The Friends of the Port Townsend Golf Park converged on City Hall on the morning of Friday, Dec. 15, so that Bob Wheeler, president of the Friends, could join City Manager John Mauro in signing the golf park lease.

Wheeler noted that “quite a bit of activity” occurred within a relatively brief amount of time, as the Friends formed, obtained their nonprofit status and selected their board within roughly two and a half months, since the close of September.

Wheeler estimated the Friends must have conducted close to 20 board meetings, “including last night,” and met with city officials about 50 times, before he thanked both the Friends and the city for their valuable efforts in making their current arrangement possible.

While Wheeler described the lease as “not perfect,” he nonetheless emphasized that he sees it as a solid foundation for developing a future relationship of trust, enough to “carry us through” whatever issues they might experience, which he finds “exciting.”

Wheeler jovially presented Mauro with a golf park “starter kit,” including golf balls and tees, while Mauro presented a miniature bottle of champagne to toast the occasion, after drawing laughter by noting the bottle was not purchased with city funds, nor would it be opened in City Hall, to abide by city regulations.

Mauro expanded the occasion’s declarations of gratitude to include Carrie Hite, director of parks and recreation strategy for the city of Port Townsend, whom he credited with making possible “a ton of visionary work” on the city’s part, to the point that, “if we didn’t have her spirit on our side, we wouldn’t be here.”

Mauro also echoed Wheeler’s praise for the rapid pace of the Friends’ organization from scratch, and thanked them for joining the city in addressing what he acknowledged to be a “divisive” and “challenging” issue with a “creativity” and “courage” that he believes will make the golf park a more accessible resource for the community as a whole.

To make the process that led up to this moment transparent to the public, the city of Port Townsend has posted a webpage on its site that not only covers the process, but also links to the lease and final report from Groundswell, at: cityofpt.us/

Shelly Leavens, communications and marketing manager for the City of Port Townsend, also thought it would be illustrative to list the nine principles for the golf park agreement:  operate the golf park in an environmentally sustainable manner; operate the golf park in a financially sustainable manner; improve and operate a nine-hole golf course; define lease term length; increase access for the general public; incorporate trails for a north-south and east-west connection, possible perimeter trails; collaborate with the city to install a playground; explore moving the Recyclery to the golf park; provide opportunity for permanent affordable housing along Blaine Street, planning in 2030, breaking ground in 2035.