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."

Harbor-Works Will Either Acquire Rayonier Site or Dissolve

That was the message to the Chamber of Commerce from Harbor-Works board member Kaj Ahlburg.

Harbor-Works hopes to acquire the Rayonier property and speed up the cleanup and redevelopment of the site. But if Harbor-Works is unable to work out an agreement for acquiring the property, it will dissolve by the end of the summer.

Ahlburg said: "Which path we end up taking may well be one the most important decisions affecting the city's economic future within a generation."

Funding for Harbor-Works: What Would Tim Eyman Do?

Tim Eyman is probably too busy with the rest of Washington to be aware of the Harbor-Works controversy raging in Port Angeles.

But based on his anti-tax initiatives that have already been passed, and the self-reliance and fiscal responsibility that his supporters are always clamoring for, one can imagine what Tim Eyman would say about public funding for Harbor-Works: Taxpayer funding for Harbor-Works can continue if — and ONLY if — at least two thirds of Port Angeles voters agree to raise their own taxes to pay for Harbor-Works.

Right???

Harbor-Works Cleared Again by State Auditor's Office

The city and port did not break any laws when the Port Angeles Harbor-Works Development Authority was created two years ago. The Auditor's Office made this determination last May, and they confirmed their findings again yesterday.

The audit was a result of concerns raised by Port Angeles residents Norma Turner and Shirley Nixon over the legality of Harbor-Works' formation.

Kaj Ahlburg Selected for Harbor-Works Vacancy

The Port of Port Angeles commissioners have voted unanimously to appoint Kaj Ahlburg to the Harbor-Works Development Authority board. He was formerly an attorney and a Wall Street banker.

He’ll be replacing Bart Irwin, who resigned in December.

Three Candidates for Harbor-Works Vacancy

The Port of Port Angeles has selected three finalists for the position vacated by Bart Irwin when he resigned from Harbor-Works in December.

Grant Munro, Harry Bell, and Kaj Ahlburg have been invited to give a short presentation at the next Port of Port Angeles meeting on January 25th.

Port Commissioner John Calhoun said: “It isn't an interview per se. We just want to hear why they want to be on the board.”

Harbor-Works Being Reviewed By State Again

The State Auditor’s Office is again planning to review whether Harbor-Works was created illegally.

According to spokeswoman Mindy Chambers, the Auditor’s Office has received new information which might change their previous conclusion that had cleared the City and Port of Port Angeles of any wrongdoing.

Port Angeles residents Shirley Nixon and Norma Turner, who filed the earlier complaint about Harbor-Works, have provided the new information which has caused the State Auditor’s Office to re-examine the issue.

They’re alleging that the city and port both violated the state Open Public Meetings Act when Harbor-Works was created in May of 2008.

City Council Candidates Discuss Rayonier

Four Port Angeles City Council candidates discussed the Rayonier property yesterday at a Rotary Club meeting. The candidates were:

Brooke Nelson and Deputy Mayor Betsy Wharton (incumbent) — Position 4; and Patrick Downie and Harry Bell — Position 3. They’re both running for the seat being vacated by Karen Rogers.

Downie said the city should be a “facilitator” for returning the Rayonier site to productive use. For future use of the property, he said he foresees a tribal cultural center and the restoration of Ennis Creek.

Bell said the city should “make hurdles into stepping stones” and keep the site on track for future development. He said redevelopment needs to happen soon but he didn’t specify what he’d like to see there.

Wharton said the city — through Harbor-Works — should hold Rayonier’s and Ecology’s “feet to the fire” to get the site cleaned up. She said she’d like to see a tribal cultural center and a biomass operation on the property.

Nelson said she supports Harbor-Works and said “time is of the essence” for getting the Rayonier site redeveloped. She said a market analysis of the land — funded by Harbor-Works — should determine the future use of the site.