Community Report spring 2009

The public port district serving Jefferson County, Washingtonwww.portofpt.com • info@portofpt.com • (360) 385-0656

It’s Your Port: Get to Know Us

Our Mission:“to responsibly develop property and facilities that encourage job

creation, private investment, local economic stability and diversity,

and to better the quality of life for the citizens throughout

Jefferson County.”

In 1924, Jefferson County resi-

dents formed the port of port

Townsend by a county-wide

vote. Today, your Port is a $6.3

million operation that generates

economic activity many times

that, and is a significant source

of jobs for Jefferson County resi-

dents. Your elected Port Com-

missioners are responsible to

YOU, the taxpayers, for ensuring

that Port properties serve the

public good, promote local em-

ployment and encourage com-

munity-wide economic growth.

Your Port supports shipwrights,

aircraft mechanics, boaters,

pilots, RVers, anglers, swimmers,

scuba divers, beachcombers,

business owners and nonprofit

leaders—ordinary people like

your friends and neighbors pic-

tured above. We serve YOU. In

these pages, get to know us.

2008 - 2009

2 www.portofpt.com

Your Port StaffExecutive Director: Larry Crockett

Deputy Director: Jim Pivarnik

Director of Finance & Adminis-tration: Donald Taylor

Maintenance Manager: Larry Aase

Hoist & Yard Manager: Doug Lockhart

Harbormaster: Tami Ruby

Herb Beck Marina Operator: Jim Speer

Executive Assistant & Public Records Officer: Sue Nelson

Port Attorney: Robert Good-stein, Goodstein Law Group

Contact UsE-mail: info@portofpt.comMail: P.O. Box 1180 Port Townsend, WA 98368

Administration Office 375 Hudson Street Port Townsend (360) 385-0656

Boat Haven Moorage Office 2601 Washington Street Port Townsend (360) 385-2355 or (800) 228-2803

Point Hudson Moorage Office 103 Hudson Street Port Townsend (360) 385-2828 or (800) 228-2803

Airport (unmanned) Airport Cutoff Road Port Townsend (360) 385-2323 or (800) 228-2803

Maintenance Office 809 8th Street Port Townsend (360) 385-2847

Yard Office 2790 Washington Street Port Townsend (360) 385-6211 or (800) 228-2803

Herb Beck Marina Office 1731 Linger Longer Road Quilcene (360) 765-3131

W e have been working hard this past year to improve communications with our constituents. We hope this publication answers many of your questions about how

the Port of Port Townsend operates, how it is managed, and what your Port does for you.

In this widespread economic downturn, we’d like to dispel doom and gloom and tell you about some of the positive actions your Port is taking for the benefit of our community.

Most significantly, we create economic opportunities for businesses located at the Port’s five main facilities (see map on page 4). We support 140 commercial leases. We provide and maintain infrastructure and are always updating it to meet operational and environ-mental standards. Your Port is developing properties appropriately sized for our commu-nity with recreational and job-creation opportunities always in mind.

In these tough times, be assured that we’re pinching our pennies, too. The Port’s 2009 operating expenses are down 1.3% from 2008. On the income side, we have adjusted the rate structure for our tenants and users to distribute the costs more fairly.

When money is tight in your household, your Port provides all sorts of low-cost recre-ation. Stroll around the point at Point Hudson or jump on the Larry Scott Trail at the Ship-yard, where we provide trail access and restrooms; launch a boat from one of our five boat launch ramps; take a swim from our sandy beach near Fort Worden or—better yet!—from the only warm-water swimming beach in the county, adjacent to our Quilcene marina.

Lastly, we feel it’s very important right now, in these times of scarce dollars, to make sure we’re directing those dollars toward the most community-critical projects and needs. So last fall we initiated a strategic planning process and tasked a 17-member Community Advisory Committee with identifying those projects and priorities. We invite you to at-tend a series of visioning open houses this summer (see page 8) to learn about the Com-mittee’s work and give your input.

To learn more about these or other Port initiatives or operations, or to tour Port facilities, please contact our administration office. You can always contact us, your elected repre-sentatives, directly. We look forward to hearing from you!

