PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend commissioners have certified the completion of emergency breakwater repair, while several major capital projects remain in the planning phase.
Commissioners approved the completion of the commercial basin breakwater repair project Wednesday and sent out notices to state agencies to confirm that the project has been completed.
In January, commissioners approved a $206,016 emergency repair to a section of the breakwater near the entrance of the Boat Haven Marina. It took about a week for crews to shore up the section of the breakwater that protects the industrial section of the marina.
Port officials have notified the state Department of Labor & Industries, Employment Security Department and Department of Revenue of the project’s completion.
“I’m happy with the work that was done,” Commissioner Peter Hanke said.
A small section of the breakwater, built originally in the 1950s, was patched after it was deemed unlikely it would last through another storm.
While that vulnerable section is now stabilized, the entire breakwater will need to be replaced eventually.
“I think it’s actually great we had this problem because it gives us a baseline,” Hanke said Wednesday.
“Now we know what we’re looking at, and we’re probably going to be back there sooner rather than later.”
The breakwater repair was the first capital project the port has completed this year.
Several others are in the works.
On Wednesday, Executive Director Sam Gibboney updated the commissioners on another Boat Haven project: a stormwater project upgrade.
The project is in its planning phase. A revised report on the current stormwater system is expected by the end of this month.
The project cost has been estimated at $300,000 to $400,000, according to Gibboney, but she added that port officials hope to lower that cost by using as much of the original system as possible.
“We’re going to work with the existing system,” Gibboney said. “We’ve come up with a plan to adjust the hydraulics of the system, and we’re planning to replace our sand filters with mixed media.”
A less daunting project will be the leveling and re-graveling of the travel-lift area of the Boat Haven industrial area. The heavy travel lifts grind up the gravel into dust, which can quickly become a hazard during a windstorm.
Gibboney said her high estimate for that project is $50,000.
“While it’s not a cure-all, I think it will have a very positive effect,” Gibboney said.
Commissioners also discussed the Point Hudson breakwater replacement project.
Gibboney said port officials are working to schedule a meeting in June with representatives of the city of Port Townsend and the Northwest Maritime Center because the project will likely need all three organizations to cooperate and help fund the project.
The meeting, as yet unscheduled, will be open to the public, although no public comment will be accepted, according to Hanke.
Planning expenses are expected to be paid through grants from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), Gibboney said.
“We’re good to go on Point Hudson planning,” Gibboney said. “We’re not under contract with CERB, but that should be coming in any day now, and we got the OK from CERB on that.”
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Jefferson County Editor/
