Hoodsport takes steps toward port dock renovations

Kirk Boxleitner | Jul 27, 20230

Hoodsport Port commissioners Cody Morris and Terry Brazil approved an agreement July 19 with Integrated NW Construction to satisfy the conditions for renewing the lease on the port’s dock.

During the commissioners’ most recent meeting, Port Executive Director Kathleen Wyatt said the port has $3,500 available for a professional services agreement, which she said is the first step required for any progress in inspecting and renovating the docks.

Wyatt said the next steps would be a “desktop review and discovery discussion,” after which she said Hoodsport-based Integrated NW Construction would bid to conduct the inspection, for what she estimated would be $5,000 to $6,000.

Wyatt stressed that an initial inspection is required by the state Department of Natural Resources to determine what’s wrong with the dock and what repairs will be needed, while a subsequent engineering drawing would run an additional $1,500.

That total, which could run north of $10,000, was estimated by Morris to be “still a bit cheaper than the previous bid we got.” But, Morris added, “once they give us an inspection, that gives us a road map we can use to negotiate the lease.”

By testing the structural integrity of the dock’s components, Morris said he believes the port should be able to learn which existing pieces it can build on, “without having to tear everything out and start completely anew.”

Ultimately, Morris said he hopes this data generates enough parameters for a proposal that the port can put before the Legislature for funding, through the Economic Development Council of Mason County.

“The EDC was really proud of the work they did for the Port of Grapeview dock, so they would love to help us out with that, too,” Morris said. “For municipalities like ours that are incredibly rural, the EDC told us the state has $70 million available.”

Morris reported conferring recently with members of the EDC who told him there might be “immediate grants available, for covering some of the dock expenses we’ve incurred with the DNR lease fund, so I’m going to pursue that.”

By autumn, Morris said he hopes the port will have a better idea of how much money to ask the Legislature for. While the EDC also requires those numbers in order to sell the Legislature on whatever the port’s requested funding will be, Morris said his own confidence was bolstered by EDC members telling him it should be “a very easy amount of money to send our way.”

Morris added, “Hopefully, by the end of the summer, (the port) can at least have some assurance that we won’t have to be quite as stressed about our bank account.”

Morris confirmed matching money is not needed, while Wyatt balanced between warning the port is “way over budget on its dock” and pointing out how the port has been “pretty careful in other areas.”

“We had no idea, when we did the budget last year, that these things were going to arise,” Wyatt said.

When Morris suggested contacting the YSS Dive Shop to donate their diving services for the dock piling inspection, he recalled that the shop’s owners were “very adamant about wanting to donate money or resources toward this cause.”