PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles took the first step Monday in an eventual $9 million project to revamp the Black Ball Ferry Line terminal at the foot of Laurel Street.
The three port commissioners voted unanimously to award an engineering contract to map the work on the dock for the iconic MV Coho car and passenger ferry to Victoria.
The 50-year-old ferry is owned by Black Ball Ferry Lines, which leases the terminal from the Port of Port Angeles.
The port agency will replace and repair the terminal pilings, said David Hagiwara, director of trade and development.
$168,000 contract
MC ² Engineering of Olympia was awarded the $168,000 contract.
The firm will initially focus on the engineering for replacing the east side of the pier.
Later, the group will focus on the engineering for the pier’s aging west side, Hagiwara said.
Eventually, repairs will include revamping the buildings and landscaping to include the area in the Port Angeles Waterfront Promenade on Railroad Avenue.
The port, however, is responsible only for the pier repair, Hagiwara said.
He said the timeline for the other elements is not yet known.
“For these repairs, we are looking at about a five-year timeline,” he said.
“There will be about a year to 18 months in a permitting process and then, because of the fisheries, we will have some small construction windows and will probably need two of those for any work,” Hagiwara said.
“So just there it is already up to four years.”
The rest of the work is likely to be done through public-private partnerships, he said.
Black Ball investment
Black Ball has already promised an investment of about $2 million, and an additional $4 million is being sought through a federal grant, Hagiwara said.
The pilings, through still sound, are reaching the end of their lives, he added.
“It is simply an old facility and in need of some improvements,” Hagiwara said.
Port commissioners President George Schoenfeldt said the repairs were necessary to ensure smooth sailing for the Coho, who has been a port tenant since its debut in 1959.
Before then, Washington State Ferries used the ferry terminal for Victoria service, including the iconic art deco-design Kalakala for about five years.
Canadian-owned ferries also used the landing for freight and passenger service in postwar years.
‘Vital’ to community
“Black Ball and the Coho are vital to not only our community but to the entire region — this is a perfect example of public-private partnerships that we should be looking at,” he said.
The port commissioners also ratified a $15,000 contract with M.W. Hillman Consulting to oversee the construction project and manage costs.
And the commissioners ratified a $28,000 contract with Sea Run Consulting, which is managing the difficult permitting process for the pier work.
Both contracts were previously awarded by port Executive Director Jeff Robb, who has the authority to approve contracts totaling less than $50,000.
Marketing contract
In other business Monday, the commissioners approved a $120,000 contract with InsideOut Solutions of Sequim for marketing Kenmore Air Express through a federal Small Community Air Service Grant.
A committee of city, county, port and Kenmore representatives had selected the firm, but because the port is the agency the grant was run through, the commissioners were required to approve the contract.
InsideOut will be responsible for marketing and increasing ridership on Kenmore Air planes in and out of William R. Fairchild International Airport during a 24-month period.
The airline makes between 10 and 14 roundtrip flights between Port Angeles and Seattle’s Boeing Field daily, depending on the time of year.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.