EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been corrected to reflect the location of William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles in relation to Sequim. A quote from City Councilwoman Laura Dubois on where possible air passengers predominantly live has also been corrected.
SEQUIM — Scheduled flights from Port Angeles may not be what most Sequim travelers really need, the Sequim City Council told Port of Port Angeles officials.
The council met for the first time in new chambers Monday, gathering in the new Civic Center at 152 W. Cedar St.
The first speaker at the lectern was Ken O’Hollaren, executive director of the Port of Port Angeles.
He presented an update on the port’s attempts to bring scheduled airline service back to William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.
Kenmore Air, which had provided the only scheduled air passenger service on the North Olympic Peninsula, stopped service in November.
The port is working to find a replacement.
O’Hollaren cited a study that showed more than 108,000 annual airline ticket sales from North Olympic Peninsula communities within 40 miles of Port Angeles’ airport.
Council members said they were doubtful scheduled service would be a major factor for Sequim-area residents.
The Port Angeles airport is 45 minutes west of Sequim, and there is little time savings compared with taking a door-to-door shuttle directly to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, City Councilman Ted Miller said.
City Councilwoman Laura Dubois noted that about half of the people identified as possible passengers live west of Sequim.
She suggested the port work with the Port of Port Townsend to establish split service, with some flights from Jefferson County International Airport and others from the Fairchild airport.
New building
The council chambers were new, but the location was familiar.
“Now that we’ve moved back [to City Hall], the City Council will have been meeting at this address for more than 100 years,” said City Manager Steve Burkett, who is retiring June 30.
The city had been meeting in the adjacent Sequim Transit Center building after outgrowing the former City Hall, which was built in 1973 and demolished in 2014 to make way for the new $14.5 million, 33,000-square-foot Civic Center.
The center includes a larger City Hall and space for the Police Department and other operations that have been housed in rented buildings throughout the city.
City officials have said there is room in the Civic Center for 20 more employees as needed in the future.
It has been occupied by city staff since May.
Grand opening
A grand opening ceremony is set for 2 p.m. Saturday on the center’s plaza.
Tours will be offered after the ceremony.
The plaza is expected to be completed before the ceremony, Burkett said.
The plaza will feature trees, an open space with brick paving and grassy areas, and a totem pole donated by the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe.
The space is expected to be used during festivals and other public events.
New technology includes permanent computer monitors at the council members’ seats, speakers integrated in the ceiling, speakers in the Civic Center’s foyer — which serves as an overflow room — and a large auto-retractable screen for a ceiling projector behind the council’s seats.
A desk for city staff had not yet been installed before the meeting, so staff members sat at a temporary table, and the large wall behind the council members was blank, awaiting a decision on how to decorate the space.
Police Chief Bill Dickinson, who attended the meeting but waited in the foyer, said the speakers were louder and clearer there than in the meeting room itself.
Council members noted that the microphones at each seat were less sensitive than those in the transit center, and they had to be reminded to sit forward and speak into the microphones.
They also had power switches on each microphone, which several speakers accidentally turned off as they attempted to speak.
A small light on the speaker’s lectern informed those addressing the council of their time limits.
The light turned green as the speaker introduced him or herself, yellow when there was 30 seconds remaining and red when the speaker’s time was up.
Burkett explained the use of the light to the public comment speakers, who receive three minutes each under long-standing council rules.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
