Temporary pier closure in Hoodsport

Decision made out of abundance of caution

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 28, 20230

The Port of Hoodsport temporarily closed the public pier and dock in downtown Hoodsport.

According to Port of Hoodsport Commissioner Lori Kincannon, the port has been awaiting the results of a new site inspection report before beginning the bid process for needed repairs.

“The port has not yet received the contractor’s inspection report, or the engineers’ letter on their findings,” port Executive Director Kathleen Wyatt said.

On Sept. 16, representatives of Hoodsport-based Integrated Northwest Construction and Wolden Structural Engineering of Oregon visited the port to determine the state of the dock.

On Sept. 18, the port received an email from Integrated Northwest that brought safety concerns to the attention of port commissioners. A recommendation was also made to close the dock until repairs could be made.

“Due to awareness of the dock’s immediate critical state of disrepair, and the contractor and engineer’s recommendations to close the pier and dock for all use, whether public, local or native fishing, I consulted with the port’s attorney and commission chair, then made the difficult decision to temporarily shut down the dock out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and safety of the public,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt clarified that although it was declared an emergency to close the dock immediately, it is not yet considered an emergency repair without the commission’s review of the inspection report and the engineer’s letter.

When the site inspection report and engineer’s letter are received, the port will begin the bid process for needed repairs, at which point, Kincannon said, the commissioners are looking forward to the “quick completion” of construction, due to the emergency nature of the repairs.

The public is invited to follow the progress of these repairs by attending the port’s regularly scheduled hybrid meetings, conducted virtually and in-person. Dates and times are announced on the port’s website, in addition to being posted on the door of the port’s offices.

The next port meeting is scheduled Oct. 25 during which time commissioners intend to have those reports on hand for discussion.

“Once the information from the reports have been processed by the commission, an attorney will assist in the bid process,” Wyatt said. “Until those reports are received, we are unable to answer how long the dock will be closed or the timeline of the process to repair it.”