Board approves spending for Seaport Authority, city grant

Board members of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority authorized the expenditure of a $390,000 grant awarded to the authority and city by the state Department of Ecology in a special meeting Tuesday evening.

The city and Seaport Authority jointly applied and were awarded $390,000 in grant money. The authority is managing the grant, which is targeted at environmental testing and planning for the land and shoreline that stretches from the authority boundary to the east past the former Pakonen Boatyard property, and west to the border of government-owned property near the Chehalis bridge.

The Seaport is on the former Weyerhaeuser Sawmill property on the south bank of the Chehalis. The shoreline along the entire area belongs to the state Department of Natural Resources and is still leased to Weyerhaeuser. The authority aims to takeover that lease in March of 2015.

A budget with specific costs was accidentally left out of the document packet at the last regular meeting, so the board conditionally approved the expenditure then upon seeing the numbers. After members were briefed, they voted unanimously to authorize spending the money.

Seaport Landing is the home to the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain and is envisioned as a multi-purpose recreational and business-oriented property that will eventually generate revenue to sustain much of its operation.

The tests will assess where the properties stand environmentally and provide information as to how best to proceed with a preliminary master plan for the area.

The assessment will dictate whether the land can, for example, be paved for a parking lot or used as a launching site where people might wade into the water and mud, Bolton said.

The boatyard is still in private hands and has been up for sale. The owners gave their permission to have the land tested. The city may or may not plan to purchase the former boatyard, pending the outcome of the testing.

So far, the authority has paid out $80,200 of the grant on sediment sampling, paint chip testing and concept planning as well as project management, said Alan Gozart of Harbor Architects. They are still at work on a sediment work plan, he added. Another $88,500 will be spent on the boatyard property.

The planning portion covers just under half the grant’s proposed spending and includes conceptual planning, mapping of existing conditions, market analysis, public outreach and communications as well as funding strategy.

The board, on a motion by Board Member Al Carter, approved the expenditures unanimously.

The board also approved a motion to reimburse Gozart for up to 15 hours a month for an amount not to exceed $1,875. The contract will last a year.

The meeting took just under and hour. Also present were board members Price Chenault, Alex Kluh, Paul O’Brien, Robbie Myers, Laura Rust, Dave Cottrell and board chairman Dave Douglass. Scott Reynvaan and Tim Howden participated by phone.