POULSBO — The sight of Argosy and other cruise ships in Liberty Bay could become commonplace if the Port of Poulsbo’s expansion plans are successful.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Mayor Kathryn Quade said. “What’s good for the port is good for Poulsbo.”

Those comments came after Port of Poulsbo Marina manager Kirk Stickle gave the Poulsbo City Council an overview of the proposed changes at Wednesday night’s meeting.

“We are working with (the Washington State) Department of Natural Resources to expand our harbor lines,” Stickle said. The expansion of the port’s inner and outer harbor lines is the first step in the overall marina improvements. “Once we get this done, then everything else will begin to fall in place.”

Project engineer Shane Phillips said the enhancements could cost several million dollars, but additional studies must occur before the exact cost is determined.

Stickle said the project also includes a floating breakwater, expanded moorage and a new floating attenuator (a device that reduces the strength of audio signals). The marina’s guest moorage slips are booked every weekend through the end of October, so there is an obvious need for more capacity at the marina, he said.

The exact location of the new breakwater has yet to be determined, but it will be a significant upgrade from the current aging structure, port commissioners Tony DeCarlo and Arnold Bockus agreed.

“We had to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to keep spending money on fixing the breakwater or invest in a new one?’” DeCarlo said.

In the past, the port has had to replace about 30 creosote poles annually to maintain the breakwater, but state environmental agencies have frowned upon that practice, he said.

One of the major benefits of having a floating breakwater is that it will allow the entire bay — marina included — to flush itself with the tidal flows, Bockus said.

“If we could get it flowing with the tide, the large fish would be back,” he said.

But in order for the port to complete its expansion, it needs ownership of Net Shed Park, which is currently a city park, Stickle said.

The high-bank park is the ideal location for the mooring for larger cruise ships and access from the water to the land, he said.

“At Net Shed Park we would expand the useful space two or three times,” he said.

Residents in the area would have more access to the water, and water-based tourists would have access to the city along Fjord Drive, Stickle said.

Quade said she’d had prior discussions with the port commissioners about the transfer of Net Shed Park and urged the council to give the idea serious consideration.

“I think it would be a great partnership to get in to,” said Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey.

The city currently isn’t planning to make any improvements to the park, so the port’s interest could have a positive impact, she said.

Councilman Jeff McGinty said one of the goals when the park was created was to have beach access.

“This is a great opportunity to do that,” he said.

While expressing his support of the project, Councilman Ed Stern said the council needs to ensure the public is involved.

“I love the idea, but I’m not living next door,” he said. “We’re committed to public participation.”