Bush Point boat ramp is swamped with troubles
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, April 11, 2007
BUSH POINT — Boaters hoping to launch their craft at Bush Point this summer may have to wait a little longer. Sound familiar?
“At this point, the ramp is not in usable condition,” South Whidbey port manager
Ed Field told commissioners last week.
Winter storms and erosion from severe tidal action have combined to damage the structure used to form the newly-constructed boat launch ramp. The ramp is a unique pre-cast concrete grid designed to provide traction for cars and boat trailers, and the people who must fix it are out of money.
“The Department of Fish and Wildlife sent an e-mail notifying us that they don’t have funds to fix the problem and they’re asking FEMA for help,” Field said.
FEMA funding may be possible because when Gov. Christine Gregoire declared parts of the state “disaster areas” in December, local governments became eligible for relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The surface grid is continuing to settle into the shore as sand is scoured away underneath. That’s creating a potentially hazardous situation for boaters attempting to launch their boats. Whether this will create long term problems is anyone’s guess, but it certainly is a headache today.
The state said it was not planning on spending any more money on the project, Kristen Kuykendall, the project manager for the boat ramp, said in an April 4 e-mail to the port.
“At this time we are not authorizing any spending for repairs,” Kuykendall wrote. “We are still considering options. We are…applying for FEMA funds although it is a slow and cumbersome process.
“I wish I had better news,” she added.
Port officials estimate repairs will cost $100,000.
“That’s not a bad number, but it depends on the bid process or if it can be awarded on an emergency basis,” Field said.
Field also said he wishes he could take a crew and build a concrete ramp that would make it safe, but he can’t.
“The cost and environmental permitting restraints are the governing factors,” he said. “It’s the state’s responsibility.”
The grid concept arose when surf smelt were found near the project, and state engineers hoped the grid would protect the fish.
Port commissioners discussed three different ways to move forward on the project.
“The port should be on record with a
120-day notice that we aren’t going to sign the 35-year agreement and take over until the problem’s fixed,” said Port Commissioner Rolf Seitle.
He added that political pressure in Olympia via Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen might be helpful.
Commissioner Geoff Tapert noted that performance guarantees are vital before the port takes over.
Commissioner Lynae Slinden said another option would be to just take ownership of the facility.
“We can become owners of the ramp and fix it up ourselves; lack of control has been the problem from the start,” she said.
Bush Point’s Polly Skone lives next door to the ramp and has watched the state’s construction efforts over the years. She said she understands the port’s frustrations.
“We saw it buckling during the storm,” Skone recalled. “It doesn’t seem very safe for those folks trying to get their boats in the water.”
She said the sunken grids and slippery seaweed at low tide combine to make launching precarious. “We can see their tires slip; there’s little or no traction.”
The Department of Fish and Wildlife funded and oversaw the project, which began in 1998.
A series of delays over the years — a septic versus sewer connection problem, discovery of an offshore surf smelt habitat, handicap-access needs, personnel changes and numerous other problems — raised the cost and helped fuel anger from boaters who wanted the project completed.
Nor did it make life easier earlier last summer when it was discovered that several concrete pilings designed to anchor the floats in place were installed off center and needed to be corrected.
When delays cropped up, however, the port was powerless to step in and insist that contractors meet their target completion dates. Since the port wasn’t funding the project, they had no control over events.
Even so, the port has tried to help get the beleaguered project finished. When grant funds — totaling $1.7 million from the department and the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation — were exhausted, the port reluctantly approved $115,000 to get the job finished.
Currently, the on-site restroom, fencing, parking lot, landscaping, information kiosk and septic system are completed.
“We’re staffed and ready to go,” Field said. “The reality is that this remains a Fish and Wildlife project and it’s their responsibility to complete it.”
The port will address the question at their next meeting, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9 at the Freeland Library.
Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or jvanderford@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
