PORT HADLOCK — Affordable housing and the cost of sewer hook-ups were among the concerns community members expressed while weighing in on the proposed Port Hadlock Sewer Project.
During a public meeting Thursday night, more than 50 attendees tuned in to listen to updates on the project and to ask questions/give comment regarding it.
The current project plans would bring a sewer system to the “core commercial” area of Port Hadlock, which includes lower Hadlock and the Old Alcohol Plant, for a estimated total cost of about $24 million and is currently in the design and engineering phase, said Monte Reinders, Jefferson County Public Works director during Thursday’s virtual community outreach meeting.
The core area is comprised of 58.8 percent zoned commercial/industry land (158.3 acres), 28.1 percent residential zoned land (75.7 acres) and 13.1 percent of other zoned land (35.2 acres) such as public parks, according to Reinders’ presentation.
As the only other Urban Growth Area in the county outside of Port Townsend, Port Hadlock is the only place other than Port Townsend where urban development can happen, and a sewer is needed to be able expand capacity for businesses and multi-family residences, Reinders said.
President Gary Keister cited the housing crisis in Jefferson County when he told of his support of the sewer project.
“We totally support moving forward on this project, due to the extreme housing issues we have in our county,” he said. “Unless we build more multi-family housing, we’re just going to have more people who will either leave the area or won’t be able to afford the housing that is currently available.
“We have to face this reality. No one will ever get everything they want, but if we’re not able to work together to solve this problem, we’re just going to face more and more difficult issues as time goes on.”
Many questions were asked in the written Zoom chat, and the ones that weren’t addressed during the meeting, staff planned to follow up on.
Concerns from community members started being raised in February by the Concerned Residents of Port Hadlock, which demands “straight answers” about the project. The group’s communication specialist, Quilcene resident Pamela Roberts, asked several questions in the text chat.
“Commissioner Dean stated that she intended to get the hook up costs down to $20,000 for individual homeowners,” Roberts typed in the chat. “Community members think $8,000 might be more possible.
“Will you move forward with this sewer if the costs comes in at the $20,000 level?”
Depending on how much state and federal funding the county can secure for the project, hook-up costs into the system range from $38,500 to $12,700 plus on-site installation costs, Reinders said.
If enough funding isn’t secured to make hook-ups affordable, the project wouldn’t move forward, he said.
“Port Hadlock is the embodiment of affordable housing, but once the property values go up with a sewer, then add hook-up charges, monthly sewer fees and the costs of electricity and maintenance or even replacement of pumps and grinder we will drive people out of their homes,” Roberts said in a later chat message. “Does the county intend to foreclose on those who cannot afford all these costs?”
A specific concern that was raised about the project by a few residents regarded the effect on renters in a mobile home park within the core area. They worried that the property owner would pass on sewer connection fees to renters or evict them to build an apartment complex with higher density.
“It’s just not right, these people are not getting a voice whatsoever,” said county resident Mike Regan.
County officials said they have not heard of any specific plans by the property owner since the sewer project is still in the planning phase.
Jamie Maciejewski, East Jefferson Habitat for Humanity executive director, said she supports the sewer project as long as it funding is found to make it affordable for residents and property owners.
Due to the land requirement needs for septic systems, it takes twice the amount of land to build one home with a septic than one without. Habitat has built or is currently working on a total of 11 homes in Port Hadlock. With a sewer system in place, that could have been up to 25, Maciejewski said.
“The reality of the sewer is that without it, it’s more expensive to build and we have to rely on donors to make up that difference,” she said.
The current research into the feasibility and engineering of the sewer system was brought forward in 2018 by 70 percent of property owners within the core commercial area, Reinders said.
The proposed sewer system would use a modular treatment plant that utilizes membrane bioreactor technology to treat wastewater to “Class A” reclaimed water standards — required by the state Department of Ecology, he said.
He said the plant would use a pressurized apparatus that is cheaper than a gravity-fed system.
The current Phase 1 plan does not include specific steps for expansion, but the county plans to work with nearby property owners and expand once the first phase has been completed if approved, Reinders said.
Port Hadlock was deemed an Urban Growth Area (UGA) 20 years ago after a public process.
Thursday’s full meeting and presentation can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/PDN-PHSewerMeeting and more information on the sewer project can be found at https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1158/Port-Hadlock-Wastewater-System.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
