| Port's nomination of dry dock site catches some by surprise Clallam County, WA - 1/12/05 - The Port of Port Angeles’ decision to nominate a piece of waterfront property as the new site for the Department of Transportation dry dock caught more than a few people off guard, including city officials, who have been scrambling to keep the multi-million dollar project in Port Angeles. The Port’s Terminal 7 property is an 18 acre site the Port had bought from Nippon Paper Industries last year after NPI stopped using the site for the handling of wood chips. Port officials thought it would be a good idea to buy the land for future wood products business, replacing the 22 acres of industrial land that had been sold to the state for the dry dock, which is right next door. But the Port’s nomination of the site was unexpected. As recently as last month, Port Executive Director Bob McChesney had told the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce the Port had made no decisions about the future of the site, or discussed how the Klallam archeological discoveries next door could impact future use of the Port’s adjacent land. City officials have told PNN the Port’s nomination of the Terminal 7 site was unexpected. PA leaders had been working with Rayonier to nominate the company’s former mill site at the mouth of Ennis Creek, which is also one of the 18-applications that were forwarded to the DOT this week. While the Port’s move came as a surprise, city leaders tell PNN the move is welcome because it gives the state another reason to keep the dock project in Port Angeles.
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