EDITOR’S NOTE — Click to see the 43-page presentation to the Port Angeles City Council on the proposed Port Angeles Waterfront and Transportation Improvement Plan: http://issuu.com/peninsuladailynews/docs/ptcitycouncil.3.15.00
PORT ANGELES — The idea of establishing a beach east of the Valley Creek estuary received enthusiastic support from the City Council on Thursday during a discussion of a proposed waterfront and transportation improvement plan.
David Roberts, a state Department of Natural Resources aquatic lands assistant manager, suggested creating a beach there during the public comment portion of the meeting.
The shore between Oak Street and the estuary is one of the areas slated for a makeover under the plan, which focuses on the waterfront but also will result in new entryway monuments on the west and east entrances to Port Angeles, new “wayfinding” signs to direct traffic and pedestrians to points of interest and shopping, and a citywide transportation study.
The two-phased plan, expected to cost about $778,000, will be finished by summer 2011.
It is funded by the city of Port Angeles’ economic development and lodging tax funds.
During the meeting, two of the city’s consultants — Bill Grimes of Studio Cascade and Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architects — presented some of the proposed designs for the waterfront, and the new signs and monuments.
The Port Angeles City Council members agreed that a beach near the Valley Creek estuary would be an improvement to the riprap that lines the shore and would complement Hollywood Beach on the other end of downtown.
“If you have a beach on the east end, boy, how inviting that might be,” said Deputy Mayor Don Perry. “That would be fabulous.”
The beach would be placed on DNR land.
Roberts said the city of Bellingham had done the same to one of its waterfront parks, and the council members agreed to tour that town’s waterfront sometime next month.
Public input was received on those items during several meetings earlier this month, and a town hall meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 18, for additional comments.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
The seven council members also supported other proposed changes to the waterfront, such as adding a park to the vacant property between Oak Street and the estuary, routing the Olympic Discovery Trail through it and adding a promenade between that site and ferry terminals.
They also endorsed a proposed design for the entryway monuments, though they couldn’t all agree on the locations.
The monuments, as designed by the consultants, would consist of stone bases with large poles sitting vertically on top.
Each pole would be designed to reflect the city’s Native American history, as well as its timber industry and Olympic National Park.
The consultants propose placing one next to U.S. Highway 101 just west of Deer Park Road and another at Lincoln Street and Lauridsen Boulevard.
Some of the council members suggested that the monument on the west end of town shouldn’t be placed so close to the city’s center.
The designs for the waterfront improvements, signs and monuments are expected to be done by the end of the year.
The project’s website is www.pa-waterfront.org.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
