Making a point about parks

HANSVILLE — Following the Jan. 19 meeting regarding plans for the Point No Point resort, boat launch and park and Forbes Landing, resident Tony Atkinson felt the community just wasn’t happy with the plans Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife was offering for a new boat launch.

Soon after, Atkinson started talking with residents about putting together a group that had some authority behind it — a group that could sit down with the state and stress the community’s desires and concerns for Hansville’s public waterfront parks.

Atkinson is hosting a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hansville Community Center for those interested in participating in what he’s calling the Greater Hansville Community Advisory Committee.

The purpose of the group is to address the various issues involved with the development and use of Point No Point Park, Point No Point Resort and Forbes Landing properties and will work closely with Kitsap County and WDFW. The group is expected to seek input from various community groups in the area, such as the Hansville Community Center Board, Hansville Futures Planning Group and Hansville Greenways Association, and relay it to the county and state, while serving as a liaison between the agencies and the community.

“What we’re trying to do is to make sure the community is invited to participate in the committee,” Atkinson said of Thursday’s meeting. “Establish the standing, study the issues and then go work with the state and county.”

Minutes will be taken of all meetings held, primarily to keep a record of what the community wants, such as limits on boat sizes allowed at a new boat launch.

“So it won’t be forgotten next time we see a plan,” Atkinson said.

Anyone with a topic of interest regarding the properties — parks, traffic, landscaping are just a few ideas he suggested — is invited to attend.

At the January meeting, Atkinson asked state and county officials if any traffic studies had been done on the area and he received “no” from both agencies.

“If they aren’t going to do it, we’ll do it,” he said.

The purpose of the committee is not for all issues in Hansville, but just the development of the Point No Point and Forbes Landing properties.

“The issue is really to find out if it is possible to have a committee that could be standing with some authority with the county and state,” he said.

He is emphasizing that no plans for these properties will be discussed and it won’t be a complaint session either.

“I don’t want to discuss plans at all,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve seen a plan that started with our values.”

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