Restoring the Dock at Port of Hoodsport

The Port of Hoodsport was established in 1951 In recent years, Port Commissioners have been working towards dock repairs and determining the best way to ensure the dock is built properly to handle the elements The Port is open for the public and visitors to enjoy along with its utilization by many local businesses right along Puget Sound.

The Port of Hoodsport was deemed unsafe with structural issues and closed for a season. The decision significantly affected tourism, local access, and businesses Katherine Yackel from YSS Dive shared the struggles of sending staff back and forth over to Union to get their charter boat ready and help divers during the closure They saw a dramatic reduction in after-charters sales during that period because the customers weren’t making the trek back to their store to purchase souvenirs and branded merchandise There were also numerous customer complaints, requesting merchandise be delivered to them at off-site locations.

Thanks to support from our state delegation, the most immediate repairs were made, and the dock was reopened in time for shrimping this spring.

Cody Morris, Port Commissioner, shared that they were grateful to secure capital funds from the state to repair the dock. He stated that “the needed repairs were literally half of [the Port’s] annual budget ” He explained that with annual revenue of approximately $100,000 the district is not able to maintain and rehabilitate the dock and will need to rely on partnerships and other funding options to move towards long-term solutions

Beyond the steep cost, there are two major obstacles which affect maintenance and repairs to the dock at the Port of Hoodsport.

The Department of Natural Resources has radically changed how they comply with regulations by tying it into renewed leases As such, the Port is currently negotiating for a new 15year lease.

The current dock design is quite stressed by the elements When the dock was originally built it was much larger and extended out to create a breakwater, which prevent some of the extreme stressors caused by tides and winds The Port will consider this as it starts bidding for new dock builds.

For now, the Hoodsport residents have been enjoying the dock and especially the local businesses are grateful Yackel, of YSS Dive, is glad to report that “everybody’s really happy with the dock being back open so that way, we can pick up for the summer And then Carlos, the owner of the Mexican restaurant next door is very excited as well Because usually, with the Charter, when they get back in, they all go eat over at his restaurant ” Stay tuned as the Shelton-Mason County Chamber follows the progression of the renovation project and shares future updates on how you can support the Port and the community efforts to bring a lasting dock for generations to come.