Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Slip Point Conveyance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parks advisers press for meeting with Slip Point Lighthouse Keepers as federal conveyance advances
Summary
Clallam County Parks advisers discussed the uncertain schedule and scope of a federal conveyance of Slip Point property and urged a small delegation meet with the nonprofit Lighthouse Keepers to clarify remediation, timing and expectations before county acceptance.
Clallam County Parks Advisory Board members on Feb. 11 urged staff to arrange a small delegation to meet with Slip Point Lighthouse Keepers after a contentious exchange between the group and the board during earlier meetings.
Board member Anna Plager said the nonprofit’s two‑page letter suggested the group left a prior meeting believing the board was “very negative,” and she recommended a delegation from the advisory board go to Clallam Bay to talk directly with the nonprofit.
Don (county parks staff, facility manager/park director) told the board federal agencies are now engaged: he said the Coast Guard has assigned an engineering group and that congressional offices including Patty Murray’s and the late Representative Kilmer’s staff had been in contact. Don said the Coast Guard appears to view the conveyance as contingent only on soil remediation “around the base of that building, not for the building.”
“We need to be very cognizant that there is a group of people out in that section of the county that are really relying on this to happen to kick start their tourism,” Don said, urging the board to take the community’s perspective into account while clarifying what the federal government will remediate.
Plager and other board members said the property is currently not yet a county park and that a placeholder of $300,000 in the county’s capital plan is not a firm commitment but an aspirational entry for potential future remediation and park work. “That $300,000 is not in the plan. It is simply a placeholder,” Don said, adding county acceptance of the property will require additional decisions about condition and future work.
Board members also noted the Lighthouse Keepers claimed the West End receives most tourists and said they wanted to understand the nonprofit’s data and plans. The board asked staff to set up a small, in‑person meeting and said a Doodle poll of possible dates would be circulated to identify when a subset of advisory board members could visit Clallam Bay.
The board voted unanimously to instruct staff and the chair to pursue a meeting and to follow the county procedure for engagement; the board also asked staff to bring back a clearer summary of federal remediation steps and any costs the county might face when the conveyance is offered.
Why it matters: the county’s acceptance of conveyed federal property triggers questions about liability, remediation obligations and future capital needs. Board members said they need clearer written materials and an in‑person walkthrough so they can answer community questions and advise the county commissioners.
Looking ahead: staff will schedule a small delegation to meet with Slip Point stakeholders, supply the board a short briefing on the Coast Guard’s remediation actions as known, and report back to the board at a future meeting.
