Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURESAlternative 3Alternative 3 models the highest growth level for the Gorst UGA, and assumes a 2035 Gorst UGA population of1,304, which is an increase of 1,082 residents over current population levels.County Impacts. The estimated 1,082 additional residents would have minimal impact on the LOS for SKFR,although the specific need for personnel services, equipment, and facilities would be determined through ongoingplanning within SKFR. The County Fire LOS adopted in the 2012 Final Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan CFP willnearly serve all Alternative 3 growth through 2035, as shown in Table 312-5 SKFR Projected LOS – Alternative 3.Table 3.12-5SKFR Projected LOS – Alternative 3SOUTH KITSAP FIRE AND RESCUETime PeriodSource: SKFR, 2012; Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element, 2012; Washington State Office of FinancialManagement, 2012; and BERK, 2013Under this alternative, the current LOS would be deficient by about one-tenth of a fire unit in 2035. This is a minordiscrepancy between the required LOS level and actual service levels that would likely have no impact on actualservice to County residents.City of Bremerton Impacts. If the Gorst UGA were to be annexed by the City of Bremerton before 2035, thecurrent population of the Gorst UGA and the projected growth of 1,082 residents would come under thejurisdiction of the Bremerton Fire Department, for a total population of about 1,304 people over the next 20-30years. Under the Kitsap County Final SEIS prepared in 2012 for the Kitsap County UGA Resizing and CompositionRemand the City of Bremerton was estimated to grow by about 14,288 residents without annexing Gorst or anyother assigned UGA. The additional population from a Gorst annexation would only represent about nine percentadditional population growth, which would not be expected to affect the level of fire and EMS services in the Cityof Bremerton.Since the growth from the Gorst UGA is both small and spread out over time, the City of Bremerton would haveadequate time to plan for service changes as population increases impact levels of service. Interim demand needscould be served through mutual aid agreements with SKFR, who currently serves the population.Fire district fire protection service, equipment and facilities are funded almost exclusively by levies. If annexationoccurs, Bremerton Fire Department would have access to additional revenues and could be funded by the City ofBremerton’s general fund, with revenue from property and other taxes. This revenue increase could partially orfully offset any increased need for services and facilities. Also, if it was determined that it was more efficient tocontinue to serve the fire and EMS needs of the Gorst UGA from the SKFP station 16, then the revenues from theannexation and new growth in the area would likely be adequate to support contracted services for this area.Mitigation MeasuresIncorporated Plan FeaturesDistrict ServiceArea PopulationLOS = 0.36 FIRE UNITS PER 1,000 POPULATIONFire Units Neededto Meet LOSstandardFire UnitsAvailableNet Reserve or(Deficiency)2010 72,329 26.0 36.0 10.02035 Alternative 3 100,212 36.1 36.0 (0.1)• The County CFP determines LOS standards for fire protection/EMS. Future needs and costs can be determinedbased on these standards. Under the CFP, the County fire and rescue districts would continue to improve fireprotection efficiency by focusing on eliminating overlapping responsibilities and system inefficiencies, as wellas coordinating service provision with population growth.Draft | June 2013 3-185