PORT TOWNSEND — Allison Alderman sat down in her office as manager of Fort Worden State Park on Friday with a degree of uncertainty.
Discussions about possibly transferring management of the park to the Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority could end in the elimination of her position.
“There is instability here,” said Alderman, 46.
“If it turns out that the PDA takes over the park and turns it into a lifelong learning center and does not hire me as its director, I could be in the same boat I was before.”
She also understands that a lot of people who were loyal to the former manager, Kate Burke, might not welcome her with open arms.
“When I got off of the ferry today, there wasn’t a mob waiting there with a noose, so that was a good thing,” she said Wednesday, when she arrived in Port Townsend to meet with park staff.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t happy that I’m here, but I can only be myself and do the best job I can.”
When Alderman’s job as region operations manager in the State Parks Northwest Region Office was eliminated in December, the 21-year State Parks employee displaced the less-senior Burke from the manager’s position, in keeping with parks personnel regulations.
This occurred during an effort by a public development authority created by the city of Port Townsend to turn Fort Worden into a lifelong learning center, a process of which Burke — who was manager of Fort Worden since 2002 — was a key part, so the PDA has proposed taking over some or all of the park for this purpose.
The State Parks Commission tabled a decision on the proposal earlier this month.
It will consider it at its next meeting, which will be at Fort Worden State Park Commons beginning at 9 a.m. March 28.
The PDA has indicated its intention to hire Burke as its director should it take over any portion of the park, and is currently working on a contract with her to develop a business plan for the park.
After getting acquainted with some of the 32 park staff members Wednesday, Alderman spent Thursday in Olympia meeting with State Parks management.
She plans to meet with each staff member individually “because some people aren’t comfortable speaking in a group and I want to talk to everyone about how they can do their jobs more effectively.”
She also expects to meet with user groups connected to the park as well as the advisory board.
She is enthusiastic about the effort to turn the park into a self-sustaining Lifelong Learning Center with diverse educational programs, and expects to participate in the planning and execution of the Lifelong Learning Center.
Alderman said she didn’t want to “bump” Burke, whom she knows and likes, from the Fort Worden position but essentially had no choice.
“This is not now a normal situation and it is not how I have ever gotten a job,” she said.
“I have never been RIFed,” being dismissed because of a reduction in force, “or had to bump someone else out of their job,” Alderman added.
Other possibilities represented a significant pay decrease.
She called her new position “a lateral move” with regard to responsibility and salary.
She is earning $78,500 annually, the same salary Burke earned.
The Fort Worden job was presented to her as her “formal option,” she said.
Alderman expects that as more state cuts will increase the financial squeeze on the parks system, her financial experience will allow her to find areas where money can be saved and efficiency increased.
Alderman, a Northwest native, is a graduate of the State Parks law enforcement academy and has spent her parks career in management positions.
During her two decades in the parks service, Alderman has supervised several park managers at several parks, including Deception Pass, Fort Flagler, Fort Casey, the Green River Gorge Area, Moran and Cama Beach.
She also plans to rely on volunteers.
“We don’t have enough money, so we need to look at creative ways to get things done,” she said.
“The great thing about Port Townsend is there is a tremendous amount of community involvement, and I expect to tap into that.”
Alderman, who is single and has no children, will live at Fort Flagler for three months while she looks for a home in Port Townsend and decides what to do with her 13.5-acre spread in Alger, which is north of Burlington.
She expects that many of the questions asked of her will be about Burke, either directly or obliquely.
“Kate didn’t do anything wrong that caused her to lose her job,” Alderman said.
“She was here a long time and the loyalty to her is understandable.
“All I can do is the best I can do and put my entire self into this job, people will like me or they won’t.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
