The Bainbridge Island City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Mayor Moriwaki presided, with all seven councilmembers present. The agenda included a briefing from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Washington State Ferries (WSF) on the proposed roundabout at High School Road and SR 305, Winslow Way operations, and World Cup ferry preparations, followed by discussion and approval of the City Manager recruitment brochure. The meeting lasted until 9:09 p.m.
Steve Roark (Olympic Region Administrator, WSDOT), Sarah Ott (Olympic Region Traffic Engineer), and Hadley Rodero (Deputy Director for External Relations, WSF) presented.
Council members voiced strong concerns about the roundabout’s impact on ferry queuing, pedestrian safety (especially multiple-threat crashes), emergency vehicle access, and traffic diversion to side streets. Several questioned the modeling for single-lane vs. multi-lane roundabouts. Specific requests were made for modeling of ferry queue interactions, emergency response data, and consideration of an overpass or single-lane design. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos and councilmembers Nelson, Fantroy-Johnson, and others argued that the safety benefits did not outweigh the severe disruption to the island's only ferry access, with 4.9 million riders annually.
A motion by councilmember Nelson, seconded by councilmember Lant, was made to direct the interim city manager to draft a resolution for a future business meeting stating the council does not support the roundabout. After debate, the motion passed 6-1 (Mayor Moriwaki opposed). Councilmember Schneider suggested asking WSDOT for a written response to their concerns before finalizing the resolution.
Interim City Manager Schroer introduced Heather Gantz from Raftelis, the search firm. Gantz presented the brochure, noting it was based on a community survey (nearly 400 responses), individual council conversations, and staff input. Council reviewed the brochure section by section, providing edits:
A motion to approve the brochure as amended (incorporating the feedback discussed) moved by councilmember Fantroy-Johnson, seconded by councilmember Mathews, passed unanimously (7-0).
Recording in progress. All right. Good. I call the March thirty-first, twenty twenty-six meeting to order. And um City Clerk, would you please call the roll? Yes, thank you, Mayor. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Mayor Morwaki. Present. Deputy Mayor Hytopolis. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Fantro Johnson. Present. Council. Councilmember Nelson. Present. Councilmember Land. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Thank you. All present. Seven to seven all here. And now let's please do the pleasure of allegiance. And to the Republicans one nation under God. Thank you very much. And as would happen last week, we have another student here to read our land acknowledgement. It's Hazel Smith. She's a fifth grader from Sakai Intermediate School. So welcome, Hazel. Go Hazel. Everyone soil is scarced in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every play and grove has been hollowed by something sad or happy, a then in the days long vanished. Chief Seattle, 1854. We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Sequamish people of the clear salt water. Expert fishermen, canoe builders, and basket weavers. The Sequamish lived in harmony with the land and waterways along Washington Central Salish Sea, as they have for thousands of years. Here, the Sequatish live and protect the land and water of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. Thank you so much. And this is a place that isn't scary. Um agenda's before us. I would accept a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. I second. Move by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember France Johnson. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.