PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park will reopen its visitor center today and staff will return to work Monday to begin preparing other areas, now that the partial federal government shutdown has ended, at least for three weeks.
Hurricane Ridge winter operations are expected to resume on Friday, said Penny Wagner, park spokesperson.
“The park asks for patience as employees work to reopen facilities and operations in a manner that is safe for them and the public,” she said in an email on Saturday.
“There is a lot of storm debris, downed tree removal, and safety checks that must be completed.”
President Donald Trump announced on Friday, the 35th day of a partial federal government shutdown that an agreement had been reached with Congress. He later signed a bill to fund government for three weeks, through Feb. 15, while he and members of Congress negotiate wall funding.
Trump wants a government spending bill to include $5.7 billion for a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Congressional Democrats have said they will not approve that.
Most of the 100 or so Olympic National Park employees on furlough during the shutdown are expected back at work Monday, Wagner said. They will join the approximately 20 who have been working without pay, said Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor on Friday.
Hurricane Ridge Road has been plowed during the shutdown, Taylor said.
“Everything will be open as normal,” she said.
No information was available as of Saturday about skiing availability at Hurricane Ridge through the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club.
“The park extends a special thank-you to our local communities who provided incredible support over the last 35 days for our NPS family,” Wagner said.
The Olympic National Forest Service posted a notice on its website that furloughed employees would return to work on their next regularly scheduled work days.
Fears it won’t last
News of the end of the shutdown was greeted with relief and fears for the future nationwide.
On the Peninsula, the Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) based in Port Angeles will continue to accept donations for Coast Guard members and their families who have been furloughed or are working without pay, according to Jacob Linder, president of the nonprofit association’s local branch.
He echoed the uncertainty expressed by many in the nation.
“We’re going to just plan to continue to help out until we’re sure the shutdown is completely over,” Linder said Friday,
The next regular payday for Coast Guard personnel is Feb. 1. The following payday is Feb. 15.
About 300 active duty Coast Guard members are on the North Olympic Peninsula, working in Port Angeles, Neah Bay, La Push and Port Townsend. Add in their families, and the nonprofit CPOA has helped about 1,000 people so far, Linder said.
The CPOA has distributed donated food from a pantry open four hours each weekday on the base. It also has distributed gift cards, which have been especially helpful for gasoline and groceries, Linder said.
“We will continue helping people even after the shutdown is over, as needed,” Linder said. “Year-round we have events to raise money and assist members but on much smaller scale.”
Community donations
Linder said that donations had poured in from all across the Peninsula.
“Port Townsend has been very generous to their one Coast Guard boat,” the Osprey, he said. In Port Angeles, some people even came to the gates of the Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook to ask what they could do.
“It’s been very humbling and very awesome the way the community is coming together to help the Coast Guard members,” Linder said.
Donations not used for Coast Guard personnel and their families will go back to the community, probably to food banks such as those in Sequim and Port Angeles, which have been very generous, Linder said.
Food banks on Friday were looking to stay prepared for anything.
“I’m thrilled that there will be some relief for people,” said Shirley Moss, director of the Port Townsend Food Bank. “I also know in three weeks everything can start all over.”
Moss said she had just ordered more than 5,000 pounds of food to stock up in anticipation of more people needing food.
Preparing for worst
“I’m preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” she said.
On average, the food bank serves about 100 senior families on Saturdays and about 250 families on Wednesdays, although the number varies throughout the month.
Moss is concerned that the early distribution of food stamps for February on Jan. 20 could result in some people being short of food early next month.
“I think what’s going to happen is that the second week of February, we’ll really see them coming in,” Moss said.
The Port Angeles Food Bank has provided two distributions only for federal employees impacted by the shutdown and could possibly do another, said Kevin Perry, warehouse manager.
About 40 federal employee families came to the food bank each day. In addition, regular distribution days have drawn new clients, people who have never come to the food bank before, Perry said.
He said the numbers using the food bank had increased during the shutdown, although he lacked exact figures.
“My hope is the numbers will start to decline,” he said. But “if there’s a need, we will fulfill it.”
Others continued fundraising activities.
A gofundme site created Jan. 17 by Port Townsend resident Debora Mead for Coast Guard personnel had raised $7,600 of an $11,000 goal as of noon Saturday. The site is at https://tinyurl.com/PDN-Fund-CG.
On Friday, a statewide food drive began at Albertsons and Safeway stores, including the Safeways in Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles, said Jordan Rubin, communications director of Northwest Harvest of Seattle, which is facilitating the drive to replenish food banks.
Bins are available for shoppers to donate food for food banks.
”We’re letting the food banks and grocery stores work together on managing” the food drive, which has no end-date set now.
RE/MAX Prime at 901 W. Washington St., in Sequim has extended its donation collections for Coast Guard personnel through the end of the week. Donations are accepted at the office from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Local families can use cash or checks made out to CPOA (The Chief Petty Officers Association), gift cards and grocery items, diapers, wipes and non-perishable food.
Businesses all over the Peninsula donated to help federal employees, with some providing extra perks. Banks and other agencies also offered help.
The state’s Congressional delegation — all Democrats — quickly responded to the end of the shutdown.
“This announcement is the first piece of good news 800,000 public servants have received in more than a month,” said Congressman Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor.
“But there will be lasting economic consequences in our region from this shutdown.”
Kilmer, who represents the 6th Congressional district — which includes the North Olympic Peninsula — counted some of the consequences.
“Coast Guard families have had to live under the stress of not knowing from where their next meal will come,” Kilmer said.
“The nonprofit group that operates the ski slopes at Hurricane Ridge has lost more than 40 percent of its season, which will not be repaid.
“The maintenance backlog in our national parks got even worse.
“The timber sale season, which tribes are counting on for annual revenue, has come and is nearly gone.
“And prison guards, air traffic controllers and TSA agents have been keeping us safe while worrying about whether or not they can afford prescriptions, child care, mortgages, rent and gas while working without pay.”
Sen. Patty Murray of Seattle agreed about the toll the shutdown had taken on the nation and blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress.
“I am hoping that President Trump and his Republican allies have learned a lesson from this and will choose to work with Democrats in good faith instead of playing more political games or trying to govern by tantrum,” she said.
Said Kilmer: “Shutting down the government is damaging and dumb. … The government should never have closed over a policy disagreement, and it’s on every member of Congress and the president to ensure this doesn’t happen again in three weeks — or, frankly, ever.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Senior Report Paul Gottlieb contributed to this story.
