Government
City Council names Denson as mayor pro tem
The Gig Harbor City Council voted unanimously Monday night to name Robyn Denson as mayor pro tem should Mayor Tracie Markley be unable to lead Council meetings, and Markley swore in Mary Barber as the newest Council member. Barber was appointed during a special meeting this month, after the Council interviewed her and four other candidates. She replaces Markley, who resigned Dec. 31 to become mayor.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, gave an update on the goings-on in Washington D.C., and the benefits to the Gig Harbor area from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Bill.
“The pandemic has been one of the most challenging health crises in our lifetime, but look at how far we’ve come in the past year,” he said, noting that kids are now mostly back in classrooms, millions of citizens have been vaccinated and more that 6 million new jobs have been created.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer
The Infrastructure Bill will provide funds for federal highway improvements, and bridge replacement and repair, and includes approximately $100 million to increase access to high-speed internet for people in our state. It supports clean water and environmental protection, and provides $1 billion for culvert replacement to benefit salmon. It also allocates money for safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Much of the money has yet to be allocated, Kilmer said, and he urged the city to keep in touch with his office for updates. He added that about half of the work his staff does at the local level is what he calls “care work” that includes things like helping with VA or IRS issues and expired passports.
“If our local citizens have problems with anything like that, reach out to my staff and we’ll help,” he said.
Maritime Gallery update
Stephanie Lile, executive director of the Harbor History Museum, gave an update on the Maritime Gallery project. The heart of the project is the restoration of the Shenandoah, a boat that was built at Gig Harbor’s Skansie Shipyard in the early 1900s. It was originally used as a tender by the Dorotich family from 1925-1966, but was converted for use as a seiner by the Janovich family, who fished in Alaska from 1967-2000. It was donated to the museum in 2003, and has been under restoration by a team of volunteers since then.
Fishing vessel Shenandoah Photo courtesy of Harbor History Museum
Replacement parts for the boat have come from several sources. For example, he 1936 Atlas engine was formerly used to power a local sawmill. Renovation funds have come mostly from grants. The Shenandoah is actually a three-part project, Lile said. It’s a boat, a museum display and a classroom.
The other phase of the Maritime Gallery Project is to enclose the gallery space and create a “Below the Waterline” exhibit that will “show what it’s like to be a salmon,” Lile said.
Public works update
In his capital improvement projects (CIP) report, Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm noted that work is proceeding on pavement patching on 30th Avenue and that the new sidewalks there are open; the department is waiting for bids on construction of boat storage racks for Ancich Park and a new float is being built at the park for launching canoes and kayaks. The old dock is being demolished.
Permits are under review by the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for construction of the concrete base for “Our Fisherman/Our Guardian,” the honor sculpture at Austin Park. The marine railways are finished at Eddon Boat and “we’re just doing final review to sign off on that project.”
The new streetlights on Skansie Avenue will arrive in late January, after being “hung up with a huge lead time and supply delays,” Langhelm said.
Work is scheduled to begin in early March on Lift Station 12, and work will resume on the new roundabout at Harborview and Stinson – pending weather.
Appointments to advisory bodies
Councilmember Seth Storset was appointed to serve on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC); Jeni Woock is the representative to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC); Barber — Narrows Airport Advisory Committee; Denson — Pierce County Flood Control Board, with Langhelm as alternate; Le Rodenberg will be liaison to the Chamber of Commerce government relations committee; Roger Henderson – West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery (WSPER) Executive Committee; and Brenda Lykins – Gig Harbor Parks Commission Liaison.
The annual Council retreat will take place via Zoom on Saturday. The next regular Council meeting will take place via Zoom on Feb. 14.