PORT TOWNSEND — The end of a period of construction that began last summer will begin to be celebrated this weekend.
A dedication ceremony for the reconfigured Civic District begins at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“I’m glad it’s over,” said Port Townsend City Manager David Timmons on Wednesday.
“We were asked to do the work during the winter so it didn’t interfere with tourist season, but that caused some difficulties due to the availability of materials and how the bad weather caused us to start and stop the project.”
The delays were frequent, such as a scheduled repaving in February that was postponed because of snow.
Other celebrations are also planned this weekend, book-ending Saturday’s dedication: an “open spaces” tour of the commercial district Friday and Sunday’s Main Street’s Art Wave and the Jefferson County Historical Society’s annual Founders’ Day Celebration.
The Civic District is the area between Monroe and Madison streets and contains City Hall, the Jefferson County Historical Society, the Marvin G. Shields American Legion Post 26 hall and Memorial Field.
The name “Civic District” dates back to an indication on a shoreline plan from the 1990s, Timmons said.
The $5.1 million project was implemented in several stages and was built using multiple funding sources, according to material obtained from Timmons’ office.
The breakdown is as follows:
■ The Cotton Building/Visitor Center at 607 Water St. received a seismic retrofit, restoration of the historic building and cleanup of underground storage tanks at a cost of $1,415,000, which came from a Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant and a 2008 city bond.
■ Madison Street improvements, which included streetscape work from Memorial Field to the Pope Marine Building at 100 Madison St., cost $678,000 and was funded by a Public Works Board Small City Rural Counties grant and the 2008 city bond.
■ Pope Marine Park was renovated with $224,000 from the city bond and included landscaping and the purchase of a play structure.
■ Gerard Tsutakawa’s specially commissioned bronze sculpture, “Salish Sea Circle,” cost $70,000 and was paid for with the city’s One Percent for Arts Program, which allocates 1 percent of the capitalized costs of eligible public construction projects for public art, and the city bond.
■ The $2 million Water Street Streetscape was the most expensive project. It included bringing overhead utilities underground, design and implementation of the plan, and the installation of stormwater pipe.
This phase was funded by grants from the state departments of Transportation and Ecology, as well as a grant from the Jefferson County Public Infrastructure Program and the city bond.
■ Repair of the Wave Viewing Gallery included the replacement of damaged pilings, which required moving the gallery.
This cost $758,000, which came from an Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account grant and the city bond.
These figures include all costs, such as design engineering, architecture, surveyings, contractors, inspectors, geologists and permitting.
Still to come is the retrofitting of the Wave Viewing Gallery for handicapped access and the conversion of the Tidal Clock into an amphitheater.
This work will begin after the close of the “fish window” on July 17, during which time work is prohibited in order to accommodate salmon mating season.
This weekend signals the beginning of a protracted celebration of the reconfigured downtown in a different state than when the project began.
All of the chain link fences will be removed, creating an open space from the Cotton Building to the Northwest Maritime Center at 431 Water St.
Main Street’s Downtown Open/Available Space Tour will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
Participants are asked to check in on the street level of the Mount Baker Block Building, 213 Taylor St., where they can pick up the materials needed for the free, self-guided tour of downtown properties available for sale or rent.
The “main event” will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the newly renovated Cotton Building, which was formerly the Port Townsend Police Station and now is a visitor center.
After the dedication, the Port Townsend Arts Commission will host a photo exhibit at the Cotton Building that chronicles the extensive construction of Tsutakawa’s sculpture.
A panel discussion on the role of public art in communities will begin at 1:30 p.m.
On Sunday, a variety of children’s art activities will occur in the Pope Marine Building from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. during Main Street’s Art Wave.
Also Sunday, the Jefferson County Historical Society will hold its annual Founders’ Day celebration at 1 p.m. in City Council chambers, 540 Water St.
The society’s annual historic preservation awards will be presented to people who have helped preserve local history, to projects that document history and to architectural restoration projects.
This will be followed by a reception in the Cotton Building that will feature desserts prepared from recipes from the newly published Rothschild House Dessert Cookbook.
These two events are free but have limited seating and will require reservations, available by phoning 360-385-1003.
The sculpture is expected to be installed on its space at the intersection of Madison and Water streets a few days in advance of its May 14 dedication.
A play structure, which is now in storage in a city facility, will also be installed in Pope Marine Park at that time.
The project began in earnest last summer but was stopped for the month of September to accommodate the Port Townsend Film Festival and the Kinetic Skulpture Races.
During construction, traffic has been rerouted and sidewalks blocked.
“People have been really wonderful throughout this whole thing,” said Lana Guthrie of Primo Construction, who has worked as the traffic supervisor throughout the project.
“The pedestrians and motorists have been patient and helpful, and we really appreciate that.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
