PORT ANGELES — Though a state Department of Ecology cleanup site, the former Rayonier Inc. pulp mill has the potential of becoming the base of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fleet of research ships for the Pacific Ocean.
That’s what Port of Port Angeles Executive Director Bob McChesney told the Harbor-Works Public Development Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday.
NOAA now homeports the fleet on Lake Union in Seattle, but it is looking for a new location, with plans to move in 2012.
Port Angeles is one city among several that the federal agency is considering.
Some 100 to 150 permanent jobs could be created if the fleet moved to Port Angeles.
NOAA representatives toured Port Angeles’ waterfront in February, and port commissioner Jim McEntire said they appeared most interested in the Rayonier site.
The other two locations port staff showed NOAA representatives were terminals No. 1 and 3 on the west end of town.
Though the port doesn’t own the 75-acre Rayonier site, McChesney said it can propose the location to NOAA because:
Rayonier would have to agree to NOAA acquiring its former mill site if it doesn’t sell the property to Harbor-Works.
The authority, created by the city and Port of Port Angeles in May, wants to acquire the Rayonier pulp mill site, oversee and hopefully speed up its cleanup and eventually market the property.
Orville Campbell, Harbor-Works board chair, said Rayonier has not been approached by Harbor-Works about acquiring the property.
Former City Manager Mark Madsen, who Harbor-Works would like to hire as a consultant, contacted Rayonier in May.
