PORT ANGELES — A new Port Angeles webcam is introducing future visitors to the city’s waterfront.
The new camera, which went live earlier this month, is located on a city light pole near the Black Ball Ferry Line pier and can be controlled to scan the area for various scenes of waterfront activity, said Russ Veenema, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“Webcams have become very popular on the Internet,” Veenema said.
The downtown webcam can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/PAwebcams.
Webcams are effective marketing tools, Veenema said, allowing prospective visitors to get an idea of what they will see when they visit, for those who once lived in or visited Port Angeles to view favorite locations, or for local residents to check the weather conditions in the downtown area.
Veenema said the weatherproof Axis-brand webcam, which cost the chamber less than $5,000, is controllable from the chamber office on Railroad Avenue.
Photos are taken every few minutes.
An upgrade to allow views of the Olympic Mountain range and across Port Angeles Harbor to Ediz Hook is due to arrive soon, he said.
He added that employees will change the view once or twice a day to keep it interesting.
On Friday afternoon, the camera was pointed at cars waiting to load onto the MV Coho ferry.
The new camera replaces the chamber’s link to the KING-TV weather webcam, located on the bluffs above downtown Port Angeles, which offers a small, dark view of the city and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Veenema said.
The decision for the purchase was made in May, but it took time to decide on a location and get permission from the city to use a utility pole to mount the camera, he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
