PORT ANGELES — Rayonier Inc. executives have told Harbor-Works Executive Director Jeff Lincoln that it will help the public development authority acquire the waterfront property the company owns in Port Angeles.
“We are working on some of those relationships to move this thing forward,” Lincoln told the Harbor-Works Development Authority board Monday.
Rayonier officials told him they would work on the due diligence process for the 75-acre site, which has been a state Department of Ecology cleanup site since 2000.
Ennis Creek
“They have also made some indication that they are possibly willing to fund the restoration of Ennis Creek,” Lincoln said.
“That may happen very quickly, while it is still in Rayonier’s ownership.”
The Rayonier site is contaminated with pockets of PCBs, dioxin, arsenic and other toxins left by the pulp mill, which operated there for 68 years before closing in 1997. In 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called the site” moderately contaminated,” perhaps 2 or 3 on a scale of 10.
Lincoln told the board that Ecology and Rayonier were still negotiating on the extent of the cleanup.
Water cleanup defined
He said it appeared that the water cleanup would be defined as the area the Environmental Protection Agency previously had worked on, and that the land area could be defined as the property lines.
“We should know more within the next few weeks,” he said.
He told the board that he would begin interviewing consultants who have submitted qualifications to do a site market analysis.
The analysis would be used to determine what kind of development is likely on the property, which would determine the level of cleanup needed.
Different uses require different levels of cleanup.
Request meeting
Lincoln also plans to request another meeting with the Lower Elwha Klallam tribal council — a partner in the cleanup along with Ecology and Rayonier.
If an agreement on the use of the land seems likely during the due diligence period, Lincoln said he might ask the board to meet again in August.
In other business, the board authorized the executive director to purchase supplies and equipment up to about $6,000 for the remainder of the year and approved policies and procedures for accounting.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
