Autumn 2003

Treasure  Chest 
 

 

 

 BRIDGE INSURANCE STUDY

 

Your Board of Trustees and volunteer committee members have been working diligently on the bridge insurance study.  Primary issues were identified and discussed and questions regarding the Club’s existing insurance coverage were itemized.  Individuals divided up assignments and the resulting research was compiled.  It seems that every question answered gives rise to more questions, so this is resulting in a time consuming project!

 

The committee’s goal at this time is to determine whether or not the bridge is adequately covered, and if not, what is needed and what the difference in cost would be.  The resulting figure for annual insurance costs will then be used to weigh against the option of self-insuring when the Special Meeting is called. A specific date for the meeting has not been set, but be assured a notice will be mailed when the study is completed.

 

In order to answer questions regarding adequate coverage and possible options to negotiate, it was agreed that a formal cost estimate to replace the bridge was needed.  Sargent Engineers was contracted with to prepare this estimate (fee was $580.00).  Insurance companies base the payment for damages on the actual cash value of the existing structure, so the estimate received is to replace the bridge with “like kind.”  In summary, Debris Removal was estimated at $369,840.00 and rebuilding at $570,664.00.  Total cost $940,504.00.

 

IF building codes and other regulations have changed and we could not replace the bridge with “like kind,” the difference in cost would not be covered under the existing policy.  To cover these costs, “Ordinance and Law” coverage would be required.  To determine whether or not the Club should consider negotiating for this type of coverage, research is ongoing to find out what the current codes would require.

 

 

We are currently working with a new insurance broker who has experience with insuring bridges – Bob Heilesen of Bratrud Middleton Insurance.  Options for a different insurance company (currently Lloyd’s of London) are possible, however, we have been told that the cost will probably be similar to what we are now paying.

 

Our volunteer members who are on this insurance committee have been invaluable, bringing so much knowledge and insight to this study it’s truly impressive!  Our sincere thanks to Rod Wilkinson, Dave Patnode, Art Towne, Raliegh Arkell, and Roger Hansen for the time they have devoted to this project. 

                                                                                                                    T.I.C.C. Board of Trustees

 

TREASURE ISLAND COUNTRY CLUB
P.O. Box 44, Grapeview, WA  98546
treasureisland44@yahoo.com

 

 THANK YOU! 

A thank you to our mid-September work party as big as the job you just did - and there’s not enough room here to recognize that huge and well-done job. 

Your group added neighbors John Denzler, Ken McCoy, Jack McLauchlan, Bill Schroeder, Rod Wilkinson and Barney Wilson to the initial five board members volunteering to clear brush from the hillside coming the hill.  Coming in shirtsleeves for a labor party, you simply WORKED, and it shows.  Also on board to support this work were wives and friends Cheryl McCoy and Mary Foreman who helped too by providing, preparing, and serving a chicken lunch!

RECYCLING

 

The moderate Risk Waste Facility (www.kitsapgov.com, Solid Waste Section) has a free drop off point for residential use material for recycling: and this place is free and worth knowing about…a gem here for sharing.

 

Phone them at 1-800-825-4940, on Barney White Road near the Bremerton Airport if you have any questions.  They take household waste, oil paints or stains (vs. latex, which they advise you to air-dry first), motor oils and fuels – most anything labeled “flammable, toxic, hazardous, dangerous.”  That includes fire extinguishers, mercury thermometers, gardening supplies and a whole host of other materials routinely found around the average home.

 

 

For the idea of footprints in these sands from Jean, who’s been watching the birds and nature here for many years, and for her respect, care and follow-up, many thanks. 

Too, now globally thinking, Burton’s comments about a neighbor who does international charity work also led to thought upon the variety of work we all do, whether for local enrichment or for our worldwide family – all of us.  Thanks, too!

 

FOOTPRINTS

 

Along our shores, before the tides sweep all but the memories of your shellfishing and beach activities, please think about the footprints left behind. Sometimes kids don’t know how to protect, restore and leave the shellfish beds as they found them, but they can learn and it’s easy to show them.  Just thinking about and planning for that, as any other activity, means thinking about the appropriate gear, going, enjoying and trying to leave where you went a little better because you were there.

