PORT TOWNSEND — Their boat and ship yard at or near capacity in most quarters, Port of Port Townsend leaders are seriously looking at ways to expand the marine trades stronghold to keep the yard competitive in the Puget Sound market while preserving its uniqueness in maritime history.
“I guess it goes back to being a victim of our own success, which is a good thing,” says Port Commissioner Bob Sokol, who along with fellow Commissioner Herb Beck, smiles a lot these days when talking about the boat repair and construction facility.
“That’s always been my dream to get there, and I believe we have gotten there. We are a true Victorian seaport city,” says Beck, who has been a Port commissioner since 1973, the longest-standing Port officeholder in the state.
“Our critics said that we’d never be successful, but we’ve done it,” Beck says, quickly adding, “but we need more space.”
Without additional space, Beck and other Port officials say, the Port’s competitive marine trades edge could dull somewhat, benefiting other ports, including Port Angeles.
Additional acreage
How additional acreage can be acquired could come in two Port-owned sites at the industrial park off Haines Place.
One is a former lumberyard of about 3.5 acres, which would require “ballasting” or several layers of various size gravel to support a 300-ton vessel in dry storage.
Jim Pivarnik, Port deputy director, says to develop the site would not only require ballasting but being tied into the yard’s stormwater treatment system.
Haines Place from the shore to the site would also require ballasting.
“Many boats are just sitting there collecting dust,” Pivarnik says of the former lumberyard site, and could be used for boat and ship workspace.
Port Commissioner Dave Thompson, himself in Port Townsend marine trades business owner for more than 30 years, joins his fellow commissioners in supporting boat yard storage rates that give owners deadlines to complete work, allowing the space for other customers in a more timely fashion.
“For every boat that sits there for a year, we could turn around three boats to meet growing [repair] demand,” Pivarnik says.
