PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles City Hall will provide a third of the community funds needed to keep Hurricane Ridge Road open daily from late fall to spring.
The City Council voted 6-0, with Brooke Nelson absent, Tuesday to contribute $25,000 from its general fund to the cause.
By Aug. 1, $75,000 in community funds must be raised to continue a mostly federally funded pilot project to maintain daily access to Hurricane Ridge.
The same amount was raised last year during the first year of the two- to three-year tryout.
Other contributions so far include $3,000 from the Olympic Tourism Commission, $2,500 from the Port Angeles Business Association and $1,000 from the Clallam County Bed and Breakfast Association.
The Clallam County commissioners are expected to consider contributing $25,000.
Olympic National Park in the past has kept the road to the recreation area south of Port Angeles open only Friday through Sunday and holidays during the snowiest months, with the road open daily the rest of the year.
Last year, the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to provide $250,000 annually for two or three years to keep the road open seven days a week, weather permitting, from late November through March — if the community raised $75,000 each year during the trial period.
That goal was met last summer, with about half of the funds coming from the cities of Port Angeles and Sequim and Clallam County.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
