Christmas arrived early for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington as the organization publicly announced the purchase of a new facility in East Bremerton.

The organization’s Peninsula Girl Scout Program Center is currently located at the intersection of Warren Avenue and 11th Street in Bremerton, but when the city of Bremerton decided to widen Warren Avenue in 2006, the Girl Scouts were forced to find a new location.

“I think it’s going to be a win-win for everybody,” Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman said. “I think giving them three years was a good idea.”

When the city announced plans to improve the intersection because of growing safety and visibility concerns in 2006, the Girl Scouts were given until April 2009 to relocate from the facility they have utilized since 1939.

“The new Peninsula Girl Scout Program Center is very important,” said Girl Scouts spokeswoman Gillian Hagamen. “It allows Girl Scouts of Western Washington to stay in the community, expand and strengthen our programs to serve more girls, provide free space for girl activities and adult trainings, keeping costs low and accessible to all girls regardless of their economic circumstances – all of which allow us to deliver on our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.”

The new facility, located at 1600 N.E. Winters Road off State Route 303 in East Bremerton, has 5,800-square feet of space and includes an abundance of free parking, which is in stark contrast to its current building, which has limited space and parking along with accessibility challenges.

The original purchase price of the new building was $870,000 plus thousands of dollars in architectural, engineering and construction costs leaving the organization with a hefty financial burden.

However, the C. Keith Birkenfeld Memorial Trust and the Seattle Foundation chipped in $74,600 and the Girl Scouts have been recommended to receive $205,000 in state funding from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, pending state legislative approval.

While almost $300,000 in funding is a help, the organization still needs more than $500,000 to complete the purchase and move into the new facility by April 2009.

In order to raise the necessary funds, the Girl Scouts have set several levels for donors.

Among the available donation options are:

• $300,000 Level: Naming of the Girl Scout Program Center.

• $50,000 Level: Multi-purpose area.

• $10,000 Level: Three opportunities including the regional director’s office, the stage in the activity hall and the kitchen.

$10,000 Level — three opportunities

Stage in Activity Hall

• $5,000 Level: Nine opportunities including seven staff offices, the training room and the work room.

Staff offices — seven opportunities

• $4,999 to $2,500 Level: Each donor’s name will be placed on a permanent donor wall in large lettering on the foyer.

• $2,499 to $1,000 Level: A listing on the donor wall in the activity hall.

The Girl Scouts also are seeking in-kind donations of office and meeting room furniture, cabinets for the work station in the lobby, 500-square feet of carpet, 1,000-square feet of flooring tile, 12 windows, furnaces, hot water tanks, paint and primer for the exterior and interior, lighting fixtures for the activity room and plumbing fixtures for the new bathroom.

Those interested in donating can contact Sharon Cupp by phone at (206) 826-2186 or by e-mail at sharoncc@girlscoutsww.org.

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