QUILCENE — The Port of Port Townsend says that talk of plans to sell the Quilcene Marina is only rumor, but some community members aren’t convinced and nearly 500 people have signed a petition against selling the property.
According to a port statement released Friday, the rumors started because of comments made by port commissioner Peter Hanke and port Executive Director Sam Gibboney at a public workshop meeting Aug. 24 in Quilcene.
The discussion there was focused on issues affecting the Quilcene community — one of which is the Quilcene Marina losing money, according to Eric Toews, director of planning and in-house council for the port.
“The port’s bottom line needs to improve for the port to continue offering the full suite of operations,” Toews said in an interview Friday. “We’re considering all options for what makes sense for serving the public while upholding fiduciary responsibility.”
The Friday statement said the port is currently conducting a review of all operations and assets in Jefferson County to ensure responsible management is being provided.
During the Aug. 24 meeting, Gibboney said the port wouldn’t be opposed to selling the land the port currently leases near the marina to Coast Seafoods, a shellfish producer.
This was something that was proposed nearly four years ago and met with public backlash, according to Chris Jones, the hatchery director for Pacific Seafoods, which owns Coast Seafoods.
“I listen to the meeting minutes and that’s all I’ve heard of it,” Jones said Monday. “They have not approached us, and we’re not in the business of running marinas. We grow seafood, so the marina or the beach areas are nothing that we are interested in.”
Toews said there have been discussions on the topic of Quilcene, but that no decisions have been made or will be made without plenty of public meetings.
“All of the port’s business of this nature is conducted in the public,” said Toews. “No decisions have been made.”
The port noted in the statement released Friday that the Quilcene Marina provides public access to the water and the agency is looking to make sure that stays intact.
All port meetings are open to the public and the statement encourages the public to attend.
The next meetings of the port commissioners will be to discuss a draft 2017 budget today and conduct a public workshop Wednesday.
The special meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. today at 333 Benedict St. in Port Townsend. The Wednesday workshop on commission retreats and work plan for 2017 will be at 3 p.m. in the same building.
Quilcene resident JD Gallant has a Change.org petition posted on his website, quilbay.com, that is against the idea of selling the marina. As of Monday, 497 people had signed on.
Gallant on Saturday said on his website that he isn’t convinced by Friday’s port statement.
Efforts to reach Gallant were unsuccessful Monday.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5550, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Quilcene Marina has become the center of some controversy after a Port of Port Townsend public workshop meeting on Aug 24. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)
