PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles commissioners said they are frustrated with the slow pace of Lincoln Park approvals from the city of Port Angeles.
They plan to draft a letter and call city leaders to remind them of the port’s side of the matter — that the project to remove trees in the approach to William R. Fairchild International Airport is time-sensitive.
“We’re coming up against our deadline,” Commissioner Jim Hallett said at Monday’s port commission meeting.
The City Council must approve the Lincoln Park master pla. Then, the port has to complete an environmental assessment before a $350,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant can be awarded July 31.
The city Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission voted 5-1 in February to recommend the master plan, but the blueprint has not yet gone before the City Council.
Commissioners said that they understand the city’s reluctance to move forward on the first phase of the Lincoln Park project, based on the uncertainty of funding for additional phases and the public’s concern that the additional park designs will never happen.
But the port needs the city to move forward, they said.
The port commissioners sai.d they would help the city find funding for those additional phases, and that the port’s side of the project cannot wait.
“Meanwhile, the trees have had another year to grow,” said Commissioner Paul McHugh.
The port, which owns the airport, has proposed removing most of the trees in Lincoln Park to protect landing aircraft and avoid losing the use of more runway.
The trees have been identified by the FAA as obstructions to be removed, and because of the height of many of the nearby trees, 1,354 feet of the eastern runway is barred from aircraft.
The city and the port have agreed to create the master plan to determine the future use of the park — particularly what should replace any trees that are logged.
For the city, questions remain over how future phases of the 147-acre Lincoln Park would be paid for and how the planned removal of its tall fir trees and park revegetation would be handled.
HBB Landscape Architects of Seattle, the contracted designer for the Lincoln Park master plan, created the first phase of improvements, estimated to cost $14.3 million, based on several public forums on what residents want in the park.
The first phase focuses on the entry area to the park off Lauridsen Boulevard and includes upgraded parking areas, a new trail system, ballfields and the estimated cost of tree removal and revegetation.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
