SEQUIM — A second marina developer has expressed interest in purchasing the Port of Port Angeles’ John Wayne Marina.
Jeff Pence, co-owner of Pacific Marina Development Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., inquired March 16 about the future of the 300-slip facility east of downtown Sequim in an email to Sequim-area port Commissioner Colleen McAleer.
He sent the email after learning of Bend, Ore., marina developer Ron Cole’s interest in purchasing the Sequim Bay marina — located in the Sequim city limits — from a March 13 article in Peninsula Daily News, he said Friday.
A port-sponsored meeting March 16 on Cole’s inquiry drew more than 70 participants, generating mostly negative comments about selling the marina and swaying McAleer to be more leery of that possibility.
“My position has certainly tilted towards ensuring it remains in public hands at this juncture,” she said last week.
Port commissioners will discuss a framework and schedule for public meetings to discuss the marina’s future and the port’s overall development goals at their meeting Tuesday, which begins at 9 a.m. in the port administrative building, 338 W. First St.
At 10 a.m., port Executive Director Karen Goschen will present a “John Wayne Marina draft public outreach process” followed by 30 minutes reserved for public comment on the topic, according to the agenda.
Pence expressed his own interest in being part of the marina’s future that same day.
“It has come to our attention that your commission might be interested in creating a business arrangement with an entity to purchase, operate, and or develop further the John Wayne Marine,” Pence said in his email.
“We are owners, developers, and managers of approximately 15 different marina basins in California and Hawaii. We would be interested in obtaining information as it relates to becoming involved in this asset.”
Pacific Marina Development builds, rebuilds, owns and leases marinas, and has “significant expertise in privatization,” according to the privately-owned company’s website at https://tinyurl.com/PDN-PMD.
“Most of our projects are public marinas,” Pence said. “We have rest rooms, all those types of things, promenades for the public.
“We are just waiting to see what the commissioners decide to do,” he added.
“We’ll go the next step if they decide to do something.”
Cole, owner of Buffalo River Holdings Inc., asked Goschen in October if the port is interested in selling the marina, Goschen said.
Goschen said Cole has not made an offer and the port has not put the marina up for sale.
“It is important that we first have a community conversation to determine what is important to the community,” she said in an email response to Pence’s inquiry.
Cole has not returned repeated calls for comment, including Friday.
Wayne Enterprises, also based in Newport Beach, Calif., and now called John Wayne Enterprises, after the late actor, conveyed interest in 1981 in approximately 29 acres of Sequim Bay tidelands to the port to build the marina in an area frequented by Wayne.
Goschen said she has discussed the potential sale of the marina with John Wayne Enterprises’ representative Wes Falkenberg of Bellevue, who has talked with Cole.
Falkenberg has indicated that the Wayne family has an open mind about the marina’s future, Goschen said.
“It appears they are willing to look at the situation as long as it is compatible, as long as there is synergy, with ideas that they have,” Goschen said. “Whether we can get to that is unknown.”
In 1995, the Wayne family objected to the idea of the port selling the marina.
Wayne’s son Michael, who died in 2003, told the port in an April 7, 1995 letter that the Wayne family had learned through the family’s consultant and local developer that the port “had definitely decided to put the marina up for sale,” according to the letter.
“While we strongly believe in the concept of private property and the port’s right to do whatever with its own properties — we just as strongly believe that the proposed sale of this particular donated property violates the spirit and intent of your original understandings and relationship with the donors,” Wayne said.
He had underlined the words “this particular donated property.”
“The Wayne family did not give away millions of dollars (today’s dollars) worth of their private beach front property for a public marina just so that the Port could sell it to some other private property owner.
Falkenberg did not return calls for comment last week.
John Wayne Enterprises President Ethan Wayne, the actor’s son and himself an actor, would not comment Friday on a potential sale of the marina, a representative said.
John Wayne Enterprises owns $3.6 million in land and improvements in the vicinity of the marina on West Sequim Bay Road, Spy Glass Lane, Whitefeather Way and East Highway 101, according to the Clallam County Assessor’s Office.
The marina is valued at $7.7 million, including $5 million in improvements and $2.7 million in land, according to the Assessor’s Office.
The port does not pay property taxes on the land or improvements.
The combined value jumped from $4.3 million in 2014 to $8.2 million in 2015, the increase due to a hike in value of the improvements, from $1.6 million in 2014 to $5.5 million in 2015.
According to the appraisal by Bud Lund, the commercial appraiser for the Assessor’s Office, Lund “picked up improvements that were previously left off,” according to assessor’s office records.
Lund could not be reached for comment Friday.
There were no significant improvements at the marina since at least 2012, port Director of Engineering Chris Hartman said Friday.
Port officials have said $7 million to $10 million in improvements including new floats are needed at the port in coming years.
Residents at March 16 meeting mainly expressed concerns about losing public access if the port sells the facility.
“I absolutely hear the concerns and demands to keep the marina in public hands so there is public access,” McAleer said.
“I was interested in gauging the public interest, but very cautiously.
“I’m even more cautious than I was about proceeding.
“There’s still more conversations to be had, but I have big concerns.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
