PORT ANGELES — Officials are exploring whether the Clallam County Emergency Operations Center, currently in the basement of the courthouse, should move to the Lincoln Center in Port Angeles, a place under consideration by the Port Angeles School District to house administrative offices.
County Commissioners on Tuesday agreed without discussion to send a letter to the school district asking whether it would consider the Lincoln Center as an option for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
“We recognize that this would involve making the school district ‘whole’ if this is deemed a viable alternative,” the letter says.
The letter appeared on the commissioners’ consent agenda and was not discussed publicly, but there have been conversations happening behind the scenes.
Officials with Clallam County and City of Port Angeles said this is just one of a few ideas for relocating the EOC, but other ideas call for spending millions of dollars to build a brand new facility.
In December first responders from agencies across Clallam County met and unanimously agreed that the EOC needs to move out of the basement of the courthouse and closer to Fairchild International Airport, but no specific plan had been set.
Superintendent Martin Brewer emphasized that no decisions have been made yet, but that the School Board had discussed a draft facilities plan at a recent meeting.
In the draft facilities plan, Brewer suggests selling the Central Services Building at 216 E. Fourth St., and moving its staff to the Lincoln Center at 905 W. Ninth St.
With additional space at the Lincoln Center, the district could create Partners in Education to support students and parents, according to the report.
It also says the district should consider the sale of surplus property, which should allow the district to fund more capital projects.
“What I’d say, right now we’re just collecting ideas at this point in time,” Brewer said. “The district has not closed any option at this point in time.
“We’re collecting more information about what is the best step for the district and the Lincoln Center.”
Brewer said he wouldn’t expect any decisions for at least four to six weeks.
The Lincoln Center has been mostly vacant since the closure of the North Olympic Skills Center last year, which taught students across the North Olympic Peninsula various vocational skills including culinary arts and video production.
Commissioner Randy Johnson said the Lincoln Center is a “logical” option for the county and is an option the school district will need to consider.
“We definitely need to move our EOC from the basement of the courthouse,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he and Sheriff Bill Benedict met with Brewer on Wednesday, after commissioners had agreed to sign the letter.
“We’ve got to sit down and have those discussions,” Johnson said. “We need to jointly think through all those things.”
Johnson said there had been discussion previously about the possibility of moving Washington State University Extension Office programs into the Lincoln Center, which he said would free up some much-needed space at the courthouse and provide a better facility for programs.
He said it would be a good location for the 4-H program, Master Gardener program and others. He questioned whether there is room for the school district and the county could co-locate.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Johnson said. “The best way to arrive at a solution is to see if we can all work together.”
Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West, who said Wednesday he anticipates signing the letter, emphasized that this is one of multiple options that is being explored.
“We do think there could be a great deal of value if there is a building such as [the Lincoln Center] that is underused,” West said. “It’s a lot more affordable to find an existing building.”
The Port Angeles City Council last week authorized the Port Angeles Police and Fire Departments to “begin a collaborative effort with Clallam County to explore options for a joint city-county EOC to be co-located with a new PenCom facility.”
Meanwhile, negotiations continue for a consolidated PenCom-JeffCom 9-1-1 regional dispatch center, officials said.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
