PORT ANGELES — Port commissioners Monday approved removing about 10 acres of trees approaching an airport landing strip.
But the trees aren’t the conifers that tower out of Lincoln Park on the approach to the port’s William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.
These trees are alders near the port’s Sekiu Airport, which must be felled to meet Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements.
The approval is the commissioners’ third attempt to remove the trees.
“The logging contractors have been busier than they have been in a long time,” Commissioner John Calhoun said.
Once the trees are cut, the port plans to sell the alder.
“I hope we can recover some of the cost of the removal,” said Doug Sandau, airport and marina manager.
Bids for the work will be open until July 19.
In other action from Monday’s meeting of the port commissioners, the board agreed to continue sharing commissioner jurisdictional lines with those of the Clallam County commissioners.
The county commissioners’ district boundaries for election purposes were shifted recently because of the 2010 Census, which showed population growing in the Sequim and Dungeness Valley.
“It makes sense to adopt Clallam County election lines,” said Commissioner Jim McEntire, who represents the port’s easternmost district and is a candidate for county commissioner in the same East End area.
Commissioner George Schoenfeldt’s asked what would happen to candidates caught on the wrong side of a district border after redistricting.
Most likely, the commissioner would be allowed to continue for the remainder of his or her term, then would be required to move to an address within the new district, port attorney Dave Neupert said.
None of the current commissioners or the candidate for this year’s election is affected by the shift.
Also on Monday, commissioners accepted a $234,000 bid to replace a small bridge over Tumwater Creek channel just west of Westport Shipyard’s plant.
Mike Carlson Enterprises Inc of Friday Harbor won the bid for the bridge work.
Construction is expected to begin Oct. 3, and be finished by Oct. 17, port Executive Director Jeff Robb said.
The bid came in $16,000 under the $250,000 budget set for the project.
“I’m glad to see things come in under budget,” McEntire said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
