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The Port Townsend School District is launching a community engagement process to plan for facility upgrades for Port Townsend High School and OCEAN (Opportunity, Community, Experience, Academics, Navigation) School students. Community members are invited to guided tours of the high school campus on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Soup and salad from the award-winning school cafeteria will be available and teachers and students will lead the tours. The public will learn about the academic and extracurricular activities offered by Port Townsend High School and OCEAN K-12 Alternative School as well as the limitations the outdated facilities present. TCF Architecture staff will also be present to share the results of their recent building assessments and gather feedback from the community. Also included in the facility upgrade project is the old Lincoln Building. The Port Townsend School Board of Directors recommended in June 2024 that the building be retired and the property be included in campus renewal plans. The School Board formed a study group of twelve community members in fall 2023 to review the history, current status, and possible future of the Lincoln Building located on the Port Townsend High School campus.

KirtanFest

Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center will be hosting the second annual KirtanFest on Nov. 23. Kirtan is the ages old practice of the singing of the names of the Divine. Doors open at 8 a.m. with yoga and vocal sounding, followed by four Kirtan bands from around the region including Shanti Salish from Port Townsend.

An authentic Indian meal will be available at lunch time with more yoga and a singing bowl session in between sets. For tickets, email info@unitypt.org or call 360-385-6519. For more information visit the Shanti Salish Kirtan Chantbook website or email shantisalish@gmail.com.

Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center is located at 3918 San Juan Ave. Their website states their mission as “an open-minded, accepting spiritual community that honors all paths to God and helps people to both discover and live their spiritual potential and purpose.”

“It’s been in town since ‘84,” added Natavar Knudesen, who wrote their press release, “Unity is the least churchy church I know of and I would say that their mission is simply to provide a space for community to happen and to support people in experiencing more joy in their lives.”

Friends of Trails

On Nov. 14, John Fleming will give an informal presentation on plans for trail continuation starting in early 2025 and other projects. Fleming and his team are working to complete the trail to the Clallam County line at Diamond Point. Make community connections for the Olympic Discovery Trail “Bridge to Bay” route that will meet the Sound to Olympics Trail in Kitsap County at the Hoods Canal Bridge. Help search for options for Trail Towns to connect to the Great American Rail Trail from Washington, DC to La Push.

New YMCA executive

Keith Williams joined the Olympic Peninsula YMCA Nov. 4 as the new branch executive for Jefferson County.

Williams served as executive Director across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota for the Boy Scouts of America, before transitioning into municipal government, becoming director of recreation and senior services for the city of Louisville, Colorado, and regional facilities director for the city of Boulder.

At the YMCA of Northern Colorado, Williams served as vice president of facilities, executive director and chief properties officer, spearheading master planning, facility construction and project management, including the development and renovation of five aquatic swimming complexes, along with a new 70,000-square-foot community facility.

Williams managed multifaceted recreational centers, including ice arenas, swimming pools, fitness centers and childcare programs from Boulder, Colorado, to Cheyenne, Wyoming.