Ports are the only government agencies whose primary responsibility is to foster eco-nomic activity for their communities. The Port of Port Townsend takes this authority very seriously. Through building and operating marinas, an airport, industrial sites and boat launch ramps, we are able to facilitate trade, tourism and recreation.

Your Port is governed by three commissioners who are responsible for establishing policies and overseeing operations. Although each commissioner represents a district within Jefferson County, they are elected by a county-wide vote for a four-year term.

Herb Beck,President

Serving District 3

Retired from civilian employment at Key-port Naval Undersea Warfare Center; owns Little Quil Farms.

(360) 765-3728herbbeck@embarqmail.com

John Collins,Vice President

Serving District 1

Professor of public service; retired from Seattle University.

(360) 643-2050jcollins@portofpt.com

Dave Thompson,Secretary

Serving District 2

Marine tradesman; owner of

Charlie Noble Enterprises.

(360) 643-2050info@portofpt.com

Role of the Port

From the Commission

3

Although we collect property taxes, only 2% of your property tax dollar is directed to the Port of Port Townsend (representing 13% of our revenues in 2009), and the Port’s tax levy rate has declined for eight years in a row.

2009Budgeted

2008Actuals

Boat Haven Moorage & Fuel Dock

$1,396,221

Yard Revenue$1,431,262

Boat Haven Leases

$472,130

Point Hudson$846,779

Property Tax$817,168

Quilcene & Boat Ramps

$130,709

Airport $150,438 Grants, Interest & Misc. $249,823

Sta� Costs$1,913,083

Contract Services & Legal

$191,000

Available for Capital Projects

$629,048

Boat Haven Renovation Fund

$257,920

Debt Service$1,166,984

Other Operating Expenses$228,034

Insurance$161,831

Utilities$487,685

Maintenance & Repair $296,050

Operating Supplies$162,895

Boat Haven Moorage & Fuel Dock$1,418,200

Yard Revenue$1,495,700

Boat Haven Leases$488,000

Point Hudson$844,500

Property Tax   $839,300

Grants, Interest & Misc.$171,500

Quilcene & Boat Ramps

$126,660

Airport $138,700

Sta� Costs$1,960,925

Available for Capital

Projects$625,077

Boat Haven Renovation

Fund$275,000

Debt Service$1,172,363

Other Operating Expenses$230,445 Insurance

$165,000

Utilities$460,750

Maintenance & Repair$300,000

Operating Supplies$170,000

Contract Services &

Legal$173,000

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

02000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Total Operating RevenueTotal Operating ExpenseTotal Non-Op Rev less ExpNet Income

(2009)

Sources of Funds

Summary of Revenue, Expense & Income, 2000-2009 (budgeted)

Uses of Funds

Sources of FundsUses of Funds

Financials

4 www.portofpt.com

The Port of Port Townsend owns, operates and leases significant marine and aviation related facilities in Jefferson County, serving industrial and commercial as well as recreational purposes. Your Port provides public and economic access to our area’s incredible natural resources and facilitates trade, tourism and recreation for the benefit of the community.

Map of Port Facilities & PropertiesLa

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Port Townsend Boat Haven Marina

Point Hudson Marina & Resort

We’ve been in business since 1981 and the Port has been very accommodating in

allowing us to grow—we recently enlarged

our ground lease again to build a systems shop. We haul out

more boats than just about anyone in the

Shipyard, so increasing our business increases

the Port’s business.

—Ben TylerMember,

PT Shipwrights Co-op

Port Townsend Yard

“The Port is thinking ahead to the next 30

years in designing new floats that will be more environmentally sound and much safer for the tenants and the boats.”

—Tike HillmanMember, A/B Dock

Advisory Committee

“The Port has been a key partner in provid-

ing the facilities for our ever-expanding maritime programs

and activities. With our new buildings, I predict

even more opportuni-ties for synergies.”

