PORT ANGELES — You’ll pay something to launch your boat from Ediz Hook next month, but just how much hasn’t been decided yet.
The City Council had the first reading of a proposed ordinance at its Tuesday meeting but expressed varying opinions regarding the details.
The second reading and possible passage of the ordinance will be at the next council meeting, set for 6 p.m. July 17 in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
The proposed ordinance set the boat launch fees at $8.50 per day and $28.75 for an annual pass, with no 50 percent surcharge for non-city residents.
The city’s parks and recreation advisory commission had recommended city residents pay a $5 per day and $25 for an annual pass while people from out of town should pay $7.50 per day and $37.50 for an annual pass.
City Public Works Director Glenn Cutler said the city is seeking a $145,000 state grant, including a $55,000 city match, to replace the pilings at the Ediz Hook boat launch.
The project might be combined with a another piling project to get a better contractor price, he said.
Float repair and replacement also costs $20,000 a year, Cutler said.
The state encourages charging a fee to help with maintenance and the federal Bureau of Land Management that leases Ediz Hook to the city also allows a fee to be charged, he said.
Council comments
City Councilman Gary Braun said times have changed and those upgrades are very necessary and will be an enhancement for Port Angeles Harbor.
City Councilman Grant Munro said it’s expensive to keep a quality boat ramp open.
Fishermen, especially those visiting from outside the city, should pay something as other user groups have been asked to do, he said.
“It’s reasonable,” Munro said, calling the price “a bargain.”
City Councilman Larry Williams said it might be easier to make the fee a round number such as $10 per day with a $40 annual pass.
City Councilwoman Betsy Wharton said it’s painful to institute change, but if the council was to round off the fee, she would want it to be $5 rather than $10.
The fee won’t raise much revenue and enforcement will be based upon the honor system, so a lower fee would be better, she said.
Mayor Karen Rogers said she has launched a boat from Ediz Hook and always looked for a donation box.
Port Angeles always has prided itself on its infrastructure and nothing is free today, she said, adding that backing your boat out of the driveway probably costs $10.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-417-3532 or brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
