PORT TOWNSEND — After more than a year of enduring reduced ferry service between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, the city’s top administrator said the situation has made Port Townsend stronger.
“In some respects, there was a silver lining for us in the ferry decision,” said City Manager David Timmons, who spoke at Monday’s Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
The decision was that of state Transportation Director Paula Hammond to mothball the 80-year-old vessels just before Thanksgiving 2007.
The decision ultimately left the route with one smaller car ferry, that began after the 2007 holiday season.
“It positioned us for the economic turmoil ahead,” Timmons said of the problems of one year ago.
“It made us put together a strategy.”
The strategy will play out this year as several city projects prepare to go to bid, the earliest of which is construction work on Upper Sims Way, the main entrance to Port Townsend.
Timmons said he expects the city will seek bids for that project in March.
Also, downtown construction projects to redesign areas along the waterfront, bury overhead utilities undergrounds and widen sidewalks through downtown are expected to go to bid later this year, .
Maritime center
Another project he cited for the chamber audience is the Northwest Maritime Center, a $12 million museum and learning facility, which is expected to be completed at the foot of Water Street by September.
Timmons said these projects, along with continued support of Fort Worden State Park facilities, will help bolster the city’s “economic anchors.”
“Everything we are doing is to import money into the community rather than export it out,” Timmons said.
“Some people think this is frivolous and we’re not focusing on the hard stuff, but we need to start building amenities that make people want to be here.”
The introduction of the projects in April 2008 came at an opportune time, Timmons said.
At the time, the City Council approved the issuance and sale of $7.5 million worth of bonds to pay for improvements to city roads, sidewalks, the waterfront and tourism infrastructure.
“We got that in before everything crashed,” Timmons said.
“There are some communities that waited, and now they are in trouble.”
Ferry loss
When Timmons introduced the list of projects in 2008, he equated the mothballing of the Steel Electric car ferries the previous November to a bridge collapse.
On the list of projects to boost the city’s infrastructure and tourism are proposals to improve roads along San Juan and 49th streets, Discovery Road, the north end of Water Street, Water between Monroe and Madison streets, Madison Street to Memorial Stadium and Upper Sims Way along with the Howard Street Extension.
Tourism projects include Pope Marine Park downtown, the waterfront esplanade behind the police station, wave gallery relocation near the waterfront esplanade, the visitor center conversion of the old police building and public-access improvements near the Northwest Maritime Center.
Timmons said he gives credit to the City Council for being decisive in its actions since the ferry crisis and emphasized that the council has to follow through.
“We can scoff at the little things, but they will pay off,” he said.
“What we need to do now is not apologize for the direction we are going but to follow through and to stay on target.
“I believe that in the end it will pay off.”
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Jefferson County reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
