PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend commissioners have scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday with the intention of deciding on the purchase of Short’s Family Farm in Chimacum.
The decision came during their regular meeting last Wednesday following a report from Executive Director Eron Berg.
“We’re working with the understanding that we have about a week to put together a deal that could come to the port commission for authorization so we could seek capital budget funding before the deadline,” Berg said.
That special meeting has been scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Point Hudson Pavilion Building, 335 Hudson St., Port Townsend.
The port’s discussions with the Shorts for their 253-acre farm have been undertaken in a compressed timeline. An appraisal of the property the port anticipated receiving before the end of December did not arrive until Jan. 25. The port entered a letter of intent with Roger and Sandy Short to purchase the property that expired Jan. 28.
“We’re looking to pay for an appraised value of $1.4 million,” Berg said. “We would want to pay for it contingent on receiving capital budget funding from the state of Washington and invest what the port can afford in terms of port funding.”
Berg said port officials also are talking to the Shorts about a timeline for the family to wrap up their farming operation and a lease arrangement that would allow the Shorts to remain in their home.
The three commissioners said they were positively inclined toward the purchase, which would be the port’s first foray into agriculture.
Commissioner Pam Petranek said they had been thoughtful and deliberate in their approach.
“We’ve taken a deep dive into the research,” Petranek said. “I don’t know anything that we don’t know about this property. I’ve read all the public letters, and it really verifies the high need for farming and the challenges of farming in our county.
“The feedback I’ve gotten in general has been very positive,” Commissioner Carol Hasse said.
Hasse said she saw the opportunity to work with farmers and nonprofits in protecting the quality of the water in Chimacum Creek that flowed through the Short’s farm and into Port Townsend Bay an important consideration.
“There is a leap of faith, faith in our community and nonprofits to come up with a really viable plan that might be a template for other purchases in the future,” Hasse said.
Commissioner Pete Hanke, who attended the meeting online, said he “couldn’t agree more” with Petranek and Hasse.
Hanke said he was sympathetic to concerns he had heard from constituents that the port was going about its project backward by considering purchasing the Short’s farm before it had a plan in place with what to do with it.
“There’s a lot to be said for that,” Hanke said. “At the same time, I really feel like this is an opportunity.”
He said if the state Legislature approved funding for the purchase price, the port’s investment would be fairly minimal and it could move ahead with crafting a proposal for the future.
“I think we can create a positive business plan pretty quick,” Hanke said. “Making this true to our vision of affordable farming for farmers that can’t get into farming because there’s no land available is going to require some careful thought and planning, but to have the farm ready to do that is certainly the opportunity that we’re looking at right now.”
All documents related to the Short’s Family Farm can be found on the port’s website: portofpt.com/engineering.
In other action, the commissioners were told that work on the north jetty has been completed.
Port engineer Matt Klontz said rebuilding the south jetty will start immediately after the Wooden Boat Festival ends Sept. 10.
“We’re taking the lessons learned, so to speak, from this year’s project, and we have a list of ideas and things that we want approach differently next year,” he said.
The south jetty will be a significantly more complex project, Klontz said, because it is larger than the north jetty and is more exposed to the elements. Below-water work on the jetties is limited by a fish window and the annual boat festival.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@soundpublishing.com.
