plastics for fuel
and other uses. She noted that State Representative Strom Peterson is preparing a bill for single-use plastic bag
reduction that would be implemented statewide. The committee should review the draft language once it is
available to the public. Since the bill could supersede local efforts, the City should postpone adoption of its own
bag reduction measures until the outcome of the state-level proposal is determined.
5. Discussion: Hanging Banners. Mayor Putaansuu said that the support attachments for the hanging banner
wires across Bay Street cannot be retrofitted to meet height requirements for a state highway. Therefore, the
attachments cannot be replaced and the City can no longer allow hanging banners at that location. Additionally,
the City should only issue permits for banner signs on the 640 Bay Street fence through June 2019, since the City
may not own the property after that time.
6. Discussion: Business Retention. Putaansuu said that Kitsap Bank plans to build a new corporate campus for
local administrative operations. The bank is evaluating property that it owns in East Bremerton, Gig Harbor and
Port Orchard for suitability. If the campus is located in Port Orchard, it would add about 150 new employees in
addition to the 50 already located at the Bay Street bank. It is important to Kitsap Bank that they be located in a
growing and thriving area; they don’t want to be the only major downtown employer. The campus could also be
developed in coordination with other mixed-use downtown redevelopment projects which are currently in the
conceptual planning stage. Putaansuu said he will continue to work in support of existing Bay Street businesses
and downtown redevelopment, and let them know that the City appreciates their presence. He will also continue
his outreach to Kitsap Bank and express the City’s support for their potential expansion in Port Orchard.
Chair Ashby adjourned the meeting at 11:12 am.
Next Meeting: January 14, 2019, at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers.