PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend moorage tenants who are absent from their slips for at least a month have another option to use the port’s the credit system, which allows them to receive credit for the days the port uses their empty slip to accommodate a guest.
Executive Director Eron Berg said the amendment to the credit system rule gives the port some predictability and tenants more options.
The amendment reduces from seven to three the minimum number of consecutive days a tenant has to be absent in order to be eligible to receive credit equal to one-thirtieth of their monthly moorage rate for each day the port uses the slip.
A new option will allow tenants gone for at least 30 days to pay a moorage rate that is 25 percent of their monthly rent or to use a combination of the three-day and 30-day minimums.
The use of the credit system is still capped at six months. After that, the tenant pays full moorage for the slip.
Commissioners Pam Petranek and Carol Hasse said they like that the amendment gives tenants options and that it benefits both tenants and the port.
“I think that’s really great and it meets some needs,” Commissioner Pete Hanke said. “This is a finite resource, so we don’t want to be giving anything away or losing on this program. So, for 30 days, how many nights would we need to fill to make their 25 percent moorage plus guest moorage equal that one month’s full moorage?”
Berg said a week of night guest fees could pay the amount in about a week during the summer.
In other action, commissioners tabled a discussion about a request to build a five-unit hangar on site pad No. 6 at Jefferson County International Airport from Dave Ward of Northwest Custom Hangars.
The site has been set aside for port use, but Berg said it does not make financial sense for it to build there and so it’s available for development.
Commissioners said they wanted more time and information before they agreed to approve the lease.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
