By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – The effort to build a Joint Public Safety Facility that would house PenCom’s 911 Center and the County’s Emergency Operations Center has hit another snag.
The proposed site on Port of Port Angeles property near the airport has been taken off the table by Port officials. That means County Commissioners and the Port Angeles City Council, it would appear, are back to square one.
We asked Port Commissioner Connie Beauvais why the airport site is no longer an option.
“The spot where they wanted to use is the most prime piece of industrial property that we have, and the market rate of that is way more than the County would want to to pay for it. But it’s something that we would have to charge because of FAA. FAA says, “You have to charge market rate within this boundary or we’re not going to give you any funds.” And we’re looking at trying to rehabilitate 5,200 feet of runway and, you know, we can’t take a chance of losing that.”
Finding the right location has been in discussion for some 3 years, and there are state funds available to help pay for construction, but those funds won’t be available indefinitely. In the meantime, costs have increased substantially for what has been estimated to be a $10 million facility.
Beauvais says County Commissioner Randy Johnson looked at some other options on Port property, but no decision has been made.
“I will say that we have shown them what is available and what we can give them a good rate on. And it was my understanding that Randy was interested in at least one of them, and I thought that at least one of them was going to be on the short list. And so, I would be disappointed if there was not a site selected on Port property, but as a community member, at or near the airport is what’s important.”
We spoke with Commissioner Johnson about that alternate Port property, but he says he’s waiting for some additional information before getting too serious about it. Meanwhile, he says, the County does have other options.
“We have a private property that’s come forward. We’ve got another property that the County owns, close enough to the airport to make sense, that might facilitate everything we’re doing. And the City Council, and the County Commissioners are going to go visit each one, these sites, with hopefully some numbers behind it, you know. Anyway, we’re looking at a whole bunch of alternatives right now, and that’s all I can say.”
As for the City’s position in all this, City Manager Nathan West hinted that the Port property may not be as “off the table” as it sounds, but agrees that a number of alternatives will be considered.
“I wouldn’t even go so far as to say the Port site is off the table. I think ultimately what we’re working on right now, both City and County, is arriving at a short list of additional sites to do further evaluation on. And the goal is to get that short list completed, so that ultimately we can have a joint meeting and take an opportunity to make sure Commissioners, who ultimately are the county decision makers, are meeting with City Council, the City decision-makers, and getting a good meeting where we communicate about a number of things.”
Whatever is decided, we’re still, at best, 2-3 years from moving into a new facility. And no piece of property is a sure thing, when you factor in the need to pass geological and environmental assessments before breaking ground. Commissioner Johnson is feeling the sense of urgency.
“You know, we’re to the point where we need to sit down and make a decision and move forward. So, after several years, I would hope so, right? And I believe we’ll be able to do that. But, you know, again, working with the myriad of agencies, I mentioned the Port, the County, the City, what everyone needs to focus on is what’s for the greatest good of all the citizens of this county. And hopefully everyone stays focused on that.”