PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend commissioners voted unanimously to purchase Short’s Family Farm in Chimacum for $1.4 million, if the state Legislature provides $1 million in funding for the project.
Commissioners Pam Petranek, Pete Hanke and Carol Hasse said during Wednesday’s special meeting they recognized the challenges managing the property would pose and acknowledged that many were critical of the project, which represents the port’s first foray into agriculture.
But all expressed their belief that it was in the best interest of the community, local farmers and the port to acquire the 253-acre farm located at 1720 Center Road.
“I see this as backing up what our farmers need, what our community needs,” Petranek said.
According to the letter of intent, the port will pay Roger and Sandy Short the farm’s full appraised value of $1.4 million.
The purchase agreement allows the Shorts to remain in their home for one year at no cost to allow them to wrap up their farming operation, after which they would pay the port $1,000 a month in rent for the home.
Kevin Short, the Shorts’ son, would be able to remain in his mobile home on the property for up to five years for $200 a month.
Commissioners have said their primary motivation for acquiring the property is to provide access to land to individuals who want to farm or expand their current farming operations but are unable to do so due to the skyrocketing cost of farmland in Jefferson County.
The Short farm comes with a number of constraints on it its use, including annual and significant flooding from Chimacum Creek and a conservation easement owned by the Jefferson Land Trust that limits the farm’s use to agricultural and protects its wildlife habitat.
Janet Welch from Marrowstone Island, who spoke during the public comment period via Zoom, said she was concerned about the feasibility of the port’s adhering to the conservation easement.
“Habitat restoration must be consistent with agriculture — sometimes that’s possible and a lot of times that’s not possible,” Welch said. “The port could be severely hamstrung in its desire to do things that it wants to do on the property.”
Among the criticisms the port has received are that it is entering the agriculture sector with no practical experience in that area and with no strategy for what it intends to do with the farm.
“We haven’t seen any kind of plan, any kind of cash flow analysis, any profit and loss,” said Keith Norlin of Port Townsend, who spoke via Zoom as well.
“This is a million and a half dollars. This is not cash, this is taxpayers’ money,” he emphasized.
“To be fiscally prudent and responsible, and that’s the commissioners’ job to be fiscally responsible, we should have a plan in place before we buy the property, not buy the property and say, ‘What do we do now?’”
Jeff Kelly from Port Townsend called himself a “supportive skeptic” of the purchase of the Short’s farm.
“By this I mean if it were my decision to make, I would wait for a little more time to plan for something,” Kelly said. “But I’m fully cognizant that an opportunity such as this doesn’t come necessarily gift-wrapped with plans or budgets, and I’m cognizant of the value of supporting local agriculture.”
Eron Berg, Port of Port Townsend executive director, said purchasing the farm was in accord with its commitment to seek opportunities that would expand its ability to contribute to the local economy and community.
“The Short’s farm acquisition is four-square within the port’s authority and within the port’s mission to support agriculture since 1926,” Berg said.
“We do projects that are beneficial, not just straight up economically beneficial, but also good for the environment,” he added.
“So the economic bottom line is more broadly aligned with the social bottom line in terms of resiliency in the face of a changing climate and food production.”
Petranek and Berg traveled to Olympia on Feb. 2 to meet with District 24 state Rep. Mike Chapman and Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, both Democrats from Port Angeles, who agreed to sponsor the port’s request.
The district’s third representative, Democrat Steve Tharinger, is chair of the House Capital Budget Committee.
“What really attracted me to this proposition was the state was willing to come alongside and give us money to buy the farm,” Hanke said.
“If we can use that million dollars to leverage ourselves, it makes the return on investment a lot easier to do and makes it more sustainable for use.”
Berg said the port already has applied for funding from the capital budget, but it won’t know if its request is successful for a few months. If it is approved, closing on the property would probably occur sometime between July and September of this year.
The port would pay the balance out of its capital reserves.
Hasse said she had not come to her decision lightly, but believed that the port should not pass up, “this opportunity, as complicated as it is, to potentially increase the economic vitality of something so essential as food that’s so important to all of our well being, to hopefully restore a salmon-bearing creek and to encourage this community of people who are willing to work hard at farming.”
The meeting packet with an agenda for the special meeting, a memo from Berg recommending the purchase of Short’s Family Farm, and the resolution can be found at tinyurl.com/59h8ykfb.
Documents relating to the farm, including the 2023 appraisal, conservation easements, environmental assessments and public comments, can be found on the port’s website at portofpt.com/engineering.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@soundpublishing.com.