Treasure Homeowners, do you all know that Hood Canal right now is suffering a critical shortage of oxygen in its water?  So much closer to open ocean than we are, the marine life and surrounding property are affected so much so that it’s been front page news in Seattle. Right here, some of our beachfront property owners have mentioned a noticeable increase in the amounts of trash washing up on their beaches lately – everything from garbage and yard waste to construction materials. Throwing debris of any kind into the water or leaving it on the beach for the tide to take out is illegal (not to mention harmful to the environment and dangerous for boaters). If you witness this activity, the person to call is John Pell, Regulatory Department for Illegal Dumping into Puget Sound, 206/764-6913. 

Please be watchful over our island and community’s health.

 

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From limited polling, the general observation is that we here on Treasure seem to be walking our dogs on leashes more often than not, while the reverse seemed more the case years ago.  This is true about dogs seen on our beaches, too.  Here, fear of dogs could combine with poor footing to get someone, 2 or 4 footed, hurt.  Thanks for taking care on your end.

On another front is the sense that we’re getting behind, as well, on cleaning up after the sweet pet.  While it seems less pressing to clean up after him when he’s soiled our own property, leaving this chore is more than fouling just the neighbor’s wind, it’s making for an unhealthy condition.  So please pay closer attention to cleaning up after your pets, and keep them secure to do their business on your own property and not free to wander onto others’.

Thanks again for leashing and watching.

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OCTOBER 9^th, the Beachcombers’ Garden Club is sponsoring its twice yearly Grapeview Loop Road clean-up.

To some, this unexpected invitation to meet neighbors at the Fire Hall at 9AM, beautify our surroundings, enjoy good exercise, refreshment, and the instant benefit of accomplishing good work in good company – without even dressing up – is a bargain.  For the pleasure of our property, it’s ours to make, get out into, and enjoy.  Cheers!

 

 

Our appliance specialist in Seattle said that our water in the northwest is so soft, we’re at the bottom of the national hardness scale – that we can use just 25% of the recommended amounts of detergent in our dishwashers and laundry and get the same results.  This means that we perhaps need just a few tablespoons of detergent instead of filling the cup or measure provided.  He said that the best way to check is to catch the last rise water because it will tell you if there’s still soap in your clothes when there shouldn’t be.  (The real test is if you’d drink it.)  If you have been running a final, extra rinse, then eliminating this likely lowers your energy costs too.

 

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Well, the salmon have been running and jumping, just as have the fishermen chasing them.  They fill the spaces on and under the Stretch Island bridge, double deep sometimes as the groups collect; and it’s been a very, very busy time with folks returning daily.

 

Sometime after the fall damp set in before Thanksgiving last year, one of us on Treasure happened to see a neighbor harvesting wild mushrooms here after a weekend-long damp spell.  Trusting the neighbor’s judgement (and recipe) that they’re good to eat, what was found here that’s called a “shaggy mane” indeed did sauté very nicely and was delicious with supper.

No promises for such terrific luck this year, but isn’t the idea of consuming nature’s bounty from here just grand!  Even the idea of finding wild mushrooms which are suitable to eat is another treat that’s coming.

 

One treat that’s here now are more of the Popich Fun Run t-shirts from last summer.  Evidently some of you paid for them but didn’t pick them up, and they also had some extras made up too.  Check and don’t miss this chance.

 

Whether you’re vacationing here or elsewhere during our quieter winter period, please remember that your tools, toys, equipment, etc. left out could invite the kind of attention you and your neighbors don’t want.   Lock or stow out-of-sight the things you don’t want strangers poking into and we’ll all feel more secure.

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Our Treasure Islander, Pam Berger, is standing for a seat on the local school board here; and she is a very strong candidate to consider.

I met Pam while she was in her last educational post at our son’s school before I knew that she had roots here.  We haven’t seen or spoken to one another in months – this letter will be a surprise to Pam – but I’ll be some of you don’t know her or much about her and so this is why I’m writing.  Pam Berger has a teaching career spanning decades, mostly around public education, often in areas and positions the most demanding and/or serving the neediest.  Thoughtful and focused, she was always easily approachable, reasonable and level, qualities just fine to this parent.

Pam had her (now grown) kids in our local elementary schools while they were living on our beach in the same house where Pam is now.  Her attention to our schools then and subsequent work easily combine to offer good reasons for us to consider her in the job she’s poised to do for us now.

M. Oberle

 

 

 

Tide Table and Bremerton Ferry Schedule

 

Ferry Schedule

The printed version of the Treasure Chest includes the fall edition of the Bremerton Ferry Schedule. You can find that information online at the DOT ferry page or call WA State Ferries at 800-808-7977.

