NKREC master plan unveiled at forum

POULSBO — From the pen of the North Kitsap community, lines have come together in a final conceptual drawing for the North Kitsap Regional Events Center master plan as sketched by Stan Lokting of ARC Architects.

The tentative NKREC master plan, crafted through months of community and stakeholder feedback, will be unveiled to the public at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Vinland Elementary Commons.

The presentation will include cost estimates for each element of the plan and a draft of the construction priorities list, said Kitsap Public Facilities District administrator and steering committee member Anne Blair.

“This is as though (people will be) looking at the draft final report,” Blair said. “It isn’t finished but we’re not anticipating a whole lot of change as (the plan) has been (created) in a wonderfully inclusive way.”

Tuesday will be the third and final meeting of a series of community workshops — spearheaded by the PFD — which have brought members of the community together along with the project’s three governing body stakeholders: the North Kitsap School District, the City of Poulsbo and Kitsap County.

The series of meetings, stretching back to fall 2005, have focused on rendering what elements would be best to add to the NKSD’s Poulsbo campus in order to mold a community events center.

“There was a lot of discussion, a lot of back and forth about the different areas,” said Poulsbo Parks and Recreation director and steering committee member Mary McCluskey. “One of the things we talked about was synthetic turf ... a field like that can host many more teams for many more hours.”

Of the input collected, the highest priority — according to the steering committee — has been the enhancement of the NKSD’s athletic venues. In particular, adding synthetic turf to the Viking Stadium field, improving the grass at Strawberry Fields and adding lights at Strawberry I for future turf consideration.

“The reality is if we get some money for a particular project, it will probably change the priorities,” Blair said, adding that completing the design for the master plan before deciding priorities has allowed flexibility. “We are in a position to see how all the pieces fit together and we can be more nimble in what we do.”

The priority list and final conceptual sketch of the master plan are all but cemented. Though the steering committee is not expecting many changes, Blair said it will not shy away from good ideas brought to the table.

“What we’re presenting is the most recent of everything. We may come out hearing some different things and, if so, maybe we’ll need to do some adjustments,” McCluskey said.

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