May was a month of celebrations and festivals. With the grand celebration for Ardis Morrow and Bill Austin on May 2nd, Viking Fest on May 17th and the King of Norway on May 21st and 22nd, it was hard to catch my breath with all the activity. King Harald V could not come to Poulsbo this year. Instead, he was awarded an honorary degree from Pacific Lutheran University for PLU's 125th anniversary. Kitsap County Commissioner Rob Gelder and I were invited to a private reception where we both met the King. The gala on Friday the 21st was an amazing event held at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel where I met Congressmen Rick Larsen and Jim McDermott, Mayor Ed Murray of Seattle and Secretary of State Brad Owens.

(Reception at the Seattle Sheraton for King Harald V)

Our parks and public pathways continue to grow. Our most recent pathway connects Fish Park to Nelson Park under Lindvig Bridge (pictures below). Soon, a volunteer group from Poulsbo Rotary will finish the path on the Nelson Park end, creating an easy walk between the parks. I continue to work on a trail to connect 7th Avenue to 4th Avenue providing a walking pathway from Highway 305 to Torval Canyon and Front Street. Additionally, plans are in the works for a walking pathway that will stretch from the end of Caldart through Forest Rock Hills Park and down to the new bicycle pump track on Little Valley Road. 

       (Nelson Park Trail)

Viking Fest is always a wonderful time in Poulsbo. The crowds were large and well mannered. Thank you to Kathi Forsee, Tony Smallbeck, and the entire Viking Fest Corporation for all their hard volunteer work. Police Chief Al Townsend drove Senator Christine Rolfes, Commissioner Rob Gelder and I in the parade on May 16th. We were in the brand new Poulsbo Police car tossing treats to parade spectators. Note to self: More treats next year! We ran low mid-way through Front Street. Second note to self: Next year it will be sugarless treats!

These last several months I chaired a regional group within Puget Sound Regional Council called the Project Selection Task Force. The task force recommended a policy to direct the federal funding for roads and transit in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. These were tough meetings that decided the direction of almost $690 million dollars. Of the $690 million, most of the money is Federal Transit Authority (FTA) funds and will be distributed to Sound Transit, Metro, Community Transit (Snohomish County), Pierce County Transit and Kitsap Transit. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) distributes about $229 million of which 20% will be dedicated to preservation of our existing road infrastructure. Unfortunately, this does not really address all the needed preservation projects, especially the number of bridges that need to be repaired. The task force will reconvene in the fall.

A pre-application meeting was held for the purchasers of the old City Hall property. The development team is proposing a mixed use development with bottom floor retail and several floors of apartments. The initial sketches of the building are beautiful; designed by Cutler Anderson Architects from Bainbridge Island. There continues to be active interest in the old Police Station property. We hope we will soon have a finalized agreement for its sale.

Lastly, the City of Poulsbo is hosting a meeting for all Viking Avenue business and land owners. It will be held on June 8th at Hudson Motors at 5:00 PM. For further information, please contact Jan Harrison, Business Development Director for the City of Poulsbo, at jan@jharrisonsolutions.com.

Becky Erickson, Mayor