Allyn Tides

The printed version of the Treasure Chest includes the tidal information for Allyn. You can find that information online at Saltwater Gear.

Phone Numbers:

 

Wash State Ferry:

800-808-7977

Mason Co. Transit (bus)

800-374-3747 (Monday - Friday, for connections to ferry and to Shelton)

 

 

Please look over the choices and let us know “How I want my Treasure Chest Delivered” from the following:

 

----Email me and post a notice at our reader board when the Treasure Chest comes online.  Then I can get it off our web site from home, at work, the library, etc. where I might get it for no cost.  My email for this is:

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----Don’t bother emailing me because I check the web site regularly anyway for important information.  The Treasure Chest comes out 4 times yearly (online and mailed at the same time), each season, whereas the T.I.C.C. board still mails out important items at any time.

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----FAX me the Treasure Chest and still same the printing and delivery charges.  My FAX number is:

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----Print and drop me a copy in my Treasure Island mailbox by hand, or deliver in care of my neighbor, or make the following arrangements for me.

 

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----USPO mail a printed copy to the address on the Club’s master list, or this alternative address for a specific issue.

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----All this info will be kept privately with the T.I.C.C. office and used solely for Treasure Chest mailings to our members.  Also, please tell us your name/lot number when responding.   Thank you very much.

 

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Return to:

T.I.C.C.

P.O. Box 44

Grapeview, WA  98546

 

 

**** BRIDGE CLOSURE ****

 

The Treasure Island bridge will be closed for repairs on

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21^st, from 7AM to 7PM

 

Inspected this past May, the overall condition of the bridge was found to be good, with the exception of bent #6.  (A bent is a section of the understructure - each of the 45 bents consists of three braced pilings supporting a timber pile cap.)  Drilling of the pile cap timber at bent #6 indicated there is about six inches of center rot over the south pile and about one inch of center rot over the north pile.  The south pile is actually sinking into the pile cap.  This situation, in addition to likely shifting and settling of the shims (previously installed) on top of the pile cap are causing the swale in the roadway at that location.

The Club has contracted with General Construction of Tacoma to replace the pile cap.  This repair will involve jacking up the concrete slab, removing the pile cap and installing a new one.  Also, a fist-sized hole was found in the north pile – a filler material will be used and the piling will be wrapped to prevent further deterioration.  The cost for this repair project is $21,510.55 ($19,862.00 + tax).

 

On Monday, October 20, the contractors will be preparing the work site, erecting temporary work platforms to access the pile cap from the topside.  The bridge will be open but there may be some short delays.  PLEASE BE PATIENT AND CAUTIOUS of workers on the bridge.

 

Tuesday, October 21^st, the bridge will be closed from 7 AM to 7 PM. 

The twelve hour closure is an estimated time frame.  To alert members when the work is completed and the bridge is opened, a signal will be sounded around the island (either an air horn or a siren).

 

It’s very possible that the work will be completed before 7PM (the contractors estimate is anywhere from eight to twelve hours).  If you are off the island waiting to come home, please don’t hesitate to call for a status check any time after 3PM - Club secretary, Linda Pryor, 275-2253.

 

Arrangements for emergency services are being made with the Grapeview Fire Department.  A fire truck will be stationed on the island during the closure and a boat will be available at the marina to transport firemen and paramedics (patients needing to be transported will have to be taken by boat to the ambulance).  If you have a serious medical condition and/or concerns about needing emergency medical care, we advise that you make arrangements to be elsewhere during the bridge closure.

 

Our local service providers will be notified of the closure – Sheriff’s Department, PUD #3, telephone, cable, UPS, FedEx, and the Allyn Post Office.  Mail will be held and delivered the following day.  If you have contractors working on a project at your home, be sure to notify them.  If you own rental property on the island, please notify your tenants.

 

T.I.C.C. Board of Trustees

 

 

 

NOTICE: BRIDGE CLOSURE INFORMATION reverse side…………..…PAGE 7

Update and report about our bridge insurance from our T.I.C.C. board….…PAGE 1

Footprints, Treasure Chest gems, Flotsam………………………………….…PAGE 3

Tide and Ferry Schedules………………………………………………………..PAGE 5

 

 

 

 

Treasure Chest
c/o Treasure Island Country Club
P.O. Box 44
Grapeview, WA 98546

 

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