PORT TOWNSEND — The Port of Port Townsend is pursuing a grant that would help fund the reconfiguration of the commercial basin to expand its ability to accommodate larger vessels.
Staff at the board of commissioners’ workshop on Wednesday presented site plans for a two-phase project that would take advantage of the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The PIDP grant is intended to support the efficiency, reliability and safety of moving goods in and out of ports.
Among the infrastructure improvements are replacing all floats, docks, gangways and pilings; rebuilding the loading dock and widening fairways; installing sheet piling on the northeast side of marina to create more dock space; removing 42-foot slips on the center pier and shifting it east to create a 250-foot-long linear dock for vessels up to 60 feet long and open up rafting opportunities; and replacing 34-foot slips with 45- to 55-foot slips on the northwest side of center docks.
The plan would eliminate some 42-foot slips in order to dedicate space to larger vessels, particularly commercial fishing vessels.
“We’re positioning ourselves for the future by adding moorage and for a target market,” said Eric Toews, the port’s deputy director. “It would accommodate demand and generate revenue.”
The longest wait list for moorage in the commercial basin is for big vessels.
If the port is awarded the grant, it would put it in a good position when applying for MARAD funding for the next phase of the project.
The grant would pay 80 percent of the cost of the project; the port would be required to provide a 20 percent match.
Toews estimated the port would likely seek $8 million to $9 million in funding. Staff will present a completed grant application to the board for approval before the April 30 deadline.
Commissioners Carol Hasse and Pam Petranek both liked the idea of improving port infrastructure in a way that would better serve commercial fishing vessels. (Commissioner Pete Hanke had an excused absence for the workshop; he attended the regular meeting Wednesday afternoon.)
“I see this as a way we can directly impact jobs,” Petranek said. “More fishing boats is awesome.”
There was uncertainty as to how opportunities for funding like MARAD and PIDP that were offered under the previous administration would be reviewed and awarded by the current one when the priorities of the two were so different, Toews said.
“It’s not as clear and unambiguous as it was a year ago,” Toews said. “We’re hopeful we’re going to be successful.”
At the board’s regular meeting, Hanke asked if any awards the port already received might be at risk of not being fulfilled.
“What we have in the works right now I feel pretty solid about,” said Connie Anderson, the port’s director of finance and administration. “We’ve had a lot of email communication and phone conversations with granting agencies making sure that we know where we’re headed before moving forward.”
In his report, harbormaster Kristian Ferrero told commissioners that total haul-outs at the boatyard have been down the first two months of the year, although the overall occupancy rate is higher.
There were 77 haul-outs on the 75- and 300-ton Travelifts in January and February compared with 90 over the same time last year. Boat yard occupancy through February was 76 percent compared to 72 percent over the same period in 2024.
Permanent occupancy at Boat Haven was 97 percent — just short of the port’s goal of maintaining a consistent 98 percent occupancy throughout the year.
With the Hudson Point breakwater project completed, the port was able to offer nightly moorage that wasn’t available in January and February 2024. Those two months generated $53,000 in revenue for the port, Anderson said.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
