By RICHARD D. OXLEY
roxley@northkitsapherald.com

POULSBO — A Kitsap County court awarded the Port of Poulsbo legal fees resulting from the eviction of a boathouse from its marina.

“We didn’t get as much as we asked for, but they did grant us some,” Port Manager Brad Miller said.

“We asked for a little over $23,000 initially, and they granted us $14,350.”

The fees were racked up as the port went through a two-year process evicting John Zetty’s boat and boathouse from its marina. A portion of the fees were from legal action the port took to evict Zetty, who also sued the port for wrongful eviction. The court ultimately backed the port’s eviction.

“After going through the lawsuit he brought against us, we finally prevailed at the end of all of it,” Miller said. “It accumulated quite a bit of attorney fees. We went to the court asking for relief and the court has granted us relief.”

The boathouse eviction entered into public view when removal of the floating structure during high winds resulted in collisions with other boats at the marina. The boathouse then became loose and blew freely through Liberty Bay. The boathouse was damaged and eventually was anchored in the middle of Liberty Bay for two months before being towed to Gorst in December.

Miller said nothing is certain yet, but the port may have an offer to fill the vacant boathouse slip at the marina from another boathouse owner. “It’s not common to move them around, but this guy is in a position to move his, and so he’s looking for a place to put it,” Miller said.