Community still in search of an identity

By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Motorists cruising into downtown Port Orchard from the west once were greeted by a ho-hum white box of a building that served as City Hall.

Dominating the landscape these days is a gleaming brick-and-board City Hall with expansive views of Sinclair Inlet, a clock tower and a schooner-shaped weather vane that sits 100 feet above Bay Street.

The $6 million structure may start a revitalization of downtown, where aging storefronts and second-hand stores meet cracked sidewalks in Kitsap County's first incorporated community.

Like other small towns feeling the pinch of growth, Port Orchard is trying to retain its folksiness while attracting industry and grappling with traffic. Unlike some places off the beaten path, this town has a waterfront, bustling marina, panoramic views and proximity to urban attractions.

An underlying issue here is the forging of an identity, be it nautical tourist town, blue-collar bedroom community, historic county seat or something else.

"It's a no-frills kind of place," says lifelong resident Patty Emmert, who sells java and compact discs downtown at Rewind Music and Coffee Co. "The homes are not as expensive. It's still a small community -- and it's getting bigger."

But not so big that it has shed such traditions as high school homecoming, when a nine-member court wearing tiaras rides in convertibles around a track, waving to crowds of up to 3,500.

In that sense, the community is "a throwback to the '50s," says Dave Colombini, principal at South Kitsap High School, the largest high school in Washington with 2,500 sophomores through seniors. "A lot of city schools would think that was corny, but here it's a pride thing."

Other expressions of community pride include the Farmers Market and several annual celebrations, none quirkier than the Seagull Calling Festival featuring homemade "Splat" candy, a greenish-brown concoction that resembles the aftermath of a bombing run by a well-fed gull.

"This is a semi-laidback community that has a lot of things going on," says Jay Weatherill, mayor since 1983. "It's a nice little place to come that's away from the hubbub."

If the hustle and bustle is not actually in Port Orchard, which has had about 5,000 residents from 1980 through the early 1990s, it's getting noisier in the surrounding unincorporated county. While the city population is approaching 7,000, "there's 50,000 in the (Port Orchard) ZIP code," notes City Engineer Larry Curles.

The overall area has grown rapidly in the past decade, accompanied by the arrival of sprawling retail chains and fast-food joints. "It's a great place to live," says Lynn Williams, a real estate agent and developer. "It's starting to change with the rest of the county. After all, we've only had a Kmart for 10 years and a Wal-Mart for three."

Acreage has been cleared for a Fred Meyer south of downtown and an Albertson's is on the drawing board, also on the south end. At McCormick Woods, a residential community and golf course southwest of Port Orchard, plans include a 200-unit Marriott Hotel and conference center.

"Some people say (about new developments), 'I wish they didn't bring that in.' But I don't really mind seeing change and growth," says Shirley Boehme, a Port Orchard native who remembers when A&W was the town's only drive-in. "It makes things more accessible."

For Melode Sapp, executive director of the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce, progress can be a two-edged sword.

"I can remember being excited that McDonald's was coming to town. That proved we were growing; we were becoming a big town," she recalls. "Now if we could only turn the clock back and take a few cars off the road."

Brenda Zink-Mckee, a Port Orchard native who has lived in several states, says she prefers her hometown because it's "accessible to everywhere I want to go: the mountains, the ocean, the cultural center in Seattle."

Not that it couldn't be improved.

"What we need are things for kids to do and good places to eat," says Zink-Mckee, propietress of Sidney Village, a spacious downtown store selling home and garden decor, collectibles and handcrafted items. "We're pretty well limited to Chinese, Mexican or American."