PORT TOWNSEND — A new Chamber of Commerce office and visitor center could be open by the end of October, a chamber leader said.
The Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce, city of Port Townsend and Jefferson Transit are working together to open a 24-by-48-foot modular building.
It is now being relocated to a site about 100 feet north of the corner of 12th and Landes streets at Transit’s Haines Place Park and Ride.
The chamber, city and Transit in recent weeks decided on the latest location fronting 12th Street because the original site was not visible enough, said Kris Nelson, chamber board vice president of programs, who has been acting as the chamber’s visitor center relocation coordinator.
“We discussed better exposure and a better location,” Nelson said.
The new building is expected to be delivered on Sept. 22, she said, and the city has arranged to hook up water and sewer service.
The building will be placed and finished after delivery.
Sidewalks and planters will be added. Disabled parking and other parking spaces will be rearranged around the building near the bus terminal. An accessible ramp will be installed at the building’s entrance.
The new building will be large enough for the visitor center, chamber business offices, accessible rest rooms and a meeting room.
The city is budgeting about $100,000 for the move. It is funded through ferry mitigation dollars, lodging tax money and other city funding.
The chamber has saved about $50,000 to acquire and relocate the visitor center.
As planned, the existing visitor center at the corner of Sims Way and Jefferson Street, would be razed.
The old visitor center site was originally planned for a future 80-vehicle overflow parking site to serve the Port Townsend ferry terminal during peak season, but was not used this year because of a new reservation system.
Washington State Ferries may use the site in the future, once two new larger ferries are running again between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island.
The existing ferry terminal overflow parking on Water Street will be eliminated, with street improvements fronting a new waterfront housing and commercial development.
The new visitor center agreement leaves the city responsible for installing the building and providing utilities, and Jefferson Transit employees would be welcome to use restroom facilities in the building, according to the lease.
Transit and the city will cooperate to provide signs to direct people to the visitor center, which will be just west of Safeway, the lease states. Grounds maintenance would also be up to the city, it states.
The Gateway Visitor Center at state highways 19 and 104 will link information centers, once the Port Townsend center relocation is complete.
Ferry reservations are to be taken at the new visitor center, which also will encourage greater use of Transit bus service to see Port Townsend.
That would reduce traffic and parking problems downtown and help downtown business owners at the same time, Nelson said.
The present visitor center building has been at the city-owned site since 1989.
It was originally planned to be relocated at the Park and Ride when it was building in 1992.
