PORT TOWNSEND — During her first two days as the newly hired director of the Port of Port Townsend, Sam Gibboney received a big shock.
“My sobering moment was seeing the deterioration and condition of the south jetty,” Gibboney said of the Port Hudson breakwater before attending her first port commission meeting Wednesday.
“I knew that it needed replacement and was in continued deterioration since the last time I was here, but I did not have any idea of how bad it was.”
Gibboney, 54, started the new job Tuesday. She will earn a $120,000 annual salary.
The Port Hudson breakwater project, which could cost as much as $6 million, would replace a breakwater built in 1932 with a more durable structure meant to protect boats in the marina from wind and rain.
The project is now in the permitting process.
Port officials plan to construct the new structure in two phases: replacing the north side from September 2017 to February 2018 and the southern section a year later.
Gibboney said the port is evaluating whether the project can be scaled down.
She was responding to a question about a comment that port planning director Eric Toews made at a conference Friday on an expected rise in sea level.
Toews said that many projects, including the breakwater, should be reconsidered in light of their cost and potential longevity.
“Any responsible manager of shoreline property needs to consider these things and take a number of changing variables into consideration,” Gibboney said.
“This includes storm surges, sea level rise, changes in weather patterns and ocean acidification.”
As for strategy changes, Gibboney said she will take time to talk to staff about their priorities before developing policy.
This could take at least 90 days, she said.
“At first blush, I see that we have a really talented and dedicated staff, which is a great position to have when a new leader comes in,” she said.
One immediate change will be to develop an online reservation system for the Port Hudson Marina.
“If people want to make a reservation they need to physically talk to someone on the phone,” she said.
“We need to modernize this. It is 2016.”
Gibboney, most recently the director of environmental resources/deputy director of public works for San Juan County, replaced Larry Crockett, 68, who retired June 1 after 17 years in the position.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
