Hoodsport businesses, port reach accord

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 01, 20220

Downtown Hoodsport business co-owner Katherine Yackel and the Port of Hoodsport appear to have settled their concerns about the community at the port’s Aug. 17 meeting.

Yackel, instructor and operations manager of YSS Dive in Hoodsport, acknowledged using the port’s park without an event form April 30. She said she’d been unaware of such event forms beforehand.

“I do apologize for that,” Yackel said. “We did instruct our divers to use the parking lot where we had our tents. We did have one tent on the beach, and I apologize for that as well. It won’t happen again.”

Yackel said she has no problem with filling out “whatever forms are required,” nor with “paying whatever fee is associated with that day,” because as “the highest risk, highest liability business in town, I definitely understand paperwork waivers.”

YSS Dive doesn’t sanction the use of the park or port for scuba-diving, but at the same time, “We cannot control what the dive community does,” Yackel said.

YSS Dive advises divers to use diving flags and to be wary of how variable boaters’ experience levels can be, all while “encouraging safe diving practices and the use of sites that will be safe for divers,” she said.

Yackel voiced concerns of her own, reporting commercial activity on the dock from July 31 through Aug. 1, having boats and cars parking longer than allowed during shrimping days, and garbage cans overflowing during fishing days Mondays and Thursdays.

Yackel claimed people with dive stickers on their cars are more likely to receive notices for overstaying their time than those without such stickers.

Among the positives, Yackel praised the port for the upkeep of its grounds and repairs to its docks, both of which she cited as encouraging tourist traffic and helping to promote local businesses.

Yackel and Port Commissioner Cody Morris have consulted their organizations’ respective attorneys about how the port and YSS Dive can work to mutually support each other without breaking state laws barring a public entity from showing preferential treatment toward one private entity over another.

“We are not exchanging funds on any port property,” Yackel said, before she and Morris agreed there’s “no need” for the port or YSS Dive to engage in legal battles with each other, especially because their shared aim is to encourage people “to continue to come to Hoodsport” so “local businesses thrive.”

Port Commissioner Lori Kincannon referred Yackel to the port’s website to obtain event forms. She agreed to send those forms to Yackel via email after Yackel said the port’s site was difficult to navigate.

“When you fill out the forms, we can notify everyone else in town, not only to ensure no conflict with another event we’ve already approved, but also to give everyone equal time,” Kincannon said. “Obviously, you can’t control if private divers are coming in and camping out here.”

“That’s one of the hardest parts we’re running into,” Yackel said.

Kincannon expressed the belief that if everyone was aware of the “unprecedented” number of people coming into Hoodsport, they could help resolve many problems, from trash disposal to warning parties against monopolizing certain spaces. Yackel largely concurred.

“We will internally address the complaints you’ve made,” Kincannon said. “but we’re a small port with no employees. We bring in an extra contractor during the summer. We don’t want you to have to do garbage removal, but we appreciate that you do.”

“This is our town, too,” Yackel said. “The park is right next to our building.”

Morris offered to arrange an introduction between Yackel and the new owners of the IGA, and extended to her the use of the parking spaces behind his Potlatch Brewing Co.