Sprint Boat Race Track Gets Clearance

The Army Corps of Engineers has given clearance to the investors who want to build a sprint boat racing course in Port Angeles. Their next step is to apply for a permit from the city.

The group of investors is called the Dan Morrison Group. They purchased the South Fairchild Industrial Park, 113 acres, from the Port of Port Angeles in 2008. When the course is built, there will be two sprint boat races per year. Each race is expected to draw 5,000 people. According to Dan Morrison, this should pump $500,000 into the local economy with each race.

More News From Rayonier

Rayonier has decided not to sell its Port Angeles property to Harbor-Works. Rayonier Vice President Michael Herman sent a letter to Harbor-Works saying that the company has "no further interest in pursuing a transaction with HW [Harbor-Works] at this time."

Harbor-Works is planning a last ditch effort to acquire the Rayonier property. Jeff Lincoln wants to meet with representatives from the Department of Ecology and the Governor's office to try getting financial support from the Department of Ecology. He said:

"The crux of the issue for us right now is: will the state support the Harbor-Works approach to a cleanup that starts the action within the next two years instead of some indeterminate time in the future?"

Harbor-Works board member Jim Hallett said:

"We need Ecology to say whether [they] will help the community or not. If they won't, we're done."

Olympic Medical Center Revenue Under Budget

Olympic Medical Center's net revenue is $2.3 million under budget for the year.

OMC CEO Eric Lewis said this recession is affecting health care more than previous recessions did. He said:

"You used to say recessions didn't affect health care too much, and I think in some of the earlier recessions we had in like '91 and 2001, health care wasn't as affected. But I think this is a much deeper recession. Both Medicare and Medicaid are cutting back on what they can pay us — private sector insurance and individuals — it's a serious economic situation we're in."

Petition Against Taxpayer Funding of Rayonier Cleanup

So far more than 400 people have signed a petition against any tax money used for the acquisition and/or cleanup of the former Rayonier mill site.

The petition was circulated by Citizens for Fiscal Restraint & Public Accountability and has been presented to the Port Angeles City Council. The petition was presented to the City Council by Port Angeles resident John Ford, who said:

"The Harbor-Works board does not represent us. We do not want Harbor-Works involved in the future decisions about the Rayonier property or its cleanup." Another Port Angeles resident, Paul Lamoreux, added:

"There must be a solution where we don't get stuck with the cleanup of the property."

The petition was started by local resident Norma Turner, who said:

"We want to let them know that there is a part of the community that they are not representing."

So far Harbor-Works has received $1.5 million in public funding.

Fire at Parker Paint

There was a fire at the Parker Paint building, 201 East Front Street, early this evening.

The fire broke out in the paint mixing area on the first floor. At 6:30 p.m., firefighters were still at the scene, with no traffic being allowed on Lincoln Street north of Front.

Clallam County Seeking Applicants

Clallam County is seeking applicants for the Building Code Board of Appeals and other committees.

There are also openings at the:

Agricultural Commission;

Boundary Review Board;

Carlsborg Community Advisory Council;

Chemical Dependency and Mental Health Program Fund Advisory Board;

Clallam Bay-Sekiu Sewer Advisory Committee;

Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee;

Marine Resource Committee;

Permit Advisory Board;

Public Health Advisory Committee.

Applications are available Here. The filing deadline is July 22nd.

New Name, New Destination for Port Townsend-Whidbey Ferry

The MV Salish will be in service within the next year. Combined with the MV Chetzemok, there will be two ferries running between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island for the first time since 2007.

And the ferries will now go to Coupeville instead of Keystone.

Harbor-Works: "Serious Meetings" Coming Up

The Harbor-Works Board had a 2-hour executive session yesterday. Executive Director Jeff Lincoln said he plans to have "serious meetings" over the next few weeks:

"I'll be spending a lot of time with the Department of Ecology to try and determine what we can do. I'll make sure to keep the board and public apprised as we move forward."

Port Angeles attorney Shirley Nixon told the Board: "If the public knew what you knew, you might have a lot of help trying to convince Rayonier that they would be fortunate to palm off the property into public hands. Public knowledge of the deliberations would only help the price."

City Manager Asks Newcomers For Their Opinions

The Port Angeles City Manager, Kent Myers, has called up 43 people who recently moved to Port Angeles, to find out why they moved here, and what they think are the pros and cons of living in Port Angeles.

And speaking of public opinion, don’t forget to fill out that survey form that came with your last utility bill. If you think maintaining street lights is more important than funding the Rayonier cleanup (or vice versa), let the city know.

Emergency Situation at Port Angeles City Pier

The PDN doesn’t have anything about this. But the hundreds of people at last night’s Concert On The Pier must have been wondering WTF was going on.

A man was swimming back and forth between the pier and a boat about forty feet away. One person said he was trying to pull the boat ashore, even though the boat was anchored. Somebody else said he was just trying to pull himself up into the boat, but he was too exhausted and wasn’t able to.

Two or three police cars and an ambulance drove onto the pier. Several police officers eventually coaxed the man out of the water and helped him up onto the dock. He fell back into the water and was helped out again. They eventually got him up the gangplank, onto the pier and into the ambulance.

It seemed like he was in the ambulance for quite awhile before they left. The ambulance eventually took off — no sirens or flashing lights or anything.

Does anybody else know any more about this?

Clallam County Surplus Goods Available Online

Next week Clallam County will have an online auction for some of its surplus property. This will include vehicles, tools and other items.

These items will be available on the County's website.

Keeping Hurricane Ridge Road Open Year Around

People who want to keep Hurricane Ridge Road open all year will have to raise $75,000 by August 15th. That amount, plus $250,000 already available from the National Park Service, would keep the road open all winter. The road would still be closed about 20% of the time because of avalanche dangers and other unforeseeable weather conditions.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Port Angeles Forward Committee are leading the drive to raise the $75,000. Hopefully, local hotels, restaurants and other businesses will benefit from the increased number of visitors to the area if the road is open all winter.

The Winter Wildlands Alliance is also in favor of this. A spokesperson for the group says "Our aim is to ensure a safe, quiet, tranquil experience for every winter wildlands adventurer, now and always" and thinks Hurricane Ridge fits in perfectly with the group's mission.

$1.2 Million Deficit for Port Angeles

City Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski has told the City Council it might have to reduce spending by $1.1 million to $1.2 million in order to balance next year's general fund.

The main causes of the deficit are reduced sales tax revenue — down 2% from the first quarter of 2009 — and increases in District Court and jail costs and the cost of medical insurance for employees.

Enclosed with your next utility bill will be a survey asking you to rank the importance of the city's programs and projects.