PORT TOWNSEND — Volunteers are building 23 wooden bunks that will be installed in the Jefferson County Emergency Winter Homeless Shelter in the American Legion American Post 26 basement.
The bunks will be a vast improvement over the cots that are now in place, said Joe Carey, commander of the post at 209 Monroe St., Port Townsend.
“These new bunks will make the shelter more personal and is one more step toward making it a little bit better for the people who stay here,” Joe Carey said.
The shelter purchased the cots last year, but many of them have already collapsed, he added.
The new bunks were designed by architect Richard Berg and will be built from lumber donated by Hadlock Building Supply.
Volunteers completed a prototype Wednesday morning and were expecting to finish 16 of the bunks by the end of the week.
The remaining bunks will be built by the Port Townsend High School shop class in September, Carey said.
Two of the bunks will be used in the sick rooms, while the others will be installed in the main area, Carey said.
Each bunk has a small headboard where personal items can be placed, which will make those staying in the shelter feel more at home, Carey said.
The bunks are being built with a recessed top where a standard institutional mattress can fit exactly and will have slats instead of plywood on the bottom to increase ventilation.
The shelter operates from November to March.
The next winter season will be the shelter’s eighth year of operation.
The shelter is operated through a partnership among the Community Outreach Association Shelter Team, several local churches, Olympic Community Action Programs and the Marvin G. Shields Memorial American Legion Post 26.
For more information about the Port Townsend shelter, phone OlyCAP at 360-385-2571.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.