—stan CummingsExecutive Director,

Northwest Maritime Center

5

I n addition to the Port’s administration office, Point Hudson is home to the Wooden Boat Foundation &

Northwest Maritime Center and the annual Wooden Boat Festival. Built out in the early 1930s as a federal quaran-tine station but instead used as a Coast Guard station, the property was deeded to the Port in 1956. The 4-acre marina has 44 slips and 700 feet of linear docks dedicated to guest moorage. The 24 upland acres owned by the Port house a recreational RV park with 48 spots as well as several marine trades businesses—including a sail loft, rigging loft, canvas loft and boat shop all in the historic Armory Building. The marina’s dock system was com-pletely replaced in 2007 and maintenance dredging was completed last year.

Point Hudson Marina’s new docks are designed for guest moorage, and may be reserved for large gatherings like this Nordic Tug Rendezvous in 2008.

Boat Haven’s A/B Dock will be replaced within the next two years.

T his full-service marina provides permanent and transient moorage year-round. It is home to 475 commercial and recreational vessels and

each year provides more than 6,000 overnight guest moorage accommoda-tions for visiting vessels. Boat Haven amenities include a fuel dock, pump-out station, showers and a laundry. A net float for fisherman, a seafood load-ing dock and a crane support the fishing fleet in the commercial basin. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Osprey is stationed here. The Port’s first developed property, Boat Haven is a 19-acre rectangle protected by a riprap break-water. The first pile was driven in 1931 and the floating moorage has been expanded several times to produce the present facility. Replacing the A/B Dock system with its 175 slips is a top capital priority for 2010-11. A citizens advisory committee developed the new design over the past year and the project is currently in the permitting stage.

The Port’s Yard supports wooden boatbuilding and repair as well as composite hull construction. It is a home for the third-largest em-ployment sector in Jefferson County.

F eaturing a heavy boat haulout facility, the Port Townsend Yard has a regional reputation for quality and economy

and is a destination of choice for vessel maintenance, refits and new construction of all types. It provides access to more than 100 marine trades businesses in the Port Townsend area. The Port operates three travel lifts; the largest one can lift vessels up to 150 feet long and weighing up to 330 tons. The Yard’s 17-acre dry-land storage area can hold up to 200 ves-sels “on the hard,” and owners are allowed to work on their own boats (something many workyards prohibit). Construct-ed in 1997, the Shipyard portion of the Yard was the Port’s most ambitious expansion project in more than two decades, and provided a much-improved home for the marine trades, the third-largest employment sector in Jefferson County. The security of long-term leases has encouraged many marine boatbuilding and repair businesses to construct specialized facilities for their operations. Other Yard tenants include marine supply and equipment retailers, several eateries, and the County’s hazardous waste collection facility.

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Port Facilities

gardinerMats Matsport HadlockQuilceneport Townsend Boat Haven

Jefferson County International Airport

Herb Beck Marina, Quilcene

Boat Launch Ramps

“The Airport is not a rich people’s

playground. It is a vital asset to the

community. If there was ever a disaster like a tsunami, the

Airport would be the only way out.”

—BJ HallinanOwner/Mechanic,

Port Townsend Aircraft Services

“The Port’s support is absolutely critical to our operations here

at the world’s largest oyster hatchery, and also to the jobs that

provide employment for 28 workers.”

—Judy EdwardsQuilcene Hatchery

Manager, Coast Seafoods

6 www.portofpt.com

Anglers from all around Puget Sound travel to Port of Port Townsend boat launch ramps (Boat Haven’s shown here) to enjoy local fishing grounds.

T he Port owns and operates three boat launch ramps outside of its Quilcene and Port Townsend marinas.

They are located at Gardiner on the western shore of Dis-covery Bay, at the southern end of Mats Mats Bay (a small embayment north of Port Ludlow), and at Port Hadlock on Port Townsend Bay. The Gardiner ramp provides access to an extensive salmon sport fishing area in Discovery Bay. The launch facilities at Mats Mats include a150-foot loading float and a paved parking lot for about seven vehicles and trailers. The Port Hadlock ramp is adjacent to the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding’s Heritage Campus and the launch facilities include a timber pier and two loading floats.

Coast Seafoods’ oyster hatchery is the major tenant at the Port’s Quilcene facility, which includes Herb Beck Marina.

