County backs three EDA opportunity-fund subawards to support West End industrial park, public kiln study and modular housing prototype

Clallam County staff reviewed three proposed Opportunity Fund subawards that will serve as local match for a larger Economic Development Administration (EDA) Forest Products Industry Cluster Innovation Program grant being administered by the county’s economic-development partners.

The three proposed subawards are: - City of Forks: $60,000 in local match to support reconfiguring the Forks Industrial Park for multi-tenant use and to improve the site’s readiness for West End manufacturing and barging opportunities; the city noted a potential new tenant has increased interest in adjacent sites and the park layout. - Port of Port Angeles: $116,000 to support scoping, engineering and permitting for a publicly owned wood-drying kiln concept. The port described the proposed kiln as public infrastructure that would create access to drying capacity for multiple processors who otherwise could not justify private investment. - Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC): $100,000 to design and build a modular demonstration housing unit that CRTC will use at trade events and later convert to affordable workforce housing by a date specified in the agreement.

Why it matters: the awards act as local match to secure a larger EDA grant intended to strengthen the forest-products cluster through infrastructure, processing capacity and new product demonstration. Project leaders said the investments help attract private investment (a potential large tenant at the Forks park), expand processing capacity (a shared kiln) and pilot new modular building technologies for workforce housing.

Commissioners and presenters discussed project details and next steps. Rod Fleck, representing the City of Forks, and Catherine Frazier of the Port of Port Angeles described site and scope considerations; port staff said siting, utilities and permitting will be evaluated during the scoping phase. For the kiln, port staff said potential siting near the industrial park was under consideration and that a feasibility study would evaluate transmission, utilities and other costs.

CRTC’s David Walter said the demonstration unit will be completed in 2026 and used at trade shows and tribal events before being converted to a permanent workforce housing unit. He described the company’s parallel path toward required building approvals: individual project-level alternative methods could be used while the broader PRG 3 20 certification process continues.

Next steps: staff will present formal subaward agreements for board approval at the next regular meeting and coordinate with EDA and project partners on scoping, design and permitting work.