PORT ANGELES — U.S. Rep Norm Dicks told Port of Port Angeles officials to keep up their search for federal grants to repair the dock where the Victoria ferry lands in Port Angeles.
The congressman has secured $1 million in the appropriations bill to rebuild the creaky ferry dock for the MV Coho at the foot of Laurel Street.
The port leases the landing to Black Ball Ferry Line Inc., which plans to commit $2 million to a $9 million replacement project.
“What I’m hopeful for is that Senator [Patty] Murray and I can work on this next year and see if we can’t get that [$1 million] to a higher level,” Dicks said in a briefing with Port and Black Ball officials at on Wednesday.
“That what we’re trying to do.”
Dicks, who represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties, met with community leaders as part of a regular stop on the North Olympic Peninsula during the summer recess.
The ferry dock dates at least to the 1950s, when the state ferry Kalakala, Black Ball’s MV Chinook and Canadian Pacific Railway ferries used it for routes to Victoria and Seattle.
“It’s reached its end of its useful life,” said Jeff Robb, Port of Port Angeles executive director.
The port submitted an appropriations request of $4 million to get the two- to three-year project off the ground.
Rian Anderson, Black Ball Ferry Line district manager in Port Angeles, said the appropriations request was to rebuild the west side of the pier where cars and trucks pass through customs at the port of entry.
Wood pilings that support the dock are failing, Anderson has said, and should be replaced with concrete and steel pilings.
“Each subcommittee has a certain amount of money they have for projects, and I had hoped we could do better but this is what we got,” Dicks said.
“So we have to try to go again next year.”
Meanwhile, Dicks urged port officials to seek federal economic development and rural development grants to help fund a new ferry dock.
The Port of Port Angeles is typically not involved with appropriation requests, Robb said, but is already engaged in the engineering and permitting process for redevelopment of the ferry landing site.
Port commissioners awarded Olympia-based MC2 Engineering an $168,000 contract in May.
“It [the Coho] is a significant economic driver in our community,” Robb said.
Port officials say improvements to the ferry terminal would fit into the city’s plans to redevelop the waterfront. The Port Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved design of a promenade and waterfront park along Railroad Street in front of the ferry terminal.
“It ties nicely with what the city is doing,” Robb said.
“We’re trying to get a gateway to our community that represents an equal or better gateway than Victoria offers.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
