PORT TOWNSEND — Construction of a new connector taxiway at Jefferson County International Airport will start this fall and include managing stormwater that collects in the infield, attracting birds and other wildlife.

Port of Port Townsend District 1 Commissioner Pam Petranek and District 2 Commissioner Carol Hasse on Wednesday approved the $870,999 project and, in a separate vote, moved to award the contract to Seton Construction of Port Townsend. District 3 Commissioner Pete Hanke had an excused absence from the meeting.

The new taxiway will connect the runway to a parallel taxiway and was required by the FAA.

The FAA will provide 90 percent of the funding ($783,899) and the remaining amount ($87,100) will be paid for by port matching funds and a state Department of Transportation Airport Aid grant.

Alleviating poor drainage that creates large ponds in the airport’s infield increased the cost of the project, but it was necessary to reduce safety hazards related to wildlife, Executive Director Eron Berg said.

“In addition to geese, we have bald eagles and other creatures; that’s really the issue,” Berg said.

Matt Klontz, capital projects director and port engineer, filled Petranek and Hasse in on options for expansion of the boatyard. The options were developed in concert with a stakeholder group that included local property owners and maritime businesses.

One preferred option was a limited expansion that would create a modest increase in the size of the boatyard, maintain a wetland on the north side property, and could be completed within a reasonable timeline and for a cost within the port’s reach.

The other was a major expansion that, while more costly and necessitate relocating a wetland area, would see the greatest increase in the boatyard area.

Deputy Director Eric Toews said the port was experiencing “unprecedented demand” for boatyard space.

“These are large complex projects, but we are aware of need to address issues of insufficient capacity and revenue generation,” Toews said.

Petranek and Hasse agreed that an expansion of the boatyard is needed, but Hasse said she had concerns about an option that would require filling in the wetland.

“It hits me the wrong way,” she said. “We might make an environmental mess that would come back to haunt us.”

Berg said the wetlands were not a naturally occurring feature but created by city stormwater runoff. In any case, he said, they would be redirected and disappear after the boatyard’s stormwater replacement project is completed in 2025.

Klontz said the port could not make any decisions about how it might move ahead with the boatyard expansion project until it received the results of a Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) study, which is expected before the end of the year.

“There was strong stakeholder support for (the limited) expansion. It was seen as OK leading to a major expansion,” Klontz said. “The one concern we did hear was from large-scale property owners about changing the overall character of the yard and the intensity of use.”

In other port news, Toews said the port had submitted its application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Economic Adjustment Assistance Disaster Reliever and Recovery Program for a $2,345,833 grant that would cover 80 percent of the cost of a Marine TraveliftCQ variable width boat hoist.

The port would provide a 20 percent match of $586,458 with Industrial Development District levy funds.

“We don’t have a clear turnaround time for a decision, but we think it’s likely to be relatively expeditious because they’re really looking to get this disaster funding distributed, hopefully by the end of the summer,” Toews said.

The port has said it wanted to take advantage of the availability of Economic Adjustment Assistance funding to obtain equipment that would add flexibility to its operations and help it maximize space in its boatyard.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@soundpublishing.com.