PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles commissioners approved the introduction of a resolution that would update the port’s existing Recreation and Public Access Plan, which describes its objectives for constructing, improving and maintaining recreational facilities and access to natural resources like the waterfront.
The state Recreation & Conservation Office requires funding applicants to update their plans every six years, Katharine Frazier, the port’s grants and contract manager, said at the commissioners’ Tuesday meeting. Doing so will make the port eligible for future RCO funding such as the Boating Facilities Program.
Public comment and feedback on the port’s updated Recreation and Public Access Plan will take place during the commissioners’ next meeting on July 23, when they will be prepared to vote on the resolution.
A draft of the plan can be found in the meeting packet at tinyurl.com/46jes4vn.
Commissioners also approved a Port Customer Transparency Requirement Policy that established procedures for collecting identification documentation from port customers and verifying their identity. Executive Director Paul Jarkiewicz said it was modeled on Know Your Customer, federal guidelines aimed at protecting institutions from fraud.
Jarkiewicz said the policy sends the message that the port adheres to high ethical standards as well as helps it assess the financial risk of potential customers.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Steve Burke reported on his seven-day trip to Finland June 8-15 as part of a state Department of Commerce forestry trade mission.
Burke pointed out three distinct differences between forest industry in Finland and the United States: about 98 percent of forests in Finland are privately owned; no whole logs leave the country; and the industry is vertically integrated.
Pilot programs using lignin — a natural polymer found in wood — have produced textiles, recyclable foam packaging, beverage bottles and sustainable batteries.
“We need to get away from the mentality that trees are for paper,” Burke said.
Also Tuesday, Olympic Medical Center CEO Darryl Wolfe presented to commissioners an overview of a measure Clallam County Public Hospital District No. 2 — the public hospital district that governs OMC — has placed on the Aug. 6 primary ballot.
Prop. 1 would increase the levy rate from the current $0.37 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to $0.75 cents per $1,000, the maximum amount allowed under state law.
If voters approve the measure, it would raise about $6.9 million more per year.
Proceeds from the levy make up about 2 percent of OMC’s annual budget; this year, it will contribute about $5 million toward its budget of $260 million.
The additional revenue is needed, Wolfe said, to maintain OMC’s 24/7/365 care; to keep services local; recruit and retain its workforce; and create a sustainable future for the county’s biggest employer.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
