Though Port of Port Angeles officials were looking to gather comments from stakeholders about an investor’s offer to purchase John Wayne Marina last Friday morning, the meeting’s attendees were more than ready to let their feelings known: Not interested.

A crowd of about 75 community members detailed a number of concerns on March 16 they had with the port’s consideration of an offer for the publicly owned, 300-slip facility east of Sequim from developer Ron Cole, owner of Buffalo River Holdings Inc., of Bend, Ore.

Port Executive Director Karen Goschen said Friday’s meeting — one held at the marina conference room for yacht club members and “other marina stakeholders” — was the start of a public process by which port commissioners Connie Beauvais, Steve Burke and Colleen McAleer could gauge the public’s interest in selling the marina.

“I told him (the developer) there would need to be a public process,” Goschen said.

“There won’t be any decision made without public input,” she said.

But several meeting attendees were ready to tell port officials they weren’t interested in selling the port’s only east Clallam County entity.

“We’ve watched (public access) areas disappear on the peninsula,” Herb Ervin said. “Let’s keep this in public hands. If this is in public control, let’s keep it that way.”

Ray Mitchell, a Sequim Bay Yacht Club member, told Goschen and other port officials, “This is valued public space. You think the developer’s going to keep this public? Everybody in here says no.”

A number of other meeting attendees also said they are concerned that a private owner would close off access to the water.

“This is a public park as far as I’m concerned; it was gifted,” Paul Wesseler said. “You will hear from the people of Clallam County.”

“We know that public access must be maintained even if (the marina) is in private hands,” Goschen said. “There are legal ways to do that, and that’s for the attorneys to work out.”

Goschen told commissioners at a Port of Port Angeles meeting on March 13 that she has forwarded reports and financial information about the marina to Cole since October 2017.

Cole visited the area and expressed an interest in redeveloping The Landing Mall, and the two drove by the port’s Port Angeles Boat Haven and John Wayne Marina.

“When he saw John Wayne Marina, he saw a lot of potential to make improvements and enhancements both for the marina and the community,” Goschen said on March 13.

Goschen said Cole asked if the port, a countywide taxing district, was interested in selling the marina but he has not made an offer and will not develop a proposal until he knows if the port wants to sell it. She said if Cole buys the facility, some enhancements he wants to add to the 22-acre site would include shops.

The marina generated $1.2 million in revenue in 2017 and $772,000 in expenditures, including $370,000 in salaries, wages and benefits, according to a report on 2017 port finances that was presented at Tuesday’s meeting, the Peninsula Daily News reported.

The port’s report showed a marina surplus, before depreciation, of $457,000; depreciation, including donated assets, of $216,000, and a net operating surplus of $100,000.

Club members’ concerns

Mitchell said the Sequim Bay Yacht Club has about 115 members and expressed doubt that a private owner would allow the same access they have now, with one small meeting room and another large conference room overlooking Sequim Bay.

“We need a home,” Mitchell said following Friday’s meeting. “I don’t know where we’d go.”

He said the marina gets extensive use and not just from yacht club members, noting the number of families who throughout the year come to fish and play in the water and host weddings.

“It’s just a shame,” he said. “It sounds like the port has made up its mind. They know they’ve got a valued piece of property.”

Paula Topjun said she made the decision to move to Sequim in 2012 — and moved to the area the following year — in large part because of what the marina offers.

“We moved all the way across the country for this,” said Topjun, now a Sequim Bay Yacht Club member.

She said her group is a valuable part of a community that makes much use of the public access on Sequim Bay.

“If this becomes private, (we) can’t do that. There’s no guarantee.”

Marina’s future

McAleer, District 1 commissioner/port representative for the county’s east end, was in attendance last Friday. She noted that Cole’s proposal offered up a chance for the public and port to together create a long-range plan for the marina, regardless of the developer’s offer.

“My intent is more about, ‘What is the vision (for the marina)? This has a lot of potential. Yes, it was kick-started by this (proposal). Please don’t think this is a done deal. It absolutely is not.”

Eric Schouten, owner of Ocean Boatworks, urged the port and community members to take care with how they move forward with the proposed sale and future of the marina.

“Any enhancement would be helpful, but still needs to be controlled by the public,” he said.

McAleer said she’s heard concerns from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe about a potential sale that could affect agreements and access between the two entities.

Sequim City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross asked Goschen and port officials Friday morning to consider town hall-style meetings in Sequim as well as a survey-by-mail to get the word out about the proposal, and to stretch the public process out over a couple of months.

“It takes time for information to percolate through the community,” Nelson-Gross said.

City of Sequim officials have indicated an interest in John Wayne Marina becoming a park district, port officials noted in a handout at Friday’s meeting.

Sequim City Manager Charlie Bush said in a telephone interview last week that city staff plan to monitor the port’s activity regarding the marina, but when the week started he didn’t know it would be a topic he’d be discussing.

“We want to make sure the marina remains an asset to the pubic, he said. “It’s important to our community to have that waterfront access. If keeping the marina as an asset available to the public is something they want to do, then we’d willing to work with them on that. The ball’s in the port’s court. We’ll certainly let them know our thoughts.”

Bush said one of the Sequim City Council’s mid-term goals is to look into forming a regional parks and recreation district, which could be one of many options to help fund an entity like the marina.

The city hasn’t held any discussions about buying the marina, Bush said, but it wouldn’t have funds to do so right now.

Located at Pitship Point on Sequim Bay, John Wayne Marina was constructed in 1985 on 22 acres of land donated by the John Wayne family. The marina features permanent and guest moorage, marine services, a restaurant (Dockside Grill), showers, laundry and banquet facilities, and provides boat launch ramps, fuel facilities, public beach access and picnic areas.

“The largest impact will be to this stakeholder group right here,” Goschen said, noting the comments and information they provided will be brought to the port’s other two commissioners at their next meeting set for Tuesday, March 27.

For more about the Port of Port Angeles, see portofpa.com.