At the south end of Linger Longer Road on the west shore of Quilcene Bay, the Port owns about 50 acres of waterfront and

uplands. The major tenant is Coast Seafoods, which operates a large shellfish hatchery and processing facility. A mix of transient, permanent and commercial moorage is provided at Herb Beck Marina (formerly Quilcene Boat Haven; renamed in 2005 to honor the current long-serving Port Commissioner, a Quilcene resident). The marina’s small manmade harbor has floating docks to accom-modate about 50 boats, plus a boat launch ramp and fuel and water service. In 2008 the Port rebuilt 80 feet of docks that were dam-aged in a storm and replaced the site’s failing septic system with one with extra capacity for future industry and possible expanded RV use. Parking and a public restroom are provided next to what is famously known as the only warm-water swimming beach in the county—at least when the tide is coming in over the shallow flats!

The Port Townsend Aero Museum opened at the Airport in 2008 and provides mentoring and job skills training for youth as well as historical displays for the public.

T he county’s only general aviation airport is located four miles southwest of Port Townsend,

between State Routes 19 and 20. It was developed as an auxiliary military training field prior to World War II, and was transferred first to Jefferson County and then to the Port in 1959. The Port has more than doubled the initial landholding to 316 acres and in 1990 constructed a single 3,000-foot east-west paved runway. Airport tenants offer a wide range of aviation support services, including passenger, cargo and scenic flights; aircraft rentals; flight instruction; aviation fuel; airframe and power plant maintenance and repair; and a restaurant. The Airport is both home to and a popu-lar destination for recreational pilots and is an international airport of entry, seeing a lot of use by Canadian pilots. Private developers began construction last year on 65 new airplane hangars; 25 have been completed and are now for sale. A significant new addition at the Airport is the nonprofit Port Townsend Aero Mu-seum, which opened last year and is dedicated to historic aviation in the Pacific Northwest.

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Port Facilities

The Port owns 21 acres at Kah Tai Lagoon that is leased to the City of Port Townsend for a public park.

K ah Tai Lagoon lies directly north of Boat Haven Ma-rina. In the 1960s and ’70s, the Port acquired 21 acres of

undeveloped land along the lagoon’s southern boundary (north of Sims Way) that was filled with dredged material when the marina was developed. Today, Kah Tai Lagoon functions as a passive recreation park and open space. The Port-owned por-tion of the lagoon property (which includes a restroom and parking area) is leased to the City of Port Townsend through 2012. The nonprofit group Make Waves has initiated a discus-sion about building an aquatic center on Port-owned land near the City-owned Park and Ride, and we will be exploring the benefits of this proposal to the Port and to the community.

This decommissioned ferry dock in downtown Port Townsend was

acquired by the Port in 1983 after Wash-ington State Ferries shifted its terminal to its current location. The Port’s ownership encompasses the overwater structures and 3,000 square feet of tidelands. In 1999, the Port arranged for the dock to be used in the filming of the movie, Snow Falling on Ce-dars, but currently it sits unused and fenced, with public access prohibit-ed. Kevin Harris, owner of the adjacent Clam Cannery Building, is leasing the dock with plans to restore it. In 2007, the Port partnered with the state Department of Ecology to safely remove three defunct mooring dolphins containing 360 tons of water-polluting, creosote-treated pilings.

T he Port owns 1,200 linear feet of undeveloped beach area adjacent to Fort Worden State Park in northeastern Port Townsend. As one of the finest sandy beaches in the public domain, it is popular for

summer swimming and beach volleyball, and is also used year-round by walkers, beachcombers and divers. It includes a Cascadia Marine Trail boat-in campsite. The site is accessible from Admiralty Inlet, or on foot from the beaches to the north and south, or from a set of wooden stairs descending the bluff. The property, acquired by the Port in 1957 around the time Fort Worden State Park was created, includes a steeply sloped bluff and about half an acre of intertidal land beginning just south of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center pier and extending to the latitude of W Street.

