PORT TOWNSEND — The long-awaited replacement of the Gardiner boat ramp will move another step forward with the award of a $528,249 contract to Van Ness Construction in Port Hadlock.
The company’s bid came in $116,616 under the $644,865 projected budget.
“We love working with the lowest responsible bidder but we love it even more when they’re local,” Executive Director Eron Berg told Port of Port Townsend commissioners at their Wednesday meeting.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early August during the in-water fish window, when working in the water will be the least disruptive to aquatic life.
Substantial completion of the new ramp is targeted by or before Oct. 15.
The port is working to try to offset some of $162,265 in near-shore environmental impact cost by banking environmental mitigation credits through a project like removing creosote from the wetland in the Boat Yard.
Even if it has to pay the entire $162,265, the total project cost, including construction and a construction administration costs of $100,000, will still be under its $953,000 budget, Berg said.
Savings could be applied to the purchase of new equipment the port needs, like an excavator, he said.
Commissioners Carol Hasse, Pete Henke and Pam Petranek discussed the capacity of EDC Team Jefferson to fulfill the commitments outlined in the development organization’s multi-party agreement with the port.
It was struggling to follow through on a number of its obligations, Petranek said.
“I want more input, communication and action,” she said. “You just can’t do that with the current model.”
The recent hiring of a new EDC executive director, David Ballif, was a good time to consider change, commissioners said.
The EDC receives $40,000 annually from the port, City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County PUD for economic development services. It receives about $90,000 from Jefferson County; $100,000 from the Public Infrastructure Fund; and $80,000 as an Associate Development Organization from the the Washington State Department of Commerce.
“I would have a hard time putting in another $40,000,” Commissioner Pete Hanke said.
Commissioners agreed to continue discussions, look at the economic development service agreements of ports around the state and have a plan in place before September.
Efforts to sell The Elmore, the 1890 former Klondike steamer, haven’t drawn a nibble. The port established a website, Save the Elmore, and has reached out to maritime brokers to generate interest in the historic vessel that will be demolished if a buyer does not step forward by Sept. 2.
The port received the 2025 Community Engagement Award for its Point Hudson Breakwater Project from the Washington Public Ports Association at its spring meeting in Spokane, May 14-16. According to a WPPA press release, the award recognized the “creativity and community spirit demonstrated by port staff in ensuring that their major in-water infrastructure project minimizes disruption on the marine environment, while also being well- understood, accessible, and even visible to members of the community.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached via email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com
