PORT ANGELES — Several residents of the Dry Creek area told Port of Port Angeles commissioners on Monday they don’t want a sawmill located in their neighborhood.
The residents included the property’s former resident, Jim Critchfield, who told Port commissioners he knows what log yards are like and would fight the rumored development.
Port Executive Director Bob McChesney said there’s some consideration to sell the property, now owned by the Port of Port Angeles, and negotiations with a potential buyer have begun — but no decision has been made.
Any discussions about selling it would be done in executive session, then go through a public process with the Port commission, he said.
113-acre site
Several years ago, the Port spent $400,000 to buy the 113-acre site between William R. Fairchild International Airport and Edgewood Drive formerly owned by the Critchfield family.
It is now known as the South Airport Industrial Properties.
Improvement costs were prohibitive, and the parcel’s proximity to Fairchild means that Federal Aviation Administration regulations would prohibit virtually any other use except golf courses or cemeteries.
Dry Creek Water Association Manager Cindy Kelly said her group had heard a rumor about a sawmill possibly being built on the property.
Raymond Anderson told Port commissioners that a sawmill would boost log truck traffic past Dry Creek School at 25 Rife Road.
New developments must fit into the existing neighborhood, Anderson said.