PORT TOWNSEND — It’s time to celebrate: The Taylor Street revamping project is drawing to a close.
“We’re excited to truly see the light at the end of the tunnel for this project,” said Mari Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
“Downtown is going to be beautiful when the construction is completed, and we want to celebrate with the community.”
The celebration, a “Hard Hats and Carhartts Party,” will be from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and overlaps with the monthly gallery walk starting at 5:30 p.m.
The party was originally scheduled for June 2 but was postponed because the renovation project was behind schedule, and the weather forecast was grim.
Taylor Street in downtown Port Townsend was reopened to vehicular traffic June 26 after a four-month $3.5 million project in which sidewalks were shored up, the street was repaved, and utility wires on one side of the street were moved underground.
It opened about a month behind schedule and has restored an important link between Washington Street and Water Street to the local traffic flow.
Two components of the project are not complete: the removal of utility poles from the west side of the street and the installation of a wooden walkway on either side of the street between Water Street and Union Wharf.
The utility poles held electricity and cable wires on the east side and phone wires on the west side.
City officials had hoped to remove the poles from both sides of the street simultaneously, but phone provider CenturyLink did not order the needed cable in time.
At the time, City Manager David Timmons criticized CenturyLink for the delay, while a CenturyLink spokesperson said data was needed from the city in order to acquire the correct quantity.
The wire is now in stock, and the project is proceeding with completion, expected in the next few weeks, said Samantha Trone, Port Townsend development review engineer.
On Monday, CenturyLink will begin the installation of four wires that will be attached to poles on Washington Street and Water Street to provide support to poles that depend on the Taylor Street poles for stability.
The power then will be switched to the new wires that have been installed in an underground conduit, and the five poles on Taylor Street will be removed.
Trone said there is no set date for this process but expects it will be complete by the end of this month.
Aaron Wilcox, a CenturyLink contractor on-site, said the splicing operation will probably take a few weeks.
Also scheduled in that time frame is the installation of a wooden walkway.
Trone said the necessary hardware to bolt down the boards has been acquired, and the project will begin in the next two weeks.
At the “Hard Hats & Carhartts Party,” the afternoon will begin with children’s activities in selected stores and on Taylor Street, said Christina Pivarnik, city of Port Townsend spokeswoman, who added that refreshments would reflect “Taylor Street cuisine.”
The Rat Island Rowing Club will display rowing shells at both ends of Taylor Street — on the Water Street end and the Washington Street end.
Activities will include a “Hard Hats & Carhartts” costume contest, with the winners chosen based on their most imaginative interpretation of the party’s theme.
The contest winner will be announced at 3 p.m.
The winner will receive two tickets to a Key City Public Theatre Main Stage performance and two tickets to the Rose Theatre, plus popcorn.
A trophy also will be awarded.
Live music will be featured on Taylor Street, with Jack Reid and Mike Mullin of Water Street Trolley performing “Bluebilly Swing” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by the Blacky Sheridan band playing from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Both appearances are sponsored by Strider Construction.
Another musical interlude will be provided by Xandra Sonandre from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wandering Angus Celtic Store, 929 Water St.
Children’s activities will take place during the party at Sand Castle Toys, 840 Water St., and along Taylor Street.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set at the conclusion of the day’s events.
The “Light at the End of the Tunnel” campaign is a collaboration between the Port Townsend Main Street Program, the city of Port Townsend and participating businesses.
When the project is complete, Taylor Street will provide an unobstructed view from the Haller Fountain steps to the water.
Although the unobstructed view will be a year-round improvement, one of the beneficiaries will be the Port Townsend Film Festival, which uses the street to show free movies during the festival.
Janette Force, film festival director, said hitches for the inflatable screen have been installed, which will eliminate the need for the large barrels of water that previously anchored the screen.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
