Marina dredging will be delayed

Published 1:30 am Friday, April 10, 2026

Drat! The dredging season drags on and on.

In an Oak Harbor council meeting Tuesday, Marina Harbormaster Alyce Henry said the long-planned marina dredging project will be delayed due to federal hold-ups. She estimated that the project won’t begin until at least another year.

City staff submitted permit applications to the federal government in May and June of last year and the council approved its funding options in July. Dredging was expected to begin between the 2026 and 2027 fish window, or the period that construction is permitted in waterways to minimize disruptions to fish. That timeline is being forced to extend.

“We are not in a perfect world unfortunately,” Henry said.

A 45-day federal government shutdown in fall of last year significantly delayed processing at the National Marine Fisheries Service, a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Henry noted. This delayed permitting approvals by about 45 weeks. Though the Oak Harbor Marina anticipated all 12 permits by now, its staff cannot move forward without necessary federal approvals. Staffing shortages within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and additional staffing losses during that shutdown worsened the backlog, she said. More recently, a federal court ruling rolled all national fisheries and US fish and wildlife endangered species regulations back to 2019 standards, which is why the Oak Harbor Marina is not eligible for the expedited process, she explained.

“NOAA has said you are looking at weeks to months,” Henry said. “So realistically, months.”

Since the city has not yet been assigned a biologist from the National Marine Fisheries Service to give a required biological opinion this could likely take several more months, Henry said.

Even after all of the permitting is granted, the staff will need additional time for contracting and construction work. Therefore, Henry suggested the city shifts its target to the 2027 to 2028 fish window. This delay will still incur added costs for the project’s completion because costs go up as time goes on.

Councilmember Bryan Stucky noted that he was under the impression that there was an extreme need for urgency to finish the project.

“I don’t want to go so far as, say, the sky is falling, but that was the impression that I got,” he said. “Was it not as much of an emergency as we thought, or is it really gonna be a struggle?”

In response, Henry said though only time will tell, she believes it will be a struggle. Bids might also be subpar or higher than usual because of the delay, Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director David Goldman added.

Councilmember Tara Hizon voiced her frustration for the situation but maintained that she understood that it isn’t city staff’s fault. She said emphasized that council members’ delayed decisions can lead to unforeseen consequences like this.

“We were really optimistic,” she said. “We went in with our fingers crossed and it didn’t work out for us which is extremely frustrating. But, what can we do other than just move forward the best we can, and, you know, just let us know how we can support staff.”

In the meantime, marina staff will continue design and permitting work and begin advertising contracts for the new dredging schedule. Additionally, marina staff plan to move forward with permitting and funding efforts in preparation for the breakwater project. There is a possibility, Henry noted, to merge the breakwater and dredging projects. This would enable the contractor to mobilize workers only once, which could cut down on costs, Henry said.

Grant Administrator Wendy Horn noted the city received a $1 million grant from the Island County Rural County Economic Development Infrastructure program to cover design, engineering and extra permitting fees. Remaining funds will go towards the construction contract or the project management of the dredging project. Other funding is coming from a Business and Occupation tax. Still, the city is pursuing a federal port infrastructure grant that could offset $11 million for the project. Staff is also hoping to receive a $5 million grant through the Economic Development Administration, Horn said.