People packed two rooms at the Fort Worden Commons Thursday evening to ask what the Fort Worden Public Development Authority really has in mind for the state-owned property in Port Townsend.

The Feb. 16 forum was a response by the local PDA to a State Parks and Recreation Commission decision Feb. 9 to table a staff recommendation to transfer Fort Worden to the PDA for the development of a lifelong learning center.

There were lots of questions, and almost no answers as PDA members, staff and consultant – former Fort Worden Manager Kate Burke – are gathering info in advance of the commission' s March 28-29 meeting here.

What will happen to park employees? Who pays for building upgrades?

Can the city or county impose a tax to fund what the state currently supports at Fort Worden State Park? Will a hotel chain come to the campus?

If a transfer occurred, would the Public Development Authority be the property owner? If the PDA fails, who takes over for the PDA?

Since the park is owned by taxpayers statewide, what is the PDA doing to solicit public comment from outside Port Townsend?

After presentations from PDA Director Dave Robison and newly appointed business consultant Kate Burke, the PDA board broke into groups to address five categories of concerns from the public. The topic tables were Parks and PDA Staffing; Volunteers, Lifelong Learning Center and Programs, Future Uses and Access, Business Plan and Funding and Management Options/Need More Information.

“The main question was ‘How are you going to close the $700,000 gap?’,” said Ted Springstead, PDA operations committee chairman, who stationed the board on business planning. The $700,000 gap he refers to is the park’s current operational budget shortfall – the state has spent other money for facility upgrades and maintenance.

Robison clarified on Feb. 17 that the proposed resolution to transfer Fort Worden allows the PDA to solidify a business plan and prove it can meet the state's milestones for an actual transfer.

"The resolution does not say the transfer of the park is going to happen at such and such date," Robison told the Leader. "It gives us standing so the PDA can go out and raise funds and conduct our due diligence to be able to make that decision."

The overall transition of Fort Worden has been discussed for nearly eight years, and Centrum funneled $250,000 in private money so Thatcher Bailey could lead the co-management discussion known then as the Fort Worden Collaborative.

"We can't afford to do that," Robison said. The PDA needs to get decisions made, and it starts with the premise of a property transfer. Even so, "It could be a long process and we could be gummed to death."

The crowd flowed from table to table, offering up questions and concerns to the PDA member at each station. Some of the interactions led to intense debate and frustrations.

“I am absolutely appalled by this process,” Jeanine Livingston, acting director of the Washington Federation of State Employees, told the Leader. There are about 26 state jobs at Fort Worden. “The big burning question in my mind is if you have a park manager for eight years who should have developed a business plan and it’s still not done, why would the PDA hire her again?”

The State Parks and Recreation Commission in 2008 approved a business plan based on the lifelong learning center concept, Robison clarified. The PDA intends to hire Burke to work with the consultants who did the 2008 plan and update it with current fiscal realities.

Others at the Feb. 16 meeting were concerned that the process of transferring the park to the PDA has been relatively rushed and though they do not oppose the lifelong learning center vision, they need solid facts before making a decision.

“We built this from the ground up, four or five years ago with the intent that it would be Centrum taking over,” said Dave Pardy, Washington Federation of State Employees council representative, of the lifelong learning center business plan. “We were supportive of a co-management plan with the PDA, but then a few weeks went by and it was just, ‘We’re going to ask for a complete transfer’,” he said, adding that he stands behind park employees. “We just want what’s best for Fort Worden. The sooner we can get information about what’s going to happen with all these employees, the sooner we can get on board.”

What is next?

The PDA wrote all of the spoken questions and concerns and in the next several weeks intends to get answers and respond to those who signed up at the forum. The PDA also intends to host a public forum in March.

The state also wants public input on Fort Worden emailed to fwpdacomments@parks.wa.gov

The next PDA meeting is set for March 7.