PORT ANGELES — Retired Port of Port Angeles Executive Director Clyde Boddy officially became the head of the Harbor-Works Public Development Authority on Monday.
He is expected to oversee the running of the 10-month-old public entity until the board hires a permanent executive director, which it expects to do by the end of the month.
The five-member Harbor-Works Board of Directors unanimously approved hiring Boddy as interim executive director for $3,600 a month.
His contract was signed by Orville Campbell, board chairman, after the meeting.
Boddy’s contract officially began on Feb. 9, although the board had not officially approved the contract until Monday.
Boddy said he recognizes that the position is for the short-term.
“The board is on the fast track for hiring an executive director, and I support that,” he said.
‘Keeping everything moving’
Boddy said he sees his job as “keeping everything moving along . . . so an executive director can step in and move forward.”
Boddy is Harbor-Works’ second interim executive director.
Jim Haguewood, Clallam County Business Incubator executive director, was hired in July and left in January.
From the beginning, he said he intended to act as interim executive director until December.
Haguewood was paid $2,000 a month.
Campbell said the board is paying Boddy more because the job has become more demanding.
“It reflects a growing recognition that the job is more time-consuming than we additionally thought,” he said.
Harbor-Works was created by the city of Port Angeles and port in May to assist in the environmental cleanup of the former Rayonier Inc. mill site on the Port Angeles waterfront, direct its redevelopment and assist in harbor-wide planning.
The board expects to accomplish the first two gaols by acquiring some, if not all, of the Rayonier property.
Public criticism
The legality of the process that led to the city and port forming Harbor-Works, which has been criticized by some Port Angeles residents as occurring behind closed doors, is being investigated by the state Auditor’s Office.
The 75-acre property is contaminated by PCBs, dioxins and other contaminates from the mill, which closed in 1997 after operating for 68 years.
It has been a state Department of Ecology cleanup site since 2000.
If Harbor-Works acquires any of the property, it will become a liable party in the cleanup.
The extent of the cleanup site has not been determined, and Ecology estimates that the cleanup will take at least three more years to complete.
Remnants of a former Lower Elwha Klallam village are buried under some of the property, and the tribe is a partner in the cleanup project with Rayonier and Ecology.
The board intends to have a formal agreement with Rayonier that would lead to property acquisition signed by April.
Also at the meeting, the board unanimously approved a contract with Jones Strategic Consulting of Seattle to find additional candidates for the executive director position, which is budgeted at $144,000 annually.
Jones’ expenses are estimated at $14,200, and not to exceed $15,000.
Although the contract was formally approved on Monday, the firm has been conducting the work since the contract was signed by Campbell on Feb. 13.
The board initially had 18 applicants for the job.
It narrowed that number to about five at the end of November and expected to make a decision Dec. 3.
It put that decision on hold while the Port Angeles City Council reviewed the reasons for creating Harbor-Works.
“We may pick one from the original list,” said board Treasurer Jerry Hendricks, “but we will have a broader list.”
Hendricks is a former port executive director and was selected to serve on the board, along with retired attorney Bart Irwin, by the port.
The board intends to hold a special meeting on March 16 to review additional candidates.
At the meeting, the board authorized Campbell to sign a lease agreement with Coldwell Banker for office space at 1115 E. Front St.
Boddy said cost of the lease would range from $903 to $940 a month.
He also mentioned two other possible office locations: one at the former KONP radio building on First Street and another at the Bank of America building on Front Street.
The board intends to hold a special meeting on April 6 to change the meeting dates from the first Wednesday of each month to the first Monday.
Other members of the board include Karen McCormick, CEO and president of First Federal, and Howie Ruddell, owner of Ruddell Auto Mall.
Both were appointed, along with Campbell, by the city.
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
