07/05/2026
Rep. Tarra Simmons speech at the 4th of July Location Celebration. Worth the read.
What a joy it is to be here today.
Today isn't just about the purchase of a building. It's about what happens when a community refuses to let go of a vision. It's about what is possible when people come together, stay committed through setbacks, and believe that something better is worth working toward.
Ten years ago, this was an idea.
An idea that Silverdale deserved a place where neighbors could gather, where organizations could connect people with resources, where families could find support, and where Seniors could avoid isolation among youth.
For a decade, so many people carried that vision forward.
Community leaders. Volunteers. Donors. The Silverdale Community Center Foundation. Local advocates. Elected officials. Residents who simply believed that our growing community deserved a place to belong. And more recently, Peninsula Community Health Services.
Visions like this don't become reality because of one person. They become reality because hundreds of people say "yes" over and over again. They show up to meetings. They raise funds. They build partnerships. They solve problems. They keep believing, even when the finish line isn't yet in sight.
Today, we get to celebrate all of you.
I know that many of us have wished this day would come sooner. There were moments when it probably felt just out of reach.
And then, sometimes, government gets the chance to do exactly what it should do: partner with communities that have already done the hard work.
When the opportunity came in the final days of the legislative session to secure state funding for this project, I knew we had to do everything we could.
Because this wasn't just another construction project.
This was an investment in the people, and in the very community that I grew up in and raised my kids in.
I remembered the days I would walk down this street after leaving Central Kitsap High School, and how much it would have meant to have a safe place like this to go.
