Sections of Airport Way and Paulson Road around the Hoquiam sewer lagoon east of Bowerman Airport would be permanently closed to traffic if BHP elects to build its potash shipping and storage facility at the Port of Grays Harbor’s Terminal 3.
The Hoquiam City Council passed a resolution Monday to set a public hearing for May 13 at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall to consider the vacation.
BHP has yet to resubmit its revised shorelines permit to the city, much less announce that Terminal 3 — one of two choices for the potash facility along with a site in Vancouver, B.C. — would be its first choice, but Hoquiam Finance Director Corri Schmid said the hearing “had to happen now” as the Port continues to hash out its lease agreement with BHP. The city owns the sewer pond property, which would have to be sold to the Port to include in its lease with BHP to build the facility as planned. That land, including the two sections of road, would be developed as part of the facility.
The closure would mean traffic headed west to Bowerman Airport would have to take Paulson Road south off of West Emerson Avenue/State Route 109, said City Administrator Brian Shay, rather than the route that bypasses town via 5th Street and Airport Way.
Councilman Steven Puvogel asked if westbound truck traffic could still take the 5th Street extension to access the waterfront and City Attorney Steve Johnson said it could. Shay also pointed out there are other options for eastbound truck traffic: “If somebody wanted to bypass downtown heading east they will still be able to turn right onto South Adams Street and still come down along the bay.”
Plus, said Shay, “the majority of the trucks currently using that section of roadway are going to and from Willis Enterprises, and if the BHP potash facility happens Willis has to relocate anyway.” Willis Enterprises agreed early on to relocate its wood chip facility to make way for the potash project.
Schmid clarified for the council during the discussion prior to the vote Monday that all the council was voting on was to schedule the public hearing. The council agreed to the public hearing unanimously.
Shay said BHP looked at creating alternative routes around the vacated sections of road, including extending Moon Island Road to reconnect with Airport Way west of the lagoon or even building a road across the lagoon. FAA requirements for the runway and runway lighting precluded those options, “but BHP did formally look into it,” said Shay.
The potash storage facility would receive potash, a material used to make fertilizers, by rail from its Jansen Mine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It would be stored or sent directly to ships at Terminal 3 for export.
