Bubble Building Still Looking for a Home

The Port Angeles City Council has voted to postpone a decision on where to put our “free” albatross, the Bubble Building. It probably wouldn’t look right to finance a portable indoor arena for a few hockey moms while William Shore Memorial Pool — used by hundreds of residents — is in danger of closing.

Karen Rogers made the motion to postpone the decision because there are still too many unanswered questions. She said “I’m perplexed frankly why it was brought specifically to us, knowing these questions are not resolved.”

James Schouten from Friends of the Fieldhouse said all of the City Council’s questions had been answered or would soon be answered. Mayor Gary Braun then declared Schouten out of order for interrupting the City Council’s discussion.

The Bubble Building is still in storage while it waits for a home. Erickson Park is the most likely location if and when funding gets resolved. Other possible locations include Volunteer Park near the airport.

A Prison for Port Angeles?

Mayor Gary Braun mentioned the possibility of building a prison in Port Angeles. Prisons are a necessary evil but do we want one here?

According to the mayor it could create up to 300 new jobs. But is this the image we want for Port Angeles? As Karen Rogers said: “It’s just not a good fit for this community.”

City Councilman Larry Williams said he's heard from lots of people about the idea. “They told me we already have a prison in Clallam Bay, and they would just as soon leave it out there and expand it if needed.”

What do you think?

New Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Port Angeles

On January 15th the Port Angeles City Council will select the next Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Port Angeles.

I've lived here 3½ years and I never knew the mayor was selected by the city council and not the voters. I guess it should've been obvious, since I've never seen any posters or banners for Karen Rogers, or “Vote for _____________ for Mayor.”

Any speculation on who they’ll select?

A Chance for the MV Coho?

Civic leaders from Port Angeles and Victoria (including Karen Rogers and Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe) will meet this Friday. They're hoping to save the Coho's landing facilities in Victoria's Inner Harbour. Let's hope they come up with something, since Port Angeles and Victoria are both heavily dependent on ferry traffic between the two cities.

The meeting will take place on the ferry and at the Landing Restaurant.

Karen Rogers said: "Not only is it important to us, it should be very important to them. It puts $500,000 in their town, a tremendous value to Victoria. I'm not sure they understand the economic impact if the Coho moves to Sidney."

The meeting will also include getting maximum tourism out of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and encouraging more tourists to take "two-nation vacations."

Here are some links (already given in an earlier post):

If you want to e-mail the mayor and/or city council of Victoria, you can do that here. And here is a link for writing a letter to the editor of the Victoria Times Colonist.

Here is the main website for the Victoria Times Colonist. And be sure to check out Vibrant Victoria — a forum for Victoria issues. There are quite a few posts and comments there regarding the Coho. The two cities are both affected by a lot of the same issues; hopefully there can be more interaction.

Here is an online petition for keeping the MV Coho in Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Growth in Clallam County

As you’ve probably read in the PDN (the articles aren't available online), there's been a showdown over growth between Clallam County and the City of Port Angeles.

Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman is in favor of rural growth zones known as Limited Areas of More Intensive Rural Development (LAMIRDs). Some of these rural growth zones include Deer Park Road at Rt. 101; Bell Hill near Sequim; and the Hungry Bear Café in Beaver.

Port Angeles City Planner Nathan West and City Manager Mark Madsen are opposed to any new urban development outside of incorporated cities. Mayor Karen Rogers is in favor of preserving the current LAMIRDs but is against enlarging them (according to what Mike Chapman said.)

To make everything even more complicated, a Seattle-based environmental group called Futurewise is suing Clallam County for failing to comply with Washington’s Growth Management Act.

Where is all this going? What do YOU think?