EYE ON JEFFERSON: Port Townsend City Council to mull emergency road repair

Published 12:01 am Sunday, January 4, 2015

The Port Townsend City Council will discuss approving emergency repair of a road, sending a letter protesting Navy actions and applying for a $2 million grant/loan for the Howard Street Extension when it meets Monday.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at historic City Hall, 540 Water St., Port Townsend.

The council is asked to ratify a contract for $190,764 with Bruch & Bruch of Port Angeles to repair the access road to the Big Quilcene River, which washed out during storms Dec. 9-11.

Repair will “protect the transmission water main line owned by the city of Port Townsend and operated by the Port Townsend Paper [Corp.] mill from catastrophic failure,” staff says in a council memo.

The contract was awarded on an emergency basis. Bruch & Bruch will start work Monday.

Council members will consider a draft letter to the Navy about a proposal to add 36 EA-18G Growler jets to the fleet of 82 jets at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

The draft letter takes issue with the Navy separating its proposed electronic warfare training range project from the plan to add jets.

The council also will consider applying for a Community Economic Revitalization Board loan/grant of up to $2 million for Howard Street Extension infrastructure.

On the agenda also is the Key Award from the Washington Coalition of Open Government.

Council office hours, during which members of the public can discuss any topic with a member of the City Council, take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in the mayor’s office at historic City Hall.

Other city meetings, to be held in conference rooms at City Hall, 250 Madison St., unless otherwise indicated are:

■ Arts Commission — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, third-floor conference room.

■ Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board — 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, first-floor conference room.

■ Planning Commission — 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, council chambers.

Jefferson County commissioners

The three Jefferson County commissioners will hear a status report on the regulation of recreational marijuana when they meet Monday.

Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. in commissioners’ chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.

A closed session is planned from 10 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. to discuss actual litigation.

The marijuana regulation briefing will be part of the afternoon session, which begins at 1:30 p.m.

The commissioners will develop a work plan for the regulation of pot businesses which they hope to have in place before the current moratorium expires Feb. 11.

In the morning session, the commissioners will select committee assignments in order to accommodate Kathleen Kler, who is the newly elected commissioner from District 3.

Items on the consent agenda include:

■ A call for bids for courthouse window rehabilitation to be opened at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 in chambers.

The project will be funded with a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and a local match of $26,500.

■ An agreement between the county and the Port Gamble tribe for a nurse family partnership supervisor, with the tribe paying $12,626.

■ A vendor contract with Trash Removal Services LLC to remove and dispose of trash at 307123 U.S. Highway 101 in Brinnon for $9,973.

■ A local agency supplement to a project originally approved in May to replace a failing culvert on Upper Hoh Road. It is resubmitted because of minor changes in the project description requested by the state Department of Transportation, staff said.

The $1,424,364 project is 100 percent funded by the Public Lands Discretionary Fund administered by the Federal Highway Administration.

Jefferson PUD

Jefferson County Public Utility District commissioners are scheduled to meet Tuesday.

The meeting is at 5 p.m. at 250 Chimacum Road, Port Hadlock.

The agenda was not available by Saturday.

Jefferson Healthcare

Jefferson Healthcare hospital commissioners will elect new officers when they meet Wednesday.

The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the hospital auditorium, 834 Sheridan St., Port Townsend.