PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council has formed a public development authority intended to lead to improvements at Fort Worden State Park, the historic Customs House and the development of affordable housing in Port Townsend.
The Port Townsend City Council approved an ordinance that put into effect bylaws, a charter and operating procedures for the authority in a 6-1 vote Monday.
The lone vote against it came from Councilwoman Laurie Medlicott, who voiced concerns about a last-minute proposal to expand the authority board form seven to nine members.
“If we keep fiddling with it before it’s even started, it won’t have much chance,” Medlicott said.
The board would include a nonvoting council member appointed later as a liaison between the authority and the city.
The council set up a seven-member board, appointing Jefferson County Commissioner Phil Johnson; Peninsula College President Tom Keegan, Phil Andrus, owner of Port Townsend Marine Electric; Cindy Hill Finnie, co-owner of the Bishop Victorian Hotel; Ann Murphy, director of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center; Tim Caldwell, former Chamber of Commerce manager and present manager of Puget Sound Energy Port Townsend office; and Rodger Schmitt, who serves on the board of Jefferson Land Trust.
The board composition was approved 7-0. The interim board is to be in place for six months.
“The PDA would actually operate on its own authority, making its own decisions,” said City Manager David Timmons.
The City Council might have a project that it wants to focus on, but the PDA board chooses the projects it wants to take, with the council having ultimately authority to accept or reject those projects.
No city funds are involved in the PDA. Money comes from grants, donations or income created by the PDA itself.
The authority, a nonprofit entity separate from the city, was created by the Port Townsend City Council to focus on five goals: preserving historic assets, developing affordable housing, preserving public assets, preserving public places and fulfilling any other projects designated by council.
Fort Worden is Port Townsend’s public development authority’s first project.
The first step has been taken toward a collaboration between Fort Worden and Centrum, a nonprofit center for the arts located at the state park near Port Townsend.
The State Parks Commission has approved a memorandum of understanding with Centrum that identifies milestones both sides must meet by June 30, 2011, if a long-term management agreement at Fort Worden is to be discussed.
The state’s goal is to eventually have Centrum manage Fort Worden as a lifelong learning center, with year-round programs in arts, crafts and music.
Timmons said the authority’s first job would be to help Centrum in its part of the bargain.
The board will work with fort officials over the next six months.
“But the intent is to have the PDA help them meet those milestones over the next two years,” Timmons said. “It’s beneficial to the city and the fort to work together.”
Fort Worden provides about 25 percent of the city’s lodging tax income, Timmons said.
It is also a key historical asset for Port Townsend.
Also discussed as potential projects for the authority are the sale of a historic home seized in a drug bust forfeiture, the creation of affordable housing, and a bid to keep the Customs House — built in 1893 — in the public domain as the U.S. Postal Service seeks to move to a different facility.
In other action Monday night, the council also unanimously approved authorizing the city manager to accept a $618,000 grant from the State Public Works Board, and a $218,000 city match from bond proceeds for the redesign of Madison Street to tie Jefferson County Memorial Field and City Dock together with a streetscape project.
The cost of the project is $836,000.
“This project is ready to go out on the street,” said city Public Works Director Ken Clow, adding it will go out for construction bids in early February.
“The construction piece will be done this year,” Clow told the council.
The project would include upgrades to the entrance to Memorial Field.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
