Waterways commission recommends downtown dredging, Sisters Creek bathhouse and TK Stokes bulkhead for FIND funding

The Waterways Commission recommended that city leaders seek FIND grant support for three waterfront projects — downtown dredging, a phased Sisters Creek transient-facilities package and a TK Stokes bulkhead replacement — and approved an order of priority to forward to the Waterways grant process.

A parks department staff member presenting the list said the commission’s top pick would be a downtown dredging package covering seven targeted sites, including a cleanup at the Arlington River mouth, with a target depth of about -7 feet and an estimated total cost of roughly $3.3 million. The staff member said the city would request $1.5 million from FIND as the grant ask and provide a 50% local match; the presentation included a customary 10% contingency that increases the project budget to about $3.3 million on paper.

Why it matters: the projects are intended to restore or expand public water access downtown and at popular transient-boat facilities, which proponents said would improve safety, reduce repeated grounding at low tide and support recreational and tournament activity. The vote sends the…