INDIANOLA RACES, LEVY FOCUS ON PIER REPAIRS

By Tristan Baurick Published Saturday, October 12, 2013

INDIANOLA After a bitter, summer-long fight, Indianolas beloved public pier is again open to the public. Now comes the hard part of keeping it that way. The necessity of finding ways to keep the aging wooden pier known by Indianolans as Indianola Dock safe and standing upright is the issue dominating the Port of Indianolas ballot offerings this November. Two of the three port commission seats are up for grabs, and all the candidates agree that funding pier repairs is the top concern. Also on the ballot is a proposed levy lid lift aimed at boosting port revenues, but few believe it will generate enough money to cover the cost of replacing pilings and other expensive fixes on the 900-foot-long structure. Im all for the levy, said John Lane, a candidate for the commissions District 3 seat. Its absolutely necessary because the Port of Indianola is underfunded right now. Even with the increase, it might not be enough (to fix the pier), but its a step in the right direction. His opponent, Patrick Hatchel, agrees the levy boost will generate nowhere near enough money. If approved, the levy would increase each $1,000 of assessed property value by 8 cents, bringing the tax rate up to 22 cents an amount comparable to other port districts in Kitsap County. The ports income would grow from about $42,000 per year to $62,000. About half the ports annual income is spent on day-to-day port operations, leaving roughly $20,000 for the ports reserve, which stands at about $40,000. Even with the reserve and the levy increase, the port will likely have only enough to pay for stopgap fixes. Longer-lasting repairs, including piling replacement, could start at $100,000. The port has hired an engineering firm to assess the pier. Once the assessment is complete, the port should have a better cost estimate for repairs. All four candidates believe the pier, which had been closed for much of the summer because of safety concerns, should remain open unless structural assessments clearly indicate it should be closed. The port commission is currently composed of chairman Jeff Henderson, who represents District 1, and Eric Cookson, who was recently appointed to the District 2 seat to fill in after commissioner Judith Frank resigned in late July. The District 3 seat has been vacant since

commissioner Joan Wald resigned in August. Frank and Wald had supported the piers closure, making them targets of harassment from residents who wanted it reopened. Cookson, who last month joined Henderson in voting to reopen the pier, is running to retain the District 2 seat. He grew up in Indianola and had a long career in the Coast Guard. Running against him is write-in candidate Matthew Smith, a homebuilder who moved to Indianola three years ago. Smith led a petition to have the pier reopened. He wants the commission to operate in a more open manner. The process leading up to the piers closure wasnt very democratic or inclusive, he said. There was a lot of backdoor decision-making. Cookson believes the ports public perception problems are largely solved. It all stopped when the dock closure ended, he said. Smith and Cookson couldnt identify any significant differences between themselves on port issues. Lane and Hatchel say they are in agreement on port issues. Were both on the same page, Lane said. The owner of a gutter-covering business, Lane has edited the Indianola Breeze community newsletter and served as an Indianola Beach Improvement Club trustee. He moved to Indianola 16 years ago after having spent several summers there as a child. Hatchel, an officer with the Mountlake Terrace Police Department, has lived in Indianola for 20 years. He serves as the Kitsap Public Facilities Districts North Kitsap representative and as a member of the Kitsap County Juvenile Departments diversion board and the North Kitsap Little League board. Hatchel said the current slate of candidates understand Indianola better than the commissioners who supported the piers closure. For many of the people whove lived here a long time, the dock is pretty much Indianola. Its what Indianola is, he said. When they closed it, they didnt realize what it meant to us. It was like, for New Yorkers, taking the Statue of Liberty and shutting it down.