City seeks more input on municipal campus

POULSBO — City officials are hoping Thursday’s municipal campus open house at the Poulsbo Fire Department on Liberty Road includes more than just sight-seeing.

The event, which is scheduled from 6-8 p.m., will provide more answers on the building’s height, size and shape than the conceptual drafts that were presented in November, said Public Works Director Jeff Lincoln.

“It’s a good opportunity for the owners, the citizens of Poulsbo, to tell us what you want,” he said.

Architects from BLRB Architects in Tacoma have listened to the city’s municipal campus planning committee and have come back with drawings based on those conversations, he added.

The architect and engineer on the $14.7 million project have come together to build around a schematic design about what needs to be where and the relationships between different parts of the building.

“There has been a lot of concern about people doing business with the city versus those going to (visit district) court and this shows how that could work,” Lincoln said.

Additionally, the open house will unveil possibilities for the layout and landscape of the site including the size of the detention ponds and how to incorporate them into the overall campus.

“It’s really important now for more people to start participating and one of the things we’re going to be forming is a public art committee,” Lincoln said.

The plan provides an incredible amount of opportunities for enduring public art, he said, noting that one of the reasons BLRB was selected was because of the emphasis it placed on public art in the Gig Harbor Civic Center.

Councilwoman Connie Lord has already expressed an interest in that committee and city officials will be seeking a student, possibly from the North Kitsap School District, to participate in that process as well.

“Things are going extremely well and are basically as I envisioned them,” Lincoln said.

Mayor Kathryn Quade agreed with the need for increased public involvement in the municipal campus project.

“This is a real opportunity for more public input and is a chance for people to come and ask more questions,” Quade said.

The city is reviewing several options and the open house should show how things will sit on the actual site with elevations, Quade said.

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