Anacortes resident urges council to rethink event center financing amid multimillion-dollar gap

At the Anacortes City Council meeting on Aug. 4, 2025, Courtney Orrock of Anacortes urged the council to reassess the proposed event center’s design and financing after presenting calculations she said show a multi‑million dollar shortfall.

Orrock told the council the project was presented last week with a build cost of $9,000,020.24 and that adjusting for construction inflation raises that figure to “at least 9 and a half million dollars.” She said the proposal relies on lodging‑tax revenue for debt repayment and that current projections leave a substantial gap.

Orrock presented the council’s own lodging‑tax numbers: projected lodging tax revenue this year of $561,000 and an average of $583,000 since 2022. Using her calculations, she said half of annual lodging tax receipts would provide about $292,000 for debt service. Even if the council used the full lodging‑tax fund of $1.5 million, she said, available financing would reach roughly $5.8 million — leaving an estimated $3.7 million shortfall compared with the current design. Orrock said the current design would therefore need a roughly 38% cost reduction to fit that funding level.

She compared the proposal to Mount Vernon’s Commons project, which she said qualified for a wider range of funding because of its proximity to intercity transit and other public facilities. Orrock also noted Mount Vernon used a mix of a Department of Transportation loan and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan to finance much of its project.

“I would encourage the City to closely reevaluate this project and determine if there are, in fact, any grants that would be applicable,” Orrock said.

Mayor Miller said the city anticipates bringing interlocal agreements with the Port Commissioners to a joint meeting on Aug. 18; council staff confirmed that a meeting with the Port is planned to review those agreements and related project materials.

Orrock’s remarks came during the public‑comment portion of the council meeting. She identified prior community use of the Port transit shed for events and said a permanent event center holds community value but that the current financing plan, as presented, contains unresolved questions.

The council did not take formal action on the event center during the meeting; a joint meeting with Port Commissioners was announced as the next forum for intergovernmental discussion.

The city’s planning and finance staff are listed on the project background materials posted with the draft comprehensive plan; no additional staff presentation or council vote on the event center occurred at the Aug. 4 meeting.