The Port of Port Townsend commissioners approved the 2019 operating budget and began deliberating on the 2019 capital budget.

The operating budget was approved unanimously by the three commissioners Oct. 24. Interim Executive Director Jim Pivarnik presented the five-year draft capital budget to the commissioners at their public workshop on Nov. 14.

The main capital project next year is the Jefferson County International Airport runway replacement project, which will largely be funded with a $4 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Meanwhile, the port intends to hold $250,000 in 2019 and $250,000 in 2020 in the capital budget for contingency-repair funding for the Point Hudson jetty should it need emergency repair work. 

Port Commissioner Bill Putney expressed his lack of confidence that the jetty could be repaired with $250,000 if something were to happen.

“That’s really a wag,” Putney said.

Port deputy director Eric Toews echoed Putney’s concern, explaining it can cost $8,000 to replace just one pile. 

“$250,000 would be used up rapidly in an emergency repair,” Toews said.

The Point Hudson jetty was built in 1934. It had repairs in 1969 and 1996, but due to its age, it’s now in critical condition, and its failure would close access to the Point Hudson Marina.

“We’re looking at anything and everything,” Pivarnik said about possible solutions to replace the jetty. 

In the draft capital budget, the cost of replacement has been estimated at $5.5 million and is set for 2021, but the source of funding to support the cost is listed as “unknown.” 

“We’re looking into grants; we have to talk about tax increases; we’re talking about community partnerships,” Pivarnik said, explaining the jetty is an important part of Port Townsend, not just for the port, but for the city as well. “If we can all go to the state hand-in-hand, that will be a lot more powerful.”

The port’s 2019 operating budget shows a desire to increase revenue in order to help tackle capital projects like the jetty replacement. 

Cuts in administrative expenses will save the port more than $220,000, according to the budget. 

Revenue increases based on an increase of lease and moorage rates, combined with a new push to lease out all of the port’s available space, are expected to improve the net revenues by 88 percent in comparison to the 2018 budget, according to a port press release.

Still, the jetty and the airport runway replacement are not the only large projects the port is addressing. Workyard resurfacing for stormwater compliance, roof repairs and creosote mitigation on leased buildings, and vehicle replacements are just some of the projects the port hopes to tackle in the next year.

“There are a lot of small projects we have around the port that need to be taken care of,” Pivarnik said. 

PRESERVING AUTHENTICITY

At the start of 2018, replacing the Point Hudson jetty was one of the port’s top priorities. 

Since then, with a new director and a downsized administration, the port is taking more time to re-evaluate the jetty replacement after deciding to reject all bids to replace the jetty during a meeting this May. 

At the general membership meeting of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association on Nov. 15, the atmosphere in the room reflected the change in direction at the port. 

The first major difference, pointed out by PTMTA board member Chris Sanok, was that Pivarnik was in attendance, something previous port director Sam Gibboney had not done.

“Jim’s presence tonight is a symbol of the changes that have happened in the last 12 months,” said Sanok, who works as a marine technician at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op. “I feel like the battle is over. I can let Jim do his job, and I can go back to doing mine, which is wiring boats.”

Among many concerns with port administrators, one of the major points of contention for the PTMTA during the past year was the port’s plan to replace the jetty with a more modern one. 

“The jetty is the front door to a historic district,” said PTMTA board member Robert D’Arcy, president of the Schooner Martha Foundation. “We learned that this new type of jetty is not as robust and dynamic.” 

D’Arcy said a possible option for repairing the jetty would be to look into making it a state-preserved historic site.

“The idea of preservation would open the pathways for funding to maintain its critical infrastructure,” D’Arcy said. 

However, Pivarnik said a long-term repair of the historic jetty is not enough to maintain stability.

“The structure won’t have any support and stability,” he said. “The basalt rock is fracturing and losing integrity.”

Pivarnik said the port is looking toward a “design-build” plan, where it would select a construction company to replace the current jetty based on the company’s proposal. That is a possible way to balance preserving the historic aspect of the jetty while replacing a failing structure, he said.

“If you don’t dream, it will never happen,” he said after the port meeting on Nov. 14.

Sanok said Pivarnik’s willingness to listen to the PTMTA’s ideas is a far cry from where the port was just a year ago. 

But at their general membership meeting, board members reminded marine trade workers to stay vigilant and involved in the port.

“There are still challenges coming up ahead,” Sanok said, mentioning the upcoming port commissioner election, and the fact that Pivarnik, who is the interim director, is not planning to stay on for more than a year. “You’re going to have to keep paying attention to the port.”