The North Olympic Peninsula’s two publicly funded ports completed a federally mandated security plan by the Dec. 31 deadline, a goal met by only 20 percent of ports nationwide.
“We submitted our plan in accordance with the requirements,” said Victoria Express owner Jack Harmon on Friday.
Harmon is a member of the Ports of the Olympic Peninsula Port Security Committee.
“We submitted our plan about a week before it was due. We’re in compliance.”
The group of public and private port users began meeting in February 2003 to identify potential dockside and perimeter security threats at ports from Port Ludlow to LaPush.
The group identified ways to protect against threats — such as new harbor patrol boats and surveillance equipment — and the estimated costs of capital improvements to do so.
U.S. Navy officials wrote the security plan for Indian Island. Washington State Ferries officials wrote that agency’s own security plan.
Port security plans also are being drafted for the Seattle, Tacoma and Bellingham areas, as well as the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Port of Port Angeles received a $100,000 federal grant in June to fund writing its security plan.
The Port of Port Townsend, also part of the port security committee, was denied federal grant money to complete its security plan, but still finished its plan in time, Facilities Manager Jim Pivarnik said Friday.
———————
The rest of the story appears in the Sunday Peninsula Daily News.