PORT TOWNSEND — The Fort Worden Public Development Authority deferred approval of the final PROS report and a financial impact study to a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
The 120-page document had only been received hours before the meeting.
“I’ve looked at all of the prior iterations of the [PROS] report, but I’ve not seen it all together before, and this is what’s going public,” board Chair David King said during the PDA’s monthly board meeting Tuesday. “I would like a little more time to digest it.”
The report, compiled by PROS Consulting, addresses a comprehensive list of challenges the fort is facing and offers strategies for overcoming them.
Included are analyses in number areas where the PDA failed to effectively manage the park in the past. Noted among them were a flawed business plan, lack of transparency and potentially even understanding operations, and insufficient communication with State Parks.
Today’s special meeting will be at the Fort Worden Commons Building 210, Room C or via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85863528759?pwd=nv40PQrsogoLAUIUEOEZOI8iSmzGNO.1.
In 2012, state parks and the PDA signed an agreement which would make the PDA solely responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the property. In 2018, the PDA entered the phase of its agreement which said it would fully assume responsibility for maintenance.
Funding would be paid for largely through hospitality and lease agreements. But in 2020, COVID-19 closed the park’s functions, undermining its operating budget.
In addition, the report states that many of the park’s structures are long overdue for maintenance and suggests the need for a sweeping maintenance plan.
The consulting group found that many tenants on the property were having issues with the upkeep levels of the structures — some as basic as having difficulty opening the front door — or issues with electricity. Some reported considering moving their businesses elsewhere.
Many stakeholders also reported a commitment to the success of Fort Worden moving into the future.
Also receiving analysis was the lifelong learning center status held by the fort since 2008. The report found that the partners and programs seemed to be connected to the concept, but there was no clear definition for what the status meant. Nor has there been much in the way of collaboration or branding happening between the partner organizations at the fort, and for people outside of the fort, it’s not very clear what the status means.
“Additionally, the $50 million in economic spending from Fort Worden is roughly equivalent to Port Townsend’s annual budget of $49 million and 60% of Jefferson County’s annual budget of $86.2 million,” read a financial impact study for the PDA.
The approval for the financial impact study report also was deferred to the special meeting Monday.
In response to the PROS plan, the PDA and state parks have created a workgroup with members from the PDA, parks, Fort Worden Hospitality, Centrum and the city of Port Townsend. They met for three days at the beginning of June to work on a three-year plan and a 10-year plan. They are currently finalizing a near-term plan, which is on today’s agenda.
To view the PROS plan, go to https://fwpda.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=102.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladaily news.com.
