PORT ANGELES — John Wayne Marina is getting six new mooring buoys that will allow larger vessels to temporarily anchor in Sequim Bay on aquatic land owned and managed by the state Department of Natural Resources.
Port of Port Angeles commissioners on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution to amend its management agreement with the DNR to include about 29 acres to the east of the marina where the buoys will be placed. The area extends the entire length of the marina and about 450 feet waterward from port-owned land.
“While we don’t have the capacity internally to bring larger vessels into John Wayne Marina,” port Executive Director Paul Jarkiewicz said, “the team coordinated with the (Jamestown S’Klallam) Tribe and stakeholders in the marina to come up with the idea.”
There is no fee involved because the port will manage the area on behalf of the DNR, port environmental manager Jesse Waknitz said. It is anticipating charging about $30 a day for buoy moorage.
“Is the DNR is supportive of amending the PMA (port management agreement)?” port commissioner Colleen McAleer asked.
Waknitz said it had no issues with the layout, although it had requested additional details.
The project is designed for 60-foot boats, but there will be room to accommodate larger ones, Waknitz said.
A crew of two divers will screw the helix screws into the sediment to which the buoy lines will be attached, Waknitz said. Before any work can be done, the port must secure permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the city of Sequim.
The port estimated the project would cost $21,400 in 2025 for professional and aquatic vegetation survey services, and $80,000 in 2026 for installing and inspection of the buoys.
Because there is an opportunity to complete the project this year, commissioners approved a second resolution to add the project to its 2025 capital budget and utilize contingency funds to cover the costs.
Commissioners approved the sale at auction of four boats and two boat houses at Port Angeles Boat Haven whose owners have accrued a combined $23,411.65 in charges. If they fail to sell, the port will turn the accounts over to a collection agency to recover the debt.
Life Flight Network, which has been a port tenant at William R. Fairchild Airport since 2019, had its lease for aircraft hangars, offices and crew quarters approved unanimously. Life Flight will pay $7,265.13 a month on a three-year lease with three one-year options to renew.
The monthly financial report showed a negative $17,448 budget variance for airport rentals, primarily due to Amazon abandoning its plans to build a warehouse and distribution facility near Fairchild.
“When we constructed the budget for 2025, we included the access agreement in the lease that we anticipated from Amazon,” Jarkiewicz said. “Since that isn’t happening now, we’ll probably need to see if we want to pull that out and re-address the budget for rental properties or leave it as is and be conscious of it.”
A member of port staff said Amazon is nonetheless committed to finding property in Port Angeles for a facility.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
