PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles City Council approved the 2025-2030 Capital Facilities and Transportation Improvement Plan.
The plan, which gets revised every year, lists all the infrastructure projects that the city anticipates to be working on within the next six years.
This year’s plan includes 54 active, 36 revolving, 95 unfunded and 115 planned projects.
Council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin said the plan includes “all the dream projects” the council has for the city’s near future.
One of the priorities this year has been “the promotion of environmental resilience,” the plan stated.
To help fund future projects and in line with the cost of service analysis, several utilities will increase rates in the following years. Water will increase about 1.5 percent in 2027 and 2029, wastewater will increase approximately 3 percent in 2025 and 2027, and stormwater will increase about 3 percent in 2026, 2028 and 2030.
The projects listed as top priority are Ennis Creek fish barrier removal, a community solar study, Peabody reservoir inlet pipe replacement, wastewater treatment plant underground storage tank replacement, 2025 neighborhood sewer rehabilitation, West Stormwater Pond repair, Park Avenue outfall to Peabody Creek, intrusion detection and prevention, 8th Street paving and traffic signal interconnect/preemption.
Schromen-Wawrin said this list “shows the diversity of projects that the city is involved in, some of which are visible to the citizens, some of which are invisible but necessary.”
The Ennis Creek fish barrier removal will remove the two downstream fish passage barriers. This project is estimated to cost $1.245 million. The city hopes to secure grants for $1.1 million of the project and has allotted $145,000 from the general fund to help fund the project.
This project is especially important now, said Schromen-Wawrin, as the state removes fish passage barriers across Washington per federal court order. Since cities and counties are not part of that court order, he said it is critical for the city to prioritize barrier removal in concert with what the state is doing so the fish can move freely.
Community solar is a study that will consider the feasibility of implementing a project in 2025 which will offer direct benefits to low-income customers. The study is estimated to cost $10,000, and the city has it planned for next year using reserves from the electric fund.
The Peabody Reservoir inlet pipe replacement will investigate rehabilitation or replacement of the current 20-inch “highly corroded” cast iron force main that leads into the Peabody Reservoir, as well as the replacement of two 20-inch valves. This project is estimated to cost $470,000 and is budgeted between 2025 and 2027 using the reserves from the water fund.
The wastewater treatment plant underground tank replacement will replace the original fiberglass diesel underground storage tank that was installed in 1992 and has reached the end of its 30-year life expectancy. This project is estimated to cost $250,000 and is budgeted this year using reserves from the wastewater fund.
The 2025 neighborhood sewer rehabilitation will repair damaged gravity sewer lines to prevent or reduce groundwater infiltration. This project is estimated to cost $750,000 and is budgeted next year using reserves from the combined sewer overflow fund.
The West Stormwater Pond project will repair the pond that services the Transfer Station and closed landfill site. City staff believe the liner system for this pond is leaking. This project is estimated to cost $200,000 and is budgeted next year using reserves from the utilities fund.
The Park Avenue outfall to Peabody Creek project will include design and construction of a new stormwater outfall to replace the current corrugated metal pipe outfall, which was installed in 1954 and is failing. This project is estimated to cost $512,000 and is budgeted between 2024 and 2025 using reserves from the stormwater fund.
The Intrusion Detection and Prevention System project will deploy these Artificial Intelligence-driven systems to detect and prevent unauthorized access into the city’s network and systems. This project is estimated to cost $200,000 and is budgeted this year using grants, the general fund and reserves from the utilities fund.
The 8th Street paving project will encompass the mill and overlay of 8th Street from Lincoln Street to A street in hopes of extending the life of the pavement. This project is estimated to cost $2.364 million.
The transportation benefit district has dedicated $11,700 in prior years and is budgeting $668,300 for it in 2024. The rest is budgeted to be covered by grants this year, although the project depends on obtaining grant funding. If grant funding is not obtained, the project “will be re-prioritized until funding is available or will be moved to the unfunded section of the CFP,” the plan stated.
The traffic signal interconnect/preemption project will upgrade the signal controls south of First Street, many of which have exceeded their life expectancy. This project is estimated to cost $860,000 and will be covered by the Real Estate Excise Tax throughout prior years and 2026.
Overall, the plan’s proposed projects for this year come out to $58,469,300 and includes “over $23.4 million in grant funding planned in the 2024 budget year, and $66.7 million anticipated in the full seven-year cycle,” the plan stated.
To read the full plan, visit the Port Angeles City Council website and search “Capital Facilities Plan.”
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
