PORT ANGELES — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has secured $80 million in federal funding to rebuild the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in a disaster supplemental package she authored and negotiated, and it will be attached to an emergency spending bill Congress is expected to pass this week.
The legislation comes as lawmakers struggle to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Saturday if Congress doesn’t pass a continuing resolution that will fund the government at current levels until March 14. Includes $100 billion in the disaster aid package.
The Hurricane Ridge funding will come from the National Park Service Construction account.
“Hurricane Ridge means so much to folks in the Olympic Peninsula and visitors who come from all over the world to hike, ski, and take in the breathtaking scenery of the area,” said Murray, the senior Democratic senator from Washington and Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a statement. “I remember taking my own kids to Hurricane Ridge when they were young, and ever since the devastating fire that burned down the day lodge, I was determined to get this place rebuilt.”
“It’s time to finally bring this funding home to Olympic National Park for everyone who cherishes Hurricane Ridge and wants to ensure people can enjoy this special place for generations to come.”
The full text of the disaster supplemental package that includes funding for Hurricane Ridge was released Tuesday. It can be found at https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20241216/CR.pdf. Funding for Hurricane Ridge is in the $2.263 billion for construction projects on page 70.
According to Murray’s office, the Department of the Interior, which manages national parks, estimated that about $77.517 million is needed to rebuild the day lodge.
It would include constructing a new permanent visitor center, restoring utilities (drinking water, waste water and power) and communications infrastructure, creating wayside exhibits and supporting temporary visitor services until the new facility is completed.
Murray visited Hurricane Ridge on Aug. 14, 2023, as part of a two-day trip to the Olympic Peninsula. She had a first-hand look at the scorched remains of the 12,000-square-foot, two-story lodge and spoke with Olympic National Park Superintendent Sula Jacobs and other personnel.
The lodge, built in 1952, had been undergoing a $10.8 million rehabilitation when it burned to the ground May 7, 2023.
According to the fire investigation report by the engineering firm Rimkus and Talbott Associates, “Due to the challenges presented by the physical evidence, the cause of the fire cannot be determined on a more probable than not basis.”
Among the likely sources identified were lithium-ion battery packs used to power tools igniting or the failure of one of the electrical panels.
Hurricane Ridge — minus the day lodge — reopened to the public in fewer than two months after the fire. Olympic National Park implemented a number of short-term solutions, primarily upgraded temporary restroom facilities, so people could continue to visit the site.
Hurricane Ridge construction projects face a number of practical challenges. They include a narrow work window between the harsh conditions of winter and crowds during summer, as well as access to the site that is limited to one twisting narrow road through three tunnels.
The old day lodge served a multitude of functions: ranger station, shelter, public education center, restroom, first aid for minor injuries and a food and gift shop venue. Any new reimagining will need to take into consideration previous and new stakeholder demands.
Rebuilding the day lodge has an economical impetus. Hurricane Ridge is one of the most popular tourist attractions on the Olympic Peninsula and is an important revenue generator. In 2023, 2.9 million visitors to the park spent $279 million, according to the National Park Service.
Olympic National Park’s plan to rehabilitate the water system on Hurricane Ridge next spring could have an impact on archaeological sites important the Port Gamble S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam and Lower Elwha Klallam tribes, according to a park news release. A copy of the memorandum of agreement the park has asked the tribes to sign can be found at tinyurl.com/47x6jzdk.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