2 0 0 8Port Facts

Managed 1 4 0

commercial leasesl

Hauled out8 5 5 vesselsl

Hosted3 3 , 0 0 0 +

overnight moorage & RV

guests (who spent

$ 1 m i l l i o nin our local economy)

l

Sold1,379daily and

343 annual boat

launch passesl

Had58,000+

airplane departures &

landingsl

Sold 300,000+

gallonsof marine & aviation fuel

7

Kah Tai Lagoon

Fort Worden Beach

Quincy Street Dock

Port Properties

The Port owns a quarter-mile of beach south of the Port Townsend Marine Sci-ence Center pier, adjacent to Fort Worden State Park. The public beach is popular for swimming and beach volleyball, and is used for educational purposes, too. Shown here are the enthusiastic youngsters attending the PTMSC’s Marine Biology Day Camp last summer.

In the heart of historic downtown, Quincy Street Dock awaits restora-tion by a private developer.

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W hat does the community expect and need from its port? A strategic

planning process presently underway seeks to answer those questions and provide a long-term vision for Port leadership.

An advisory committee with broad community representation has been work-ing since Fall 2008 on a revised mission statement and other directives, and recent-ly drafted seven goals to serve as “Strategic Directions” for the next 10 years.

goal 1: Promote, develop and manage the Port’s properties and facilities to stimulate county-wide economic vitality.

goal 2: Ensure that Port facilities, services and the shoreline environment are acces-sible to the community and visitors alike.

Goal 3: Develop and maintain sound, safe and self-financing infrastructure at all Port properties.

goal 4: Sustain a high level of community involvement that informs Port decision-making and builds public support.

Goal 5: Improve service to Port tenants, customers and the public.

Goal 6: Strengthen the Port’s financial performance.

goal 7: Become a recognized leader in environmental stewardship and the protec-tion of community assets.

P.O. BOx 1180, PORT TOWNSEND, WA 98368www.portofpt.com • info@portofpt.com • (360) 385-0656

Get to Know Your PortAttend a Meeting

Regularly scheduled Port Com-mission meetings are the second Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. and the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

A 9:30 a.m. public workshop precedes the regular meeting on the second Wednesday.

Location: the Commission Cham-bers, Port Administration Building, 375 Hudson Street, Point Hudson, Port Townsend.

Explore the WebsiteOur website is updated regu-

larly and is the place to find:

l Current moorage & hangar waiting listsl Past issues of our quarterly newsletter, The Conversationl The adopted 2009 budgetl Port Commission meeting agendas & meeting minutesl And more!

w w w.p or tofpt.com

Help Shape 2010 BudgetGoals and assumptions for the

Port’s 2010 operating budget will be discussed and refined at a series of public workshops this summer, well in advance of the budget adoption in November 2009.

Upcoming dates are:l June 10, 9:30 a.m.l July 8, 9:30 a.m.l August 12, 9:30 a.m.See our website for a full meet-

ing schedule and locations.

Our Vision for the Future Visioning Open HousesYou are invited to share your vision for the Port’s future at these upcoming open houses.

The Community Advisory Committee’s draft plans will be available for review and comment. Join us!

l Monday, June 22, 7 p.m. Port Townsend Yacht Club

l Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. Quilcene Community Center

l Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. Port Ludlow Beach Club

1

FALL 2008

The public port district serving Je�erson County, Washington

Port plays host to the biggest

Wooden Boat Festival to date

A record boats exhibited in the water at Point Hudson Marina (measuring one nautical mile,

if lined up end to end!), nearly people attended (a 6% increase over last year’s

record numbers), and volunteers made it all happen. Nearly 200 boats an-

chored on the waterfront and the Port’s Boat Haven Marina at the other end of town

was �lled to capacity on Friday and Saturday nights.

“The Festival contributes signi�cantly to sustaining and enhancing Port Townsend’s

reputation as a hub for both traditional and modern boat building and repair and re-

lated maritime activities, thus supporting the Port’s mission to enhance

economic activity that is consistent with community values of Je�erson County.”

— Port Commissioner John Collins

Every September, one of the Port’s largest

tenants, the Wooden Boat Foundation

(WBF), stages a world-renowned gathering of

wooden boats and a�cionados on Port property

at Point Hudson. �is year’s 32nd Wooden Boat

Festival was the biggest ever!

