Bainbridge Trail Caught Up In Budget Battle

April 29, 2011

Kitsap County commissioners asked local legislators to support Washington Wildlife and Recreation funding under the traditional formula. If the funding formula is changed, the Bainbridge Island “Hilltop property” could be excluded.

Excerpt: “As the House and Senate continue to clash over the state’s capital budget, Kitsap County commissioners are asking local legislators to stick to tradition when funding wildlife and recreation projects.

Their action follows a request from Bainbridge Island parks officials, who are eager to buy the 31-acre “Hilltop property” to fill a gap between the east and west portions of Grand Forest. Like a key piece of a jigsaw puzzle, that property would complete the linkage to build trails connecting the island’s eastern shoreline with the western shoreline.

The Bainbridge Island property is one of many projects caught up in a philosophical battle over state spending in a time of economic crisis. Nobody is predicting how it will turn out.”

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