The ocean gives us life, but she demands her price as well: salt corrodes metal, storms can ravage the shore and the waves will eventually wear down even the strongest rock and stone into nothing but grains of sand.

Nowhere is this more obvious than a marina. The Westport Marina has been in operation in its current form for about 40 years, said Molly Bold, the general manager of the county’s biggest and busiest fishing center.

“We just completed, in 2022, the Marina Modernization Plan,” Bold said in an interview. “That concept plan is what we will use to move forward on design engineering and permitting for each phase.”

The marina, which has nearly 400 annual tenants, is a hub for the seafood industry here in Washington and on the West Coast in general, Bold said. More than 2,700 jobs in the county are connected to the seafood industry, Bold said, and Westport and its marina are the anchors that the industry swings around.

“We think of it like the floating business district,” Bold said. “Every boat is a business, and likely employs two to three families. Their businesses rely on the safe moorage that we provide. It’s critical that we move forward on this major project.”

The annual mooring fees may not bring in a ton of money, Bold said, but without the marina in good and working order, all of the other commerce that relies on them suffers.

“The marina is the platform on which all this economic activity takes place,” Bold said. “But it’s a gem. It’s somewhat iconic to the region. The public loves Westport.”

Photos by MIchael S. Lockett / The Daily World The complete replacement of Float 21 is the first phase of construction for the Westport Marina’s modernization plan, aiming to begin construction in several years.

Moving with the times

When the docks were built in their current configuration in the 1980s, they were constructed with 40-foot trollers in mind, Bold said. The norm these days is for larger, broader, heavier vessels, Bold said, likening it to trying to park large automobiles in a parking lot designed for compacts.

“Currently the boats are oversized — too big and too wide for the docks as they are now. We are rebuilding it to accommodate today’s fleet,” Bold said. “Because a lot of the boats are oversized, it’s breaking them down faster.”

The initial phases will focus on floats 11, 15, 17 and 21, Bold said, where undersized slips used long past their life expectancy are hindering their ability to serve large commercial fishing vessels. Float 19 will be removed entirely, Bold said, while others will be updated or entirely replaced.

“Some of the docks will be completely rebuilt. From the pilings to the cleats to the ramps to the abatement. Everything will be new,” Bold said. “For the rehabilitation, we will be reusing concrete floating modules that are in good shape and replace all the timbers and hardware.”

The modernization will get rid of a number of slips that are unusable by modern vessels and rearrange the structure for a more efficient arrangement, Bold said.

“There is lost space but the marina will be used more efficiently,” Bold said. “There are spaces where we can’t tie up any boats.”

Other changes include increasing accessibility across the marina, particularly the gangways to the floats, which can become a very sharp grade during extreme low tides. Lengthening these by 20 or more feet will smooth out the gradient during all tides, Bold said.

“They’re very old. They’re not ADA accessible,” Bold said. “It will provide access to everyone. They’ll be up to standard.”

Float 19, in the background, is due to be axed under the Westport Marina’s modernization plan as being insufficient for modern use.

No short journey

Total replacement of Float 21 is the first step in the plan, Bold said, but construction isn’t projected to begin for a few years as the marina sorts designing, permitting and sourcing funding for the project.

“We would hope for construction on float 21 in (2025 or 2026),” Bold said.

The concept plan for the modernization takes a multi-year approach, Bold said. A number of other projects were completed around the marina before it was appropriate for the docks to become the main focus.

“The port has put significant investment in the marina over the last 20 years. Many times it’s things the public may not notice,” Bold said. “Now we’re going after the bones. The foundation has been laid with all this preparatory time. Now is the right time to address the docks.”

Some of those preparatory projects included dredging, maintenance, a long-standing partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, building bathrooms and showers, and enhancing the boat launch plaza, Bold said. With those supporting projects completed, it became time to turn to the heart of the marina, the docks themselves.

“It’s a project of great significance to the community,” Bold said. “The marina is really the centerpiece to a lot of that tourism and recreational activity.”

The project will stretch out over years, Bold said, as the marina gets the money and works through the process. The project has already received some funding, including a $1 million grant from the state Recreation Conservation Office for the Float 21 portion of the project and another $750,000 in community project funding from the office of U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, 6th District, for Phase 1 design and engineering, Bold said.

“It all depends on the money and our ability to find funds,” Bold said. “Grant funding and funding partners at a state and federal level are essential.”

Bold said the planning and execution of the modernization is subject to change through the process, and that the marina always welcomes questions from community members.

“We’re a pretty agreeable group up here,” Bold said. “The public can come in here and ask questions.”

Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.