SEQUIM — Port of Port Angeles leaders past and present celebrated the 25th anniversary of John Wayne Marina, recalling the fractious debate over locating the marina in Sequim Bay and going through the port’s first federal and state environmental impact statements.

The process took eight years before construction began, former port Executive Director Jerry Hendricks told the port commissioners Monday during their meeting in the 280-slip marina’s conference room.

Hendricks started with the port in 1967 and began work on locating a marina on the East End in 1969 after many from the Sequim-Dungeness Valley voiced support.

The first eastern Clallam County marina site considered — but found unfeasible — was on former port land at the head of Dungeness Bay, near the site of today’s Clallam County’s Dungeness Landing park off Marine Drive.

Contacting the family

Hendricks recalled that several years passed before the family of the late actor John Wayne was contacted.

Before then, port officials had only laughed at the suggestion that Wayne would even consider “just giving that to us.”

“We didn’t have the money to buy the whole site . . . but a week later we got a call from California,” Hendricks said.

The port gave the Wayne family a tax break for the shore-land donation, and the port spent more than $1 million before construction began because of the permitting process.

The port was required to undergo federal and environmental impact statements at a time when it was a new concept,” Hendricks recalled.

“It was not a fun project, but it was a rewarding one.”

Bud Critchfield, a port commissioner from Sequim who saw the marina project through, said:

“It took a lot longer than we envisioned. It was quite a wrestling match.”

Critchfield, who joined port commissioners Chairman George Shoenfeldt in cutting the celebratory cakes after the port commissioners met Monday morning, said he used the marina until two years ago.

Steve Oliver was fresh out of law school and his boss, Frank Platt in Port Angeles, assigned the marina project to him.

Referring to the environmental impact statements, Oliver said:

“It was never done before with the [Army] Corps of Engineers.”

A consultant was hired after 1977 to help the port maneuver through the bureaucracy, he said.

“We ultimately ended up with this magnificent facility,” Oliver said.

First boat in marina

Bill Kuss, who said his was the first boat in the marina, recalled forming the Sequim Bay Yacht Club and the boat owners association to later get improvements made at the marina, such as power meters to boats.

“Many people didn’t want this marina built — so we won,” said Kuss, a career boat repair business owner on West Sequim Bay Road.

The jetty was installed first to keep water out, then the marina was dredged before the entrance was created, filling the marina with water so docks could be installed.

Louie Torres, a consulting engineer with Olympic Development Planning from Port Angeles who represents the Wayne family in their proposed resort on remaining property upland of the marina, told the port commissioners that “the Wayne family is still dedicated to the property.”

“They family remains extremely grateful that they had a part in the project,” Torres said.

Torres said the family still hopes to make access improvements the marina.

“We hope in the future that we will add pedestrian and bike access to make it a destination and more than just for boaters,” Torres said.

375-unit resort

The John Wayne family envisions a 375-unit resort development near John Wayne Marina, which is now going through the city of Sequim permitting process.

The proposed development comprises five subdivisions, including dozens of home sites north of Johnson Creek, a clustered housing tract, a hotel with 74 condominium-style units, 24 stream-side vacation cabins and a commercial strip south of the harbormaster’s office.

The Wayne family, based in Newport Beach, Calif., owns 166 acres where the resort would be built.

Wayne and the Wild Goose

John Wayne died of cancer at age 72 in 1979.

He had frequented Sequim Bay aboard his yacht ­– Wild Goose — and prior to his death “the Duke” had envisioned a marina in the scenic bay at Pitship Point.

Eventually, his vision became reality under the ownership and auspices of the Port of Port Angeles.

Today, the marina features permanent and guest moorage, marine services, a restaurant, showers, laundry and banquet facilities, and provides boat launch ramps, fuel facilities, public beach access and picnic areas.

John Wayne Marina was featured in the June 2003 issue of Sea magazine as “Best of the West” for small marinas.

Port Executive Director Jeff Robb said the marina has room for up to 300 slips, and he expects the Wayne development will add to the demand for slips.

The marina is 100 percent occupied during summer months and about 80 percent occupied in winter months, Robb said.

“It is yet to be built out with additional slips,” Robb said.

“As the market demand comes in, we are going to react to that market demand,” Robb said of the prospect for future reconfiguration and expansion of the marina’s moorage inside the jetty.

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.