Naval Base Kitsap offers grant help, alerts public to training noise and return-to-work timing
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Summary
Anna Whalen, community planning and liaison officer for Naval Base Kitsap, briefed KRCC members on grant opportunities, a training exercise that may produce audible activity Feb. 3–14 and a return-to-work notification that could increase gate traffic.
Anna Whalen, community planning and liaison officer for Naval Base Kitsap, briefed the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council on three items: Defense Community Infrastructure Program grant support, a scheduled anti-terrorism training exercise and a Department of the Navy return-to-work notification that could increase traffic at base gates.
Whalen said the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) provides funding for shovel-ready infrastructure projects that benefit installations and communities. She cited previous local awards: Kitsap County received a $10 million DCIP award in 2021 for sewer infrastructure, and the City of Bremerton received an $8 million award last year for a sewer force main near the shipyard boundary. "Allison and I are willing to sit down and talk with your staff. If there’s any shovel-ready projects, we can look to see if there’s a benefit to the Navy and if we could help support you in that grant process," Whalen told the council.
Whalen also said the base will conduct an annual anti-terrorism training exercise (Solid Curtain / Citadel Shield) from Feb. 3 through Feb. 14, and that residents may hear noises related to the training. "We've got announcements out ... trying to alert the communities that they may be hearing noises around the base," she said.
On personnel posture, Whalen said the base received notification related to return-to-work timing and that jurisdictions may see increased gate traffic beginning in July. At the meeting a chair-level remark referenced a February 7 mandatory return-to-work date; the transcript records both statements but does not consolidate them into a single schedule. KRCC members were advised to expect increased gate activity and to coordinate as needed.
Whalen encouraged staff-to-staff conversations with the base for DCIP eligibility screening and said she and her colleague would help jurisdictions assess whether projects would benefit both community and installation partners.