Port of Hoodsport Restroom Conundrum

Earlier this summer, the Hoodsport area experienced overcrowding as an unprecedented number of visitors sought recreation at Staircase and Lake Cushman despite the closure of amenities at Skokomish Park and facilities within Olympic National Forest. Area businesses, forced to follow new health protocols, could no longer offer restroom access. Meanwhile, the public restrooms situated along N US Hwy 101 at the IGA grocery store in Hoodsport were also closed in response to the pandemic. Ultimately, overcrowding resulted in the closure of Forest Road 24 to prevent public access to popular areas from August 22 through September 30.

The situation presented an issue that cannot be ignored, as it significantly impacts our local business community and the area’s tourism economy.
The Chamber sent a letter to the Port of Hoodsport commission to engage in a discussion regarding the necessity of public restrooms. The Port operates the facilities, but the restrooms were closed in response to COVID-19 and currently remain closed. Additionally, the capacity of the septic system is not adequate to meet the demand and the expense is a big budget item the Port is reconsidering if it will continue to prioritize the public bathrooms. The Port Commission recently reviewed a cost analysis and discussed three options.

Chamber Board member Jan Morris, co-owner of The Hardware Distillery, has been actively engaged with the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee on this issue. Morris provided critical insights, attended virtual meetings with the Port, and worked towards possible solutions. The Chamber, who operates the Hoodsport Visitor Information Center, is uniquely poised to represent the business community on this issue by pushing for reasonable policies and strategies that fit our rural community.

The Chamber published an online survey in late September to gauge the importance of these public bathrooms. In less than one week, a total of 333 responses were recorded. Respondents were primarily from Hoodsport, Lake Cushman, and Shelton residents; only ten percent of respondents identified as business owners. All tallied, 83 percent indicated its “very important” to offer a restroom in downtown Hoodsport and 63.9 percent believe the service should be government funded.

These findings were presented to the Port commission and next steps include the Chamber director, a port commissioner, and the neighboring business owner arranging to meet with a septic design specialist. We’ll let you know what happens next.