By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West delivered his State of the City address Wednesday during the PA Chamber’s luncheon at the Vern Burton Center.

West opened his address by talking about the future.

“At the City of Port Angeles, staff every day, City Council every day, are thinking about how we build a better future for the City of Port Angeles. How can we build a better future for our climate? How can we build a safer community? How can we build a community that provides adequate housing for everyone in Port Angeles? And I think those are really important starting points of how we’re building this community.”

West praised staff and the City Council for advancements made in four prioritized categories in the last few years. They are, creating more housing, commercial district enhancement, increasing City capacity, and the relationships developed with the business people and organizations sitting in the audience.

“And then finally, most important is the relationships that we have. We wouldn’t be successful as a city without all of you, and the many great relationships and partnerships that we build with you everyday and the different projects that we work on.”

West reported that the City’s financial stability and revenue streams were in good shape. He said the City has made advancements in filling out the Code Enforcement team, and he pointed out that both the Fire Department and the Police Department had overcome staffing issues, as well as the City overall.

“One of the biggest challenges that we’ve had, that I know so many of you have also had, and that’s been hiring. And so, if you look back over the last year, the great resignation all of the hiring challenges, it’s been a really difficult time. We had over 65 vacancies at the City of Port Angeles, and we’ve been able to fill 52 of those thanks to the hard work of our Human Resources Division. That’s a big deal. That’s over 20 percent of our workforce, and it’s really difficult to keep up. But we’re there and ultimately, we’ve been able to do a great number of hires over the past year.”

West ended his presentation by talking about what’s new in town, and listed several of the new businesses that have opened recently in the downtown district.

“And what I love about all of these is, it has all of our local creativity and diversity. It’s not just your standard chain stores. We’re seeing diversity in this community that surpasses so many other communities throughout Washington State and throughout the nation. So, I want to make sure all of us commit to keeping this momentum going. All of you, staff, city council, we’re offering what Port Angeles looks like in the future. And that really matters. That we’re all contributing to that long-term effort.”