By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – There’s been an uproar on social media recently about the planned replacement of the Laurel Street Stairs in Port Angeles, which is used to connect uptown to the downtown shopping district. At a stakeholder meeting held at City Hall on June 26, a design consultant presented an initial plan that would include the removal of the mural and the memorial fountain at the bottom of the stairs and a total re-design of the plaza. On Friday, City officials made it clear that planners are nowhere near making such a decision, and won’t do so without ample public input.

The June 26 meeting was attended by City staff, members of the ElevatePA downtown group, and others. When word got out that the consultant had suggested removing the mural and the fountain as part of the stair replacement project, many people took that to mean that it was a done deal.

On Friday, City Manager Nathan West sent us an email to “address inaccuracies and present the facts.”

West pointed out that the City Council authorized the Laurel Street Stair Replacement Project in the City’s Capital Facilities and Transportation Improvement Plan, but that just directed staff to begin design development working with a consultant.

City Council has not yet been involved in the design process, and it hasn’t been discussed in detail during a Council meeting or at any City Board, Commission or Committee Meeting.

That means they’re a long way from holding a Public Hearing for the stair project, which will include ample notice to the public through your news sources and to all community members who have signed up for relevant city news flashes.

West emphasized that the new stair design and its various aspects are still under review and consideration, and that no final design decisions have been made. He said a design that could impact the fountain or mural is just one alternative being considered.