Port of Friday Harbor updates

Published 11:52 am Tuesday, March 1, 2016

By Meredith M. Griffith

Journal contributor

The Port of Friday Harbor has proposed a new list of upgrades to the Friday Harbor Marina that focuses on “over the water” marina improvements to include the floating docks, finger floats and utilities.

“The port is doing its best to create an area down there that is viable to support the economic activity that benefits the town, while keeping environmental impact to a minimum,” said port commissioner Greg Hertel. Resolution #16-003, the addendum to the port’s Waterfront Master Plan, will guide future development and improvements of these areas.

In 2014, the port adopted the Waterfront Master Plan to guide future development and improvements of the Friday Harbor Marina property and the port-owned Jackson Beach recreation area. The marina’s downtown waterfront property spans one-quarter mile from Spring Street to the San Juan Island Yacht Club, while Jacksons Beach property includes 12.3 acres of Argyle Lagoon tidelands designated “oysterlands” and 1.7 upland acres.

First on the addendum is to rehabilitate the guest (G) dock and D dock, at an estimated cost of $925,000. The board plans to upgrade the power posts to current standards, replace structural waler rods and fillets, and replace the guest check-in station and activity float. Optional enhancements like a canopy and a larger-sized activity float have been requested by visiting groups and could boost revenue.

The port will apply for a Washington State Recreation and Conservation grant to cover 75 percent of the cost, footing the remainder itself.

“This is the only project we can get a grant for,” explained harbormaster Tami Hayes. “As for the larger ones, we will probably have to bond.” The remaining projects will be funded by the port. Pre-design, grant application and engineering are planned for 2016, with construction in 2017-18.

Second on the list is replacement of the Spring Street landing float. The board recommends installing new floats and replacing power posts. In addition, dredging of the sea floor near the ferry landing is needed because silt is continually deposited by the backwash that whirls out from arriving and departing ferries. Hertel said that Washington State Ferries’ replacement of the old creosote-treated timber dolphins in January 2014 moved the docking location closer to the marina. The resulting silt is making the marina too shallow for the larger boats to freely access the area.

“We’ve just kind of steadily and slowly been losing use,” said Hertel. The commissioners hope the state can assist by easing permitting for the dredging, if not by monetary aid. Nowadays Hertel sees fewer people owning small personal boats, and more people seeking experiences on larger commercial boats, which require deeper marina waters.

“We’re starting to get more of those larger boats; that’s the only place where we’re seeing demand,” said Hertel. Pre-design and engineering of the project is planned for 2018-19, with construction in 2020-21.

The third project is installation of new fuel pier floats and power posts as well as repair or replacement of associated ramps, for a total project cost of $45,000. Pre-design and engineering should be completed in 2019, with construction in 2020.

Fourth on the list is rehabilitation of W-dock, which involves attaching new grated finger floats to the existing W-dock, upgrading current power posts, and repairing the float as necessary. Work will be performed by port staff, for a total project cost of $90,000, with pre-redesign and engineering in 2022 and construction and completion in 2023.

The addendum also refers to additional projects that could hold potential for significant future revenue for the port.

“This is our master plan for what may or may not happen five, 10, 20 years down the road,” said Mike Ahrenius, noting that the master plan is required by the state. The addition of slips to accommodate 45-foot and larger boats could increase revenues and draw more visiting boaters to the area. This might involve new piles and changing the width of the walkways. Expansion of business moorage would also serve to meet increasing demand for experiences on recreational commercial vessels. Because commercial fishing activity has decreased, the port proposes reconfiguring the rafting and by-pass float areas formerly used to serve commercial fishing boats. Hertel says that in the 1970s and prior, Friday Harbor often was host to a dozen purse seiners and 40 to 50 gill-netters, rafted five or six boats deep off the sides of the dock.

“Friday Harbor was a boom town driven by commercial fishing,” says Hertel, who is a former commercial fisherman and licensed Coast Guard captain. “One fisherman I know made $85,000 in one six-week sockeye season in 1973.” While the port is still home to a few fishing vessels, including crabbing, sea urchin and sea cucumber harvesters, the number of gill-netters has dropped to just one or two. Hertel adds, “That area is hardly used anymore. We’re thinking about reconfiguring that area in the future to accommodate the actual uses we see, but we will always provide access for commercial boats.”

The marina is the Port of Friday Harbor’s largest revenue-generating facility, with an operating budget of $2,500,000. Guest and permanent moorage together generate $1,890,000 annually, providing 88 percent of the port’s operating budget. Nearly 15,000 overnight boaters visit Friday Harbor each year, generating an estimated $3 million in revenue for island businesses. In 2015, commercial vessels brought 91,000 foot passengers through port facilities.