We’ve basically been operating on one engine and we don’t have resiliency right now.”

Jeff Randall, PUD commissioner

The iconic gateway into downtown Port Townsend will be missing many of its signature poplar trees by spring of 2024.

At a joint meeting Monday, officials from the city of Port Townsend, Port of Port Townsend, and Jefferson County Public Utility District approved an agreement that will expand the footprint of the Boat Haven Marina that also means the removal of the Normandy poplar trees lining West Sims Way.

The measure was unanimously approved by the members of all three agencies. The removal and replacement project is expected to cost the three municipalities $1.97 million.

Officials said the trees need to be removed due to problematic power lines near Boat Haven parallel to the poplars.

“We wouldn’t be doing anything if we didn’t have this conflict arise between the power and the trees,” said Jeff Randall, PUD commissioner. “We’re in this position because this is a conflict.”

“I think that the full expansion alternative makes a lot of sense, and I’m prepared to proceed with that,” added Port Townsend Mayor David Faber.

The project includes removing the poplar trees lining the Boat Haven Marina side of Sims Way, expanding the boatyard perimeter to the port’s northern property line, undergrounding the PUD’s power lines along the boatyard side, and upgrading the power supply to Boat Haven Marina with new electrical distribution infrastructure and capacity. Also in the plan is thinning and replacing the poplars on the Kah Tai Lagoon side of Sims Way over time, replanting the right-of-way next to the boatyard with new trees and shrubs, and installing a pedestrian pathway between Haines Place and Benedict Street on the boatyard side of the roadway.

All three entities will play a role in the upcoming process of removal, expansion, and other related tasks.

The city will initiate the process of planning and permitting for the project, along with handling the planting of new trees on the Boat Haven side of the street while leading efforts on the Kah Tai Lagoon side of Sims Way.

The port will primarily handle work on the boatyard side of the street, except for electrical- and infrastructure-related duties which will be handled by the PUD.

Aside from power-related tasks, the PUD will also collaborate with the city for Boat Haven Marina’s new electrical distribution system.

While discussions on the long-term future of the poplar trees stretch as far back as the 1990s, safety concerns were first raised in June 2021 after port staff witnessed arcing on the power lines with nearby tree branches.

Burn marks were also visible on the poplars at the height of the power lines.

“It’s hard to explain this without a diagram … but the simplest explanation I can give is if you’re in a jet, a commercial jet that’s got two engines, and one engine goes out. Well, those jets are designed to keep flying,” Randall said about the current lack of reliability with the power line at Boat Haven Marina.

“We’ve basically been operating on one engine and we don’t have resiliency right now,” he said.

Due to those safety concerns, Eron Berg, port executive director, authorized the PUD to come to the boat yard and trim or remove any trees or branches deemed as safety concerns.

The city, port, and PUD decided to work together and develop a grand plan that addressed safety concerns while expanding the boat yard, and also implemented the city’s gateway plan, which involves replanting native flora and expanding public walkways along Sims Way.

The plan to remove the poplar trees has been highly controversial. The city received polarized feedback from residents, with some in favor of removing the non-native trees and some against cutting them down due to their longstanding role as a notable feature of Port Townsend’s skyline.

The Gateway Poplar Alliance — a citizen-led group in opposition to the poplars being cut down — was formed later on to counter the proposed Sims Gateway and Boatyard Expansion Project.

After receiving pushback from the public, city officials created a stakeholder advisory group in March consisting of local residents, an Admiralty Audubon Society member, a member of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, and a city liaison with the goal of adding input to the project.

“There was a lot of debate ands a lot of different viewpoints,” said Steve King, public works director for the city.

“If the public wanted to see anything, all of the public information was available to them,” he added.

Prior to making their final vote, the joint group heard public comments.

David Goldman of the Gateway Poplar Alliance advocated for under-grounding the power lines without chopping down the poplar trees.

“Those trees can survive under-grounding of the cables, we know that,” Goldman said. “Kevin Street told his PUD commissioners that the under-grounding can take place without taking out any of the poplars.”

After choosing the full-expansion plan, officials noted that work will continue on the $2 million project in the fall.

First, the three groups will be tasked with refining the design concept and initiating permitting for the Sims Gateway and Boatyard Expansion Project. Aspects of the project such as making the new sidewalk ADA-accessible and potentially creating a new crosswalk will be discussed and worked out.

The design will be finalized and documents prepared for bids on finding a construction company to do the work.

Construction on the project is expected to start in the fall of 2023 at the earliest or the spring of 2024 at the latest, though construction timelines may vary depending the availability of materials.

In the interim, the PUD will trim the boat yard side of the poplars to address power-line safety.