�e Conversation (TC) asked Festival Direc-

tor Kaci Cronkhite (KC) her views on the role

the Port plays in making the Festival happen.

TC: How does the Point Hudson venue con-

tribute to the Festival’s success?

KC: As a point, the geography of Point Hudson

serves as a destination from land or sea—per-

fect for a festival. �e venue is second only to

the exceptional people who attend as the reason

why this Festival stands out as one of the top

three [wooden boat gatherings] in the world.

TC: What can the Port do to help future

Festivals be more successful?

KC: Keep the historic buildings and keep mak-

ing steady progress to improve the facilities, the

grounds, and their stewardship of the natural

setting. �ere have been steady improvements

to the walkways and the safety and visual ap-

pearances of the marina and buildings. Nothing

happens quickly and there are many �nancial

needs the Port has to juggle, but we appreci-

ate what they’ve done and the openness of the

commissioners and sta� this year. Our Port is

a rare example in the world these days and the

Conversation About

Port Budget Begins

With this issue of The Conversation,

we invite you to participate in the

conversation about the Port’s annual

budgeting process.

The Port is projected to

collect and spend about $6.4

million in 2009.

Limiting a property tax in-

crease to 1% is forecast to bring

in $8,180 in new revenues.

Major changes from the 2008

budget, according to Finance Direc-

tor Don Taylor, include:

Cost savings from not �lling two

vacant sta� positions.

The assumption of a reduction

of approximately 10% in anticipated

guest tra�c, both boats and RVs.

A 5% rate increase on permanent

moorage, most workyard and ship-

yard operations, and Port-operated

airport hangars.

Draft budget documents will be

available on our website by the �rst

week of November.

Budget Hearings Nov. 12

The Port of Port Townsend is a public

entity serving you, the citizens of

Je�erson County, and you are en-

couraged to comment on the draft

balanced budget.

Two formal budget hearings are

scheduled for Wed., Nov. 12: an

afternoon hearing at 1 p.m. and an

evening hearing at , both

in the Commission Chambers.

Contact a Commissioner

John Collins, District 1—(360)

643-1410, jcollins@portofpt.com

Dave Thompson, District 2—

(360) 643-2050, info@portofpt.com

Herb Beck, District 3—(360) 765-

3728, herbbeck@embarqmail.com

Point Hudson was �lled with record numbers of

boats and people at the 32nd annual Wooden Boat

Festival, Sept. 5-7, 2008. Photo by Jan Davis

Record-setting Fest

best thing they can do is to keep working with

all of us to continue to make it better.

TC: How is the Festival relationship a win-

win for both the WBF and the Port?

KC: People from across the country look to us

and the Port for suggestions on how to cooper-

ate on such an enormous task. Without a Port,

the WBF would be lost in the virtual world,

�oating around without a home. Without the

WBF, the Port would lose a rare and valuable

distinction as a Port that succeeds in concert

with its community.

An expanded interview & photos are posted

online at www.portofpt.com/newsletter.htm.

The Community Advisory Committee has been meeting since last fall to draft a vision for the Port’s—your Port’s—future.

This publication was produced by Shelly Randall of Story Services and printed in Port Townsend by The Printery.

District 1: David HeroDistrict 2: Ted PikeDistrict 3: Joe Baisch Marine Trades: David King, Townsend Bay Marine & Les Schnick, DesignKraftMoorage Tenants: Bertram Levy & Gary RossowSmall Boaters: Steve TuckerAirport: BJ Hallinan, PT Aircraft ServicesEducation: Bob Lawrence, Peninsula College

Environment: Gabrielle LaRocheNonprofits: Kaci Cronkhite, Wooden Boat FoundationLocal Businesses: Bob Little, Little & Little ConstructionFort Worden: Steve ShivelyCity of Port Townsend: Rick Sepler, Planning DirectorJefferson County: Al Scalf, Planning DirectorPort Employee: Larry Aase, Maintenance Manager

