Port of Allyn rethinking community survey

Kirk Boxleitner | Mar 17, 20220

Port of Allyn commissioners initially agreed last month that they were ready to move forward with a comprehensive scheme update before two of the three commissioners reacted favorably to a suggestion on how to solicit more public comment before taking action.

But in spite of posting the community survey for its comprehensive scheme update on its website and Facebook page, plus adding links to it on every Facebook group covering Mason County and contacting local media, Port Executive Director Lary Coppola said only “a small number” of surveys were returned.

“The truth is, it doesn’t appear there’s a lot of public interest in this update,” Coppola said.

Coppola reiterated his estimation that direct mail would cost $5,500 for a return rate of less than 4%, which he didn’t believe would justify that cost.

“We’re kind of at a standstill,” Coppola said. “We’ve got less than 10 responses to this survey.”

District 1 Commissioner and Commission Chair Judy Scott suggested moving forward because “it is a living document. We always update it every year, so if there are changes, we can change it.”

“I agree,” Coppola said. “I think just moving forward, so we can get this off our plate, makes a lot of sense.”

District 3 Commissioner John Sheridan said he appreciated that the port took the steps it has done to seek public comments, but in the absence of any significant input, he also voiced his support for moving forward.

District 3 Commissioner Ted Jackson agreed, saying public input was minimal because “unless it pertains to you, nobody cares,” before he pointed out that two or three of the 10 survey respondents were already attending the March 7 Zoom meeting.

Mason County District 1 Commissioner Randy Neatherlin suggested port commissioners could go out into the community and solicit opinions personally, as he and Scott had done years before.

“I think our response rate was 800-and-some-odd people,” Neatherlin said. “If you, as the commissioners, chose to do that, and wanted to have any company, I’d be more than honored to stand with you, in front of the stores, and ask those questions with you.”

“What a great idea,” Sheridan said.

Jackson said he receives questions about the Port of Allyn “every time I walk into Belfair … so it’s not like we’re not reaching out.”

While Jackson touted his pre-existing role in bringing questions to the commission “from our quieter citizens,” Sheridan expressed an eagerness to have Neatherlin join him in public to solicit such input.

“I was getting ready to move forward without doing that, but that’s one last effort to get some input from the community,” Sheridan told Neatherlin. “I’ll take you up on that.”

Port Operations Manager LeAnn Dennis cited the amount of positive “face time” such outreach generates, even as she acknowledged it’s not essential that it be done this year.

Although the port had originally intended to submit the update to the state Recreation and Conservation Office by March 1, that’s not a requirement because the port’s next official update isn’t due until March 1, 2024.

“I’m for it, too,” Scott said. “Randy, you and I were carrying surveys and handing them out to people, and that was great. The one-on-one is really important.”