I was just looking at the 2008 end of the year article and it reflected back on several accomplishments and many of the activities that occurred at the Port of Kingston in the year just finished. This year we can see that the port has made a substantial leap forward.

As we began 2009, the new grass was growing on the new hard surface lawn that parallels the sidewalk between our guest dock and the restrooms. This year, that lawn feels like it has been there forever. This year has been one of getting things done.

A year of projects

We started with a project to replace the old “ditch” type storm water filtration system with a new state of the art system that allowed us to fill in the little canyon and create another acre of park area.

While the new grass was growing we were designing and building a new floating kayak facility for paddlers to store their non-motorized craft in. This project was constructed off site in Port Gamble by Caicos Construction Company and floated down on a calm July afternoon to become a new and enjoyable part of our marina. The facility is used daily by our kayaking neighbors.

With the Fourth of July approaching quickly, we designed and engaged Homeland Construction to build a new performing arts stage as a centerpiece for Mike Wallace Park. This structure stands as an iconic pavilion telling new people and visitors to our town that this is a place where things happen. Music and performances of all types have since taken place on the stage and it will be enjoyed by our citizens for many years to come. There have already been two weddings performed there.

As summer ended, we needed more storage for vehicles and equipment. A little temporary storage building was placed on the north east edge of our parking lot. This is a temporary structure and its replacement will be considered in our next phase master planning project.

Remembering Mike Bookey

Early in the year, the Port of Kingston was touched with great sadness when Port Manager Mike Bookey passed away suddenly. Mike had been involved in so many projects that he envisioned as making Kingston a better place to live. We all miss Mike and his even tempered way of getting things done.

As the first Concerts on the Cove entertainment was about to begin, we unveiled a beautifully etched stone dedicating the new stage structure to Mike’s memory.

Getting the passenger ferry service between Kingston and Seattle were foremost in Mike’s visions and that project remains the focus down at the port. Last month the board voted two-to-one to continue the project. We are now seriously looking to purchase a boat.

It is looking like a used vessel will probably be the first in our fleet as the time limitations on our federal grant at this point does not allow for construction of a new one. Both Commissioner Bissonnette and I have traveled to Long Beach, Calif. to check out a candidate. It is a well built and nearly new catamaran and would suit our purposes well and provide the fuel economy we are looking for. There are a couple more around that we are looking at and a decision will probably be made within a month or so.

A busy year ahead

Looking ahead to 2010, we still have a lot on our plate.

Beginning with the guest dock, we are refurbishing and performing major maintenance on our floating plant. We will be replacing lots of piling and updating electrical plumbing and light systems. We are doing the guest dock first because in these projects, there is some interruption of electrical service and this works better on an empty guest dock in the winter.

The other permanent resident docks will be done as spring and summertime projects. We will keep you posted on those schedules so you can plan accordingly. We will be organizing our Master Plan Citizens Committee early in 2010 so if you are interested, stay tuned.

It looks like I am getting pretty close to the edge of the paper here so I had better sign off. In doing so, once again on behalf of Harbor Master Willis Hill, the entire Port of Kingston staff and Commissioners Tom Coultas and Marc Bissonnette and myself I would like to wish everyone in the port district a wonderful holiday season and best of everything in the new year as we finish out the first decade of the millennium

As always, thanks for reading this stuff, I will be seeing you around town.

Pete DeBoer is a Port of Kingston Commissioner. He can be reached at pete@petedeboer.com.