PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners on Tuesday delayed declaring an emergency for the flood-damaged Clallam Bay Community Park, saying state parks officials will first have to review damage and weigh in on the issue.

Commissioners are expected to revisit Clallam Bay residents’ request during next Tuesday’s meeting.

County Public Works Director Craig Jacobs and Parks Director Joel Winborn on Tuesday afternoon took Jim Neill, Washington State Parks maintenance and preservation manager, on a tour of the park.

The 30-acre waterfront greenbelt, which locals fondly call the “jewel” of Clallam Bay, recently sustained serious damage from river flooding, stormy seas and extreme high tides.

The county and state parks system co-manage the park, with the county owning and maintaining the parking lot and restrooms and the state owning the land.

“We are committed to this property,” Neill said after the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday. “We give the county money every year to maintain that property and we want to continue that.”

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