PORT TOWNSEND — Two more Port of Port Townsend commissioners were successfully swayed Wednesday night to get to the point and avoid confusion, clearing the way for an expected May 13 approval of changing the name of Hudson Point back to Point Hudson.
The three port commissioners rechristened Point Hudson Hudson Point in May 2006, at the request of Bob Sokol, who was then one of the three.
Since then, John Collins, a retired college educator who took over Sokol’s seat in January, has campaigned to change the name back to Point Hudson.
The port commissioners are expected to take action on the matter during their business meeting May 13 in their chambers at the port offices, 375 Hudson St.
With about 30 attending a hearing moved to the port’s Marina Room for more space on Wednesday, the port commissioners heard 12 people speak in favor of returning to the Point Hudson name, with only one in support of keeping it Hudson Point.
Those who supported a return to Point Hudson, many of them users of port facilities around Hudson Point Marina, cited history dating to the 1800s, with detailed documentation and impassioned pleas.
“This recent name change seems disingenuous,” said Carol Hasse, owner of Port Townsend Sails for 30 years.
She said that the 2006 name change was like a “hostile takeover or a marketing tool.”
She joked that it could have been renamed “Hudson Pointe” to attract the wealthy, drawing laughter from the audience.
Others quipped about reversing other names, such as Townsend Port and Haven Boat.
But is was no laughing matter to Clair Candler, who frequently attends port meetings.
