planning for the port orchard community events center is underway!
Stay tuned for more port orchard Community Events Center (poCEC) Project Planning Updates.
Public Survey
Soon after award-winning, Bremerton-based architecture firm Rice Fergus Miller was selected to move forward with the SKCEC planning and design we reached directly out to you for vital public commentary.
Over 600 community members submitted their ideas, suggestions, hopes, and dreams through our public input survey this past October. Your vision of beautiful shared spaces to gather with friends, family, and civic groups, and your desire for a revitalized downtown Port Orchard you feel proud of will help shape the South Kitsap Community Events Center.
Soon it was announced that they had selected 619 Bay Street - Site A - the site of the current Kitsap Bank building - as the site for the new 24,000 square foot SKCEC facility. Of the three sites considered this site best matched the qualities the public expressed they wanted and the logistic needs of the event center. This location offers direct access to the shoreline and the waters of Sinclair Inlet - something the community asked for in the survey a number of times. The work has begun on the architectural design of the multi-purpose, multi-story building and we eagerly await concepts and renderings that we can share with you in the coming months.
What’s next for the SKCEC?
Over the next few months, there will be a series of feasibility studies, additional site assessments, and continued public outreach.
Thank you for staying invested in your community and in this project. In a time where good news is in short supply, we are so happy to be working together on a project that will help bring our community together like never before.
On behalf of the entire SKCEC project team, we’d like to wish you a healthy and happy New Year and we want to THANK YOU for your support and participation in our SKCEC planning period.
Since the inception of this exciting project, we have been encouraged by the SK community’s enthusiasm and support. You have cheered this project on and now that we are in the planning and design stages you’ve been instrumental in making this dream of a new space to gather on the waterfront a reality.
Big SKCEC news!
You may have already heard, but we have reached another milestone with the selection of a site for the planned 24,000-square-foot facility. We are excited to announce that the current location of Kitsap bank on Bay street was chosen as the preferred site!
Of the three sites considered in downtown Port Orchard this site best matched the qualities that the public expressed they wanted in our recent community survey and the logistic needs of the SKCEC. Thank you again to the 600+ residents who expressed their desires for our new community space - your participation helped drive the site selection criteria.
“The response to the survey was exceptional and enlightening,” said Mayor Rob Putaansuu. “Our citizens expressed the need for a flexible facility where they could attend celebrations and civic events, take classes and congregate with friends indoors and outdoors year-round.”
Main Level
This preliminary design image, which only serves as a starting point for SKCEC architects and designers, gives an idea of what the main level may look like.
Second Level
Here is a look at the preliminary floor plan for the Second Level of the SKCEC.
THANK YOU to everyone who joined us on November 24th for the skcec project update at the Port orchard city council meeting (via zoom).
Watch the SKCEC Project Planning Update from the 11.24.20 Port Orchard City Council Meeting. The video below is the SKCEC presentation portion of the 11.24.20 meeting. SKCEC updates are presented by Steve Rice and Lorie Limson Cook of Rice Fergus Miller with a focus on the SKCEC Public Survey results and information on the three potential building locations for the Community Events Center.
Steve Rice shared 3 very interesting and exciting concepts and site options for the City Council’s consideration. Here is a closer look at the conceptual designs shared during the meeting. Be mindful that these are very early preliminary concepts.
Site Option A that was under consideration for the future SKCEC building site - currently the site of Kitsap Bank.
Site Option B that was under consideration for the future SKCEC building site - currently the site of Kitsap Regional Library
Site Option C that was under consideration for the future SKCEC building site - currently the site of the parking lot across from Kitsap Bank.
Thank you for helping us imagine a brighter future for our community and a gathering place we can all be proud of.
Your participation will help shape your city’s future!
IT ALL BEGAN WITH A DREAM * South Kitsap has been in need of a central gathering place for decades, a venue to provide a multitude of functions and uses that would serve the public and business needs of our community. Too often we hear that Port Orchard and South Kitsap have so much potential - we agree and are committed to seeing that potential fulfilled. This will start with the development of a Community Events Center that will provide amenities with a full range of options for small and large users, while attracting visitors from throughout the region.
COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS * Fall 2020 - Spring 2021
In January of 2019, the Kitsap Public Facilities District (KPFD) put forth a request for proposals, in search of a new project to fund. Projects needed to increase and promote tourism within Kitsap County. As you know, with your support - we are the #1 project with millions of dollars available to build a community and events center.
Since the Kitsap Public Facilities District named us their #1 project in August 2019, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes. After a period of accepting bids and interviewing applicants, The City of Port Orchard has contracted Rice Fergus Miller, a Kitsap-based architectural firm, to design and build the SKCEC.
BUILDING A BETTER COMMUNITY * After plans have been finalized and the architects, engineers and designers have worked their collective magic, we will break ground and actually build the SKCEC! Making an investment in our community takes time, but we know that all of our hard work, vision and determination will pay off when we have a waterfront and downtown to be proud of where everyone can gather to recreate, learn, and celebrate together. As project timelines and dates become available, we will share updates to this website. Thank you for helping us Imagine Port Orchard!