Community Advisory Committee

1

WINTER 2009

The public port district serving Je�erson County, WashingtonMarine trades association is

alive and well

Number of business members: About 75 (from big employers like

Townsend Bay Marine to sole proprietorships)

Board members: Les Schnick (president), Leif Erickson (VP),

Gwendolyn Tracy (secretary), Jim Blaiklock (treasurer), Ric Bren-

den, Jay Brevik, Megan Hudson, Leah Kefgen & Kay Robinson

Dues: $100/year for voting members (whose primary business

must be the building, repairing, maintaining and surveying of

boats within Je�erson County) and $50/year for non-voting

“a�liates” (who contribute goods and/or services to the marine

industry, including boatyard eateries and maritime nonpro�ts)

Website with member directory: www.ptmta.org

T he Port Townsend Marine Trades Associa-

tion (PTMTA) represents close to 80% of

the businesses headquartered on Port property

and speaks for the third-largest employment

sector in Je�erson County.“It started because there needed to be more

open communication between the Port and

the marine trades,” says Les Schnick, a boat

designer and current PTMTA president.

Now in its third year, the PTMTA (a registered

nonpro�t) provides valuable lobbying, PR and

education services for its 75 business members.

�e mission is “to provide a collective voice”

for those who make their living in the marine

trades within Je�erson County as well as “to

promote the political and economic well-being

of the community.” Although the association has a stated goal

of negotiating with local, state and national

agencies for policies and services that bene�t its

members, to date it has focused on improving

relations with the Port of Port Townsend.

Schnick and PTMTA board member Ric

Brenden meet with Port Executive Director

Larry Crockett once a month, and attend Port

Commission workshops and meetings. Schnick

and David King represent the PTMTA on the

advisory committee for the Port’s ongoing

strategic planning process. Gordon Neilson

recently worked with Port sta� to

review the state Department of

Ecology’s proposed restrictions

on boatyard activities and cra� an

informed response. �e upshot? “�ey [Port leader-

ship] know we exist,” says Schnick,

adding that the PTMTA considers

its relationship with the Port to

have changed from adversarial to

one of “working partnership.”“I feel we have respect for each

other’s position and responsibili-

�e PTMTA shares space and helps answer ques-

tions in the Port’s booth at the Seattle Boat Show

this January. Pictured are Port employee John

Green (le�) and PTMTA President Les Schnick.

What’s New in 2009 Newly installed o�cers of the

Port Commission for 2009 are Herb

Beck, president; John Collins, vice

president; and Dave Thompson,

secretary.The new Commission President

shares his thoughts on page 2. An updated Marine Trades

Guide is now available in print and

on our website. Each year the Port produces this

handy pocket guide and Internet

directory—which indexes marine

trades businesses in Je�erson

County, not just Port tenants—as

one of our county-wide economic

development activities.Register for Port’s Small Works Roster

We’re now accepting applica-

tions for our 2009 Small Works

Roster. Contractors, Architects, Engi-

neers and Consultants must be

properly licensed or registered to

work in the State of Washington in

order to be eligible for hire. You may

download an application on our

website or contact Sue Nelson at

(360) 385-0656.Look for the Spring

Issue in The LeaderIn an e�ort to communicate with all

residents of Je�erson County, the

next issue of The Conversation will

be inserted in The Leader newspaper

at the end of May. If you are not a regular Leader

reader, you can always �nd the

newsletter on our website, or con-

tact us and we will mail you a hard

copy of this special spring issue.

ties, and that we have learned we need to work

together for the best outcome on many issues,”

Schnick elaborates. “We really are in this togeth-

er and it’s really important we both succeed.”

To promote its members’ businesses, the

PTMTA has created a website with a service

directory, advertises in boating magazines, and

participates in trade shows—o�en sharing space

in the Port’s booth and helping to answer ques-

tions about Je�erson County’s marine trades.

Board member and sailmaker Megan

Hudson has a ready answer as to why she is

involved with the PTMTA: “It’s doing my part,

rather than just taking care of myself. It’s doing

something for the marine trades community

that is bene�cial for everyone.”PTMTA at a glance