LWVSJ Observer Corps: Friday Harbor Port Commission April 12 & 19, 2024

On April 12, the Commission approved the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) grant application for $174,445, which with a 5% match from an FAA grant will help pay for an aircraft fueling system update, the south apron expansion, and replacement of C hangar.

The commissioners reviewed site plans for the Southwest Development Area Trails Realignment and Environmental Assessment including the proposed realignment of the Clark McAlpine Trail with Corley McFarland from Precision Approach Engineering and John Vlas from Environmental Science Associates (ESA). The Environmental Assessment will be complete in Fall 2026, contingent on the National Marine Fisheries (NMFS) biological assessment which can take 18-24 months. The FAA-funded assessment must be approved by the FAA which has okayed relocating the Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS). They hope to keep much of the character of the trail linking up to the American Camp Trail. The Trails Committee and other community organizations will give input. The commission wants to inform the community about why the trail may need to move to meet FAA limitations. Future discussions will cover the access roads and more on the trail alignment. The assessment team will discuss potential future developments with the FAA, meet with the town and county, then finish layouts and preliminary concepts. They will do more fieldwork and due diligence while they wait for NMFS approval.

A citizen asked to see the archeological report for the replacement of the public restroom at Jackson’s Beach. He was referred to the county’s website to access the public records.

At an April 19 special meeting the Port commissioners passed a motion to maintain the status quo of the Port Townsend model for Jensen’s and Shipyard Cove in which the Port operates the boat lift and all vendors and boat owners can do work on boats. Vendors would remain on a month-to-month lease. Given the complex environmental clean-up and construction projects taking place with the inevitable disruption it would be impractical to coordinate with a vendor operating the shipyard; the goal is to j keep a level playing field for all parties.

Citizen commented on the need for chandlery services at the shipyard, saying that on a month to month it would be hard for some vendors to operate. They requested that any long-term lease contracts make it clear that boat owners could access the lift and sought a customer feedback mechanism. There was a request for more communication from the Port about events impacting boat owners, such as the recent crushing of derelict boats that created debris that interfered with some activities. The Port said the one-time boat crushing event by the Department of Natural Resources was publicized and the Port contributed labor. The commissioners said they would be reviewing the Jensen’s Shipyard Master plan following input from the Citizen’s Advisory Committee.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.