REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
ANOTHER WIN: Spartans give Rough Riders a rough ride in water polo. A18
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2013 | Vol. 113, No. 17 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
Fire department mulls levy options as officials look ahead BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
The Bainbridge Island Fire Department continues to strategize for future emergency needs, but those needs may come at a cost. “We are not just trying to maintain what we have, but prepare for the future of the island,” said Fire Chief Hank Teran. “In these economic times, it’s tough to do.” The issues of funding the fire department have risen while it updates its strategic plan, a frequently modified plan that covers the department’s needs and functions. Involved in the update are possible changes to station availability and staffing levels. “The department is looking at how to sustain the service we have at our two
stations and open the third station as much as possible, while also understanding our current economics,” Teran said. But any changes to future funding of the island’s emergency services will likely require raising already established levies for the department and emergency medical services. To do that, the department’s five-member board of commissioners will need to give its approval. The possibility of raising the general fire levy or the EMS levy is on the table. How much, however, is unclear. Teran and his staff provided the board of commissioners with a few options at their last meeting on Wednesday, April 17.
Photo courtesy of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department
Firefighters run drills at Station 23 on Phelps Road. The fire department would like to open the station more often, but to do so would take more staff. Currently, residents are taxed at 40 cents for an EMS levy, and 90 cents for a general fire levy, for every $1,000 in property value. But if the fire department does not seek to raise any
levies, it won’t have enough funding to maintain its staffing levels after 2019. Officials note that if the department asks for a general fire levy lift of 10 cents in 2015, and another lift of
10 cents for the EMS levy in 2019, it could maintain current staffing levels. Fire department staff didn’t stop there, however, and offered a couple more ideas to plan for the future needs of Bainbridge Island. If the general fire levy was raised by 15 cents in 2015, then the department could add four new lieutenants and add three battalion chiefs. This would equate to opening Station 23 on Phelps Road more often. In the first quarter of 2013, Station 23 was opened on 13 occasions for varying periods of time up to 24 hours. With more staff, the station could be more active on the north end of the island. Currently, the department has two stations — Station 21 on Madison Avenue
and Station 22 on Bucklin Hill Road — that are open around the clock, every day of the week. If the fire department asked for 3 more cents on top of all the other options, then it could also fund a medical services officer to oversee paramedics and emergency medical programs on the island. Fire commissioners are planning to take a more intensive look at possibilities. Specifically, commissioners would like to see estimates for how much a levy would have to be altered to open Station 23 at 50 percent of the time. Fire department staff will return with the estimates at a future meeting sometime between May and July, Teran said.
How sweet it is: Local candy store expands business Bon Bon celebrates move to Winslow Way BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
The sweetest strip on Bainbridge Island just got a little sweeter. Bon Bon Candies has moved into its new location on Winslow Way and celebrated with a ribbon cutting Wednesday. It’s a metaphoric move for the tiny-but-tasty business. The newand-improved location on Winslow Way is reflective of the local store’s success in its mere seven years on the island. “We were busting at the seams,” owner Lisa Dunlap said of the store’s former location on the corner of Bjune Drive and Madison Avenue. Dunlap was fond of the humble Bjune location, where she spent six years peddling her homemade fudge, chocolate and other candy. But the business has grown too big for Bjune. “This gives us room to make the fudge,” Dunlap said. “And we needed more stock room, and there’s more movement for the
customer now.” The new location at 230 Winslow Way, along side the Blackbird Bakery, is centrally located on the downtown strip. Dunlap plans to expand her offerings of candy, particularly her lines of chocolate bars sourced locally and around the world. “I have all the locals,” she said. “And I got French chocolates, Italian, German, Swiss. I try to get around the globe.” Bon Bon has officially held its Winslow Way address since April 15. So far, the response from customers has been good. “There’s been so much reaction to having more room to move around and people seem to like the look of the store,” Dunlap said. The five new options for fudge may have helped win over customers at the new location. The flavors include butterscotch, pure peanut butter, mocha, lemon cheesecake and a combination of butterscotch, chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips and graham crackers. When the ribbon was cut Wednesday, Bon Bon unveiled another addition to its lineup of SEE CANDY, A32
Richard D. Oxley / Bainbridge Island Review
Lisa Dunlap started Bon Bon seven years ago on Bjune Drive. The store moved into its new Winslow Way location on April 15 and held a ribbon-cutting event Wednesday.