POULSBO — The Port of Poulsbo is reviewing its Comprehensive Plan and building its next six-year plan, which is due at the end of the year.
However, many of the projects laid out from 2006-12 were not completed.
Among the goals of the Comprehensive Plan were several maintenance items — replacing the breakwater, power panels and access ramps — as well as a vision for the port to have a more upland presence and implement an online reservation system for moorage.
The commissioners discussed what else they’d like to work on in the next six years at a special meeting on March 12.
Port Manager Kirk Stickels could not address the last Comprehensive Plan’s projects as he has been on leave since January. He will return in April, and maintenance technician Brad Miller has been acting harbormaster.
Miller said he was aware of what projects have and have not been done since he was hired in 2007, and would have expected more to be completed by now.
Commission Chairman Tony DeCarlo said some of the projects were put aside because of lack of grant funding, and some because more “critical” projects needed to be completed.
However, the port had set aside money in the past for some of these capital improvement projects. When the projects weren’t completed, the funds were transferred into the general fund. For example, in 2008, $105,500 was set aside for pile replacement that has not been completed.
The port is in the process of completing some of the items from the Comprehensive Plan — the power panels have been replaced, and a rudimentary online reservation system has been implemented. DeCarlo also suggested replacing the bathrooms and moving the breakwater out 100 feet. Commissioners agreed the port could do more to target boaters and tourism during the winter off-season, which led to a preliminary discussion of how the port could expand.
The dock pilings need to be replaced with steel pilings, and commissioners agreed the port should try and reconfigure the moorage slips to accommodate larger boats at the same time.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of adding mooring buoys or a mooring field further out into Liberty Bay as a way to increase visitors and capital.
With capacity for larger boats, Commissioners Jim Rutledge and DeCarlo suggested Poulsbo could be an “ideal” sidetrip for Seattle tourboats.
“We are a destination port,” Commissioner Arnie Bockus added.
To bring the plan up-to-date, Rutledge also suggested bringing in a consultant to help format the plan. The port would also hold public workshops and public hearings before approving the plan.
However, the commissioners are making this a priority — completing a detailed Comprehensive Plan would bolster their suggestions for the city’s Shoreline Master Program, with which the port has many issues. The Shoreline Master Program is a state-required plan that regulates development and uses in shoreline areas.
