PORT TOWNSEND — Masons were at work Tuesday behind the Cotton Building building a wall to create a courtyard, while public restrooms, which replace the unsightly line of Porta-Potties that have been situated on the north end of Water Street, are now open for business.
The work is part of a downtown redevelopment project that included the repaving of Water and Madison streets, the construction of a new Pope Marine Park and the $1.17 million renovation into a visitor center of the old police station at the Cotton Building at 607 Water St.
Pavers have been installed in the area behind the Cotton Building, which will be dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30.
Opening the bathrooms in the Cotton Building is the first step in the final stretch for the new plaza, which is to include a $70,000, 8-foot bronze sculpture, Gerard Tsutakawa’s “Salish Sea Circle,” as well as a public park extending along the waterfront from the Cotton Building to the Northwest Maritime Center.
The bright, metallic restrooms are now open 24 hours a day, a time period that may change later.
Security cameras have been installed and are operational, said Tom Miller, project engineer with the city’s public works department.
The next phase, the filling of the Tidal Clock and its transformation into an amphitheater and the completion of access to the Wave Gallery, won’t be finished until early next year.
The Tidal Clock, created in 1987, was intended to fill with water and marine life as the tide changed. It never worked as envisioned. Instead, it collected debris.
Due to regulations that forbid shoreline construction during salmon breeding season, the work cannot commence until after July 17.
Miller said the bidding process for the project will begin May 1, with the job scheduled to begin Oct. 1 so it does not conflict with the scheduled downtown festivals.
The paving of both sides of Madison Street is scheduled for completion April 15. Also to be finished that day is the $1.2 million paving and landscaping of Pope Marine Park.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.