Buy Local Campaign Chairman to be Guest Speaker at PABA meeting

The "Buy Local" campaign is sponsored by the Port Angeles Forward Committee. Mike Edwards, the campaign chairman, spoke last February at the Port Angeles Business Association's weekly meeting. At this Tuesday's meeting he'll be giving an update on the development of a website and other marketing strategies.

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.

Upcoming Forum on Architects’ Recommendations

This Tuesday there’ll be a forum to discuss the recommendations of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for improving Port Angeles. It will be at 6 p.m. in the Port Angeles City Council chambers, 321 East Fifth Street.

Port Angeles Forward will be reviewing the comments from this forum when they prepare their formal recommendation to the City Council.

The report of the AIA, which the city received last August, can be viewed here.

Downtown Bypass for Port Angeles

This idea has been kicking around for about 25 years, but with the nightmare traffic in downtown Port Angeles, the bypass has gotten a lot more appealing. But remember not to call it a bypass; it'll be the Truck Route.

The Port Angeles City Council and the Port Angeles Forward Committee are studying the feasibility. They're hoping for a short-term route that would use existing streets. The long-term route, if it's ever constructed, might connect the Deer Park area with the intersection of Routes 101 and 112.

Larry Williams, who serves on the City Council and Port Angeles Forward, said "we've beat on this issue as far as we can go."

Mayor Gary Braun said "hopefully this study will move the effort forward and it won't just sit on the shelf."

Do you think this is a good idea, or could it jeopardize downtown businesses by siphoning too many people away from downtown Port Angeles?