Port considers its rental options for Clinton building

Published 2:00 pm Saturday, February 14, 2004

The Port of South Whidbey is slowly but surely making changes to their newly acquired property at the Clinton landing.

Purchased in December, the future of the property next to the Clinton ferry dock was somewhat up in the air until this week. The question has been whether to tear down a two-story commercial building on the site in six months, or to wait until 2005. It’s a question the port commissioners will not answer until they tour the building next week.

“We are presently considering, and have not decided whether to tear it down,” the Port’s President Rolf Seitle said Friday.

Early estimates to tear down the dilapidated building are as much as $30,000, half of which could be paid for in a grant from the office of the Interagency Committee, or IAC, if the port waits until 2005, Seitle said.

In the meantime, the port has signed two agreements to keep the property as a source of income. The one tenant in the building, Brad Brewster, signed a contract in January to keep his business in the building until May 30.

At a port commission meeting Wednesday, commissioners sign-ed an agreement with The Norman Group, Inc. to manage the pay parking lot that came with the property purchase. Those services were previously supplied by the building’s owners. The Norman Group also operates Patty’s Parking on Humphrey Road in Clinton.

“We basically just want to get the revenue we can get,” Seitle said.

The parking agreement is scheduled to end Aug. 31, and after that could be renewed on a month-to-month contract or through another six-month contract.

The Norman Group estimated they would earn $40 a month per commuter who used the lot, and $3 a day for commuters who used the lot between six to 12 hours. Their estimated revenue could be as much between $700 and $1,100 a month. The group will pay $200 a month to the port under the management agreement.

The port commissioners will meet on Tuesday at the building to officially inspect it as it’s new owners. They will consider whether improvements to the building’s heating and cooling system are a needed investment to keep tenants in the building.