PORT TOWNSEND — It was appropriate that Commissioner Carol Hasse wielded the oversized scissors at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Port of Port Townsend’s breakwater project at Point Hudson.
Standing on the bow of the 72-foot-long Saratoga on Wednesday, the sailmaker snipped the red, white and blue ribbon — remnants of spinnaker sailcloth — hanging between the new south and north breakwaters that protect the 50-slip marina.
It had been Hasse’s idea to use leftover pieces of sailcloth for the ceremony.
“That way it’s re-used and it speaks to our marine heritage,” said Hasse, who operated Hasse & Co. Port Townsend Sails for 43 years until she retired in 2021. “But I had no idea I was going to cut it until [Executive Director] Eron [Berg] passed the scissors to me.”
The celebration also marked the start of the port’s centennial; in 1924, Jefferson County voters approved the creation of a port district that encompasses the entire county.
More than 60 people who were involved in or supported the breakwater project rode the Saratoga, one of Commission President Pete Hanke’s four Puget Sound Express whale-watching boats, from the port’s offices to Point Hudson. Among the passengers were U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor; state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Lake Sutherland; state Reps. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, and Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend; as well as Port Townsend city officials and Jefferson County commissioners.
“This a great way to celebrate how important the maritime sector is to our region, not just historically but going forward as well,” said Kilmer, who helped secure federal funding for the project. “This is a community that knows how to get everybody’s oars in the water and row in the same direction.”
Replacing the two aging breakwaters had been on the port’s list of priorities for a long time, Hanke said.
“This 12-year endeavor was at the top of everyone’s list and for many years it looked dubious,” he said. “The costs kept going up.”
Hanke thanked Berg — the fourth executive director he’d worked with during his 11 years on the commission — Deputy Director Eric Toews and Capital Projects Director and Chief Engineer Matt Klontz for their roles on the project.
Commissioner Pam Petranek said maintaining the infrastructure of Port Townsend’s working waterfront is integral to its economy and culture.
“These structures are critical; without the jetty, it’s over,” Petranek said. “In 2018, marine trades made up 20 percent of the jobs, and marine trade wages were 23 percent higher than other jobs.”
Constructed in the 1930s, the breakwaters had been repaired over the years, but they suffered significant damage during winter storms and a king tide in the winter of 2018-19. The schedule for their removal and replacement was constrained by fish protection work windows that dictated when in-water activity could occur in addition to the annual Wooden Boat Festival that takes place the first weekend in September.
But the two-year, $12.14 million project was completed on time and under its original $14.1 million budget.
More than half of the funding came from a $7.1 million U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant. Another $2.5 million came the state’s capital budget, with additional funding from a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service BIG Tier 2 grant and the port’s voter-approved Industrial Development District levy. The unspent funds will stay in the port’s IDD budget for investment in future projects.
The funds raised by the IDD, which voters approved in November 2019, have been crucial in leveraging federal and state dollars for the breakwater and other port projects, Berg said.
“The IDD makes us eligible for projects with matching funds,” he said. “It shows the community’s support and commitment.”
The port’s goal is to translate the $17 million in IDD funds that will be raised over the course of the levy into $50 million in capital projects, he said.
Mott McDonald led engineering on the project and Tom Coultas acted as resident engineer. Orion Marine Contractors were the construction partner, Widender & Associates coordinated and managed environmental permitting, and Cowling & Company handled environmental monitoring.
The port currently has 32 capital projects in various stages of planning and execution, including repairing the breakwater at Boat Haven Marina and expansion of the boat yard, construction of a new Gardner boat ramp, improvements at Herb Beck Marina, industrial development at the Jefferson County International Airport and planning for future use of Short’s Farm.
Breakwater amenities
The completed breakwater project has two elements that can be appreciated by those who don’t own a boat.
One is the new walkway along the top of the south jetty that juts into Port Townsend Bay and is already proving to be a popular with pedestrians.
The other is an underwater camera that live streams from a site near the entry to the marina. Installed and monitored by Randy Williams of the Washington Scuba Alliance, the camera is directed at a reef created last summer from riprap from the old north jetty where members of the alliance relocated 400 invertebrates so they wouldn’t be crushed during construction.
To watch the live stream, go to tinyurl.com/4h6ep2ex.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
