40 Acre Property Transfer Update
FOMB was given the unfortunate news last month that our application to the Trust Land Transfer Program (TLT) for the 40-acre parcel on Gunderson Road, owned by Department of Natural Resources (DNR), did not rank high enough to assure transfer to Kitsap County. A total of 30 applications were submitted. If the state legislature fully funds the approved projects, totaling $30 million, 5 of the top contenders will be fully funded and the 6th partially funded. Our project ranked 12th. There were only 6 points between our proposed project and the awarded projects!
While we are disappointed, we are not dissuaded. Because competition is fierce, many projects do not make the cut in the first application (most approved projects were repeat submissions) and we will try again. We know we have a worthy project, an enthusiastic and supportive community, and wonderfully collaborative partners in Great Peninsula Conservancy and Kitsap County Parks. We have requested a debrief with DNR to ask some pointed questions and gather more information about how to improve our next application. Stay tuned, we will relay what we learn and next steps to our membership and community.
Thank you to all who contributed letters, time, and important content for the application. We sincerely appreciate the effort and will look to you once again as we consider options to preserve this property. Based on our score for community support, alone, we ranked near the top, which didn’t surprise us. We thank you for such strong endorsement!
By Connnie Reckord
