Port of Allyn weighs options to defend against sea lions

Port of Allyn officials have reached a consensus on dealing with sea lions.

During a special meeting of the port commissioners July 10, Port Executive Director Lary Coppola reviewed how the port had been invaded by sea lions on its dock.

Coppola met with representatives from port insurer Enduris, which sent a team out to inspect the damage.

"We are getting bids on the repair work now, and hopefully work will get underway shortly," Coppola said July 10. "We've been told there may be a supply chain issue where the pedestals are concerned, but have not been given any timeline for delivery as of yet."

To prevent further sea lion encroachment, Coppola contacted a metal fabricating contractor about constructing a fence on the dock, with gates for boaters, for which they submitted a bid of about $60,000.

"The truth is, we can't afford what they've proposed," Coppola said. "What they proposed is fabulous, and they do great work, but it's just out of our budget. I told them that you all were going to discuss it, and I expected you would turn it down due to budget constraints."

When the port commissioners did discuss the proposal from Rogue Fabricators for a permanent fence on the Allyn dock, Commissioner John Sheridan made a formal motion to reject the proposal due to its cost. Fellow port commissioners Ted Jackson seconded and Judy Scott made unanimous.

"But I love that they're wanting to do it correctly and right," Sheridan said July 10, before seeking confirmation from Coppola that "they're still on board for communicating, and trying to help solve the problem."

Prior to their meeting, Coppola and Jackson met with Barry Betsinger and Alan Findley, who had conducted additional research and determined that a lightweight, removable fence could be a workable alternative to a permanent one.

"They had some suggestions that could work, so I'm going to take those back to the fabricators, and see if they can come up with something," Coppola said.

Jackson expressed support for portable, temporary fencing, stating, "That's the option we need to look at, so we don't have a permanent structure up there."

Jackson noted that the sea lion presence at the port coincides with one of the port's periods of decreased boat traffic, and while he acknowledged "It's not going to be cheap," he also emphasized the need for "something strong enough" to withstand the body blows of "800-pound marine animals."

Sheridan agreed with the removable fencing suggestion, since "it's not like we have this problem every year, or very often," with which Coppola and Scott concurred, while Jackson noted that he'd made contact with "one person in the community who does fabrications (and) has a shop down here, and he was interested in just looking at it."

Because the port will have to replace its power and water pedestals, Coppola is looking into the possibility of retrofitting the port's dock with pedestals that also include Level 3 chargers for electrically powered boats.

"The main question is, do we need an additional power supply and electrical panel to supply just the chargers on the pedestals, or will the chargers also power the electrical outlets on the boats?" Coppola said. "If not, and we do need an additional power supply and panels, we will need to find grant money for that."

Author Bio

Kirk Boxleitner, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
[email protected]