PORT TOWNSEND — Poplar trees lining Sims Way in Port Townsend will be trimmed back starting Nov. 14 in response to safety concerns and in preparation for an expansion of the adjacent boat yard.
The project could take up to two weeks, according to Jefferson County Public Utility District spokesperson Jameson Hawn, and though no lane closures are expected at this time, residents are asked to be aware of crews working when driving by.
The popular trees will eventually be removed next year when the Port of Port Townsend begins its expansion project, but until then, the PUD wants to trim back the trees to restore power to the transmission lines running between the trees and the boatyard.
The PUD said power lines running beside the poplars have been turned off since 2021, when Port of Port Townsend staff reported seeing electricity arcing between the trees and power poles.
Hawn said trees adjacent to the transmission lines will be trimmed or removed so power can safely be restored. Returning power to the lines will provide greater service reliability through the winter storm season, Hawn said.
“For the service reliability side of things, it’s always best to have multiple routes,” Hawn said.
The removal of the poplar trees has been a contentious issue in Port Townsend, where a community group — the Gateway Poplar Alliance — formed in 2021 to advocate for the protection of the trees.
The poplar trees along Sims Way have been there for almost 100 years, the organization says on its website, which includes old photos of the trees along the highway. The alliance claims the poplars were planted in the 1930s by the local Chamber of Commerce and serve as an important windbreak for the city.
The alliance did not immediately respond to request for comment, but on its website, it says of the removal plan, “this rash proposal, to rapidly remove the poplars … planted and replanted along Sims Way for almost 100 years, is fraught with misinformation and deception.”
In a joint meeting Sept. 12, commissioners from the PUD, the port and the Port Townsend City Council voted to approve a “full expansion” from a list of three proposals. That option will remove all the poplar trees on the south side of Sims Way but leave some of the north side adjacent to Kah Tai Park.
Part of the expansion project involves placing the transmission lines underground which the PUD says will improve service reliability.
The trimming work will be done by the Asplundh Tree Expert Company, a Philadelphia-based company that operates internationally. The PUD has contracted with the company for $123,000 to do tree-trimming work between Oct. 2 and Dec. 31, Hawn said.
A date for the boatyard expansion — known as the Sims Gateway and Boatyard Expansion Project — has not yet been set, although officials hope to begin construction in 2023.
Project updates are available at jeffpud.org; in PUD’s monthly print newsletter; weekly E-News and social media.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@soundpublishing.com.
