The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader Serving Port Townsend and Jefferson County since 1889

Priced-out maritime workers take housing fight to City HallBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.c...
09/20/2026

Priced-out maritime workers take housing fight to City Hall

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

Fresh off the water and still dressed in work gear, a group of maritime workers arrived together at Port Townsend City Hall Sept. 8 to send a message about who they believe has been missing from the city’s housing debate.

“We showed up in our gear as a gesture of solidarity and absolutely to make a statement,” maritime worker Alden Rohrer said Sept. 11. “It wasn’t a protest event, but we were trying to show solidarity and make that statement.”

Rohrer, a lead trainer for Salish Rescue, said the group’s message was that working people struggling to afford Port Townsend should have a greater voice in the city’s decisions.

According to its website, “Salish Rescue is a volunteer search and rescue nonprofit organization dedicated to helping improve on-the-water safety in the Puget Sound region.” The organization provides search and rescue training for youth and adults.
“Here we are as the working class telling you how to show up for us,” Rohrer said.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

After losing Comp Plan ruling, city comes to the table with challengersBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafric...
09/19/2026

After losing Comp Plan ruling, city comes to the table with challengers

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

After months on opposite sides of a legal fight over Port Townsend’s comprehensive plan, city officials and the residents who challenged it are now negotiating.

“The Parties have begun discussions concerning conditions for a joint request for a stay,” said attorneys for the city and petitioners in a Sept. 11 filing with the Growth Management Hearings Board. “Those discussions require more time to conclude.”

The city, along with petitioner Affordable Hometown Port Townsend, jointly asked the board to wait until Sept. 30 before deciding on the city’s request to stay an Aug. 19 ruling that found portions of the Comprehensive Plan out of compliance with state law.

If they reach an agreement, the two sides could return with a proposed joint stay. If not, they asked the board to proceed with the city’s original request.

The negotiations come less than two weeks after Port Townsend appealed the ruling in Thurston County Superior Court. Interim City Manager Steve King said the negotiations and appeal are not mutually exclusive.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Hiring freeze stays as deficit nears $2.5MBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.comFacing a potent...
09/18/2026

Hiring freeze stays as deficit nears $2.5M

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

Facing a potential $2.5 million year-end deficit, Jefferson County commissioners have extended the county's hiring freeze indefinitely.

The decision comes as sales tax revenue continues to underperform county expectations, adding pressure to a budget picture that county staff said could carry into 2027.

“Based on the current state of our deficit for 2026, we are anticipating, with the discussion of underperforming sales tax, that we very possibly could be in a $2.5 million deficit for 2026 at the end of this,” Jefferson County Finance Director Judy Shepherd told commissioners Sept. 8.

The hiring freeze has been in place since October 2025, when commissioners approved the temporary measure during the 2026 budget process. It was originally expected to expire at the end of the year.

Under the new extension, unanimously approved Sept. 8, the freeze no longer has a fixed expiration date. Instead, the freeze will remain in place until commissioners vote to lift it, giving the county the option to end the policy sometime in 2027 or continue it beyond next year.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Iconic festival raises all boats on ‘busiest weekend of year’Leader staffnews@ptleader.comThe Port Townsend Wooden Boat ...
09/17/2026

Iconic festival raises all boats on ‘busiest weekend of year’

Leader staff
[email protected]

The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival from Sept. 11-13 brought more than 200 boats, hundreds of presentations and demonstrations and thousands of visitors to town for its 49th year of celebrating and educating people about the maritime community.

Festival organizers estimated the event drew more than 25,000 attendees over three days, along with more than 200 boats on the waterfront, as about 600 volunteers worked to make it happen, joined by roughly 100 presenters providing 120 presentations and demonstrations.

More than 60 vendors were on site, including more than 20 local food and drink vendors, while an official economic impact assessment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management found that about 75% of the event’s 2025 attendees came from outside of Jefferson County, with 93% of last year’s festival-related spending coming from out-of-town visitors.

Organizers also estimated that more than 70% of those out-of-town visitors stayed overnight.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

‘Very, very serious’: City finds damage in major sewer lineBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.c...
09/16/2026

‘Very, very serious’: City finds damage in major sewer line

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

A section of one of Port Townsend’s main sewer lines may have deteriorated to the point that portions of the concrete pipe are gone, leaving little more than dirt surrounding a line that carries wastewater from much of the city.

“It’s very, very serious,” Interim City Manager Steve King said. “A collapse there would just — it would overflow sewer everywhere. I mean, there’s just a massive amount of volume.”

For now, however, the damaged section appears stable.
The discovery came after an earlier sewer overflow on Castle Hill prompted the city to investigate the main trunk line running to the wastewater treatment plant.
“This is our big, big trunk line that goes all the way to the wastewater plant,” King said.

The pipe is too large for city equipment, so Port Townsend City Council authorized $80,000 to clean and inspect the line. Crews found substantial sediment, but also discovered a section that appeared troubling, and familiar.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Extended closures in September, October for U.S. 101 Hoh River BridgeLeader staffnews@ptleader.comTravelers who use U.S....
09/15/2026

Extended closures in September, October for U.S. 101 Hoh River Bridge

Leader staff
[email protected]

Travelers who use U.S. 101 between Forks and Hoquiam, on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, will need to prepare for hours-long detours during overnight and around-the-clock closures at the U.S. 101 Hoh River Bridge.

The Washington State Department of Transportation’s emergency contractor, Hamilton Construction, will bring in equipment needed to replace four floor beams at two joints under the bridge deck.

From Monday, Sept. 14, to Tuesday, Sept. 22, 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., the U.S. 101 Hoh River Bridge will be closed to all traffic.

During these overnight closures, crews will install a work deck and containment system on the bridge that are needed to perform the repairs.
Once the scaffolding is in place, crews will close the bridge to traffic again, for up to six days in a row for three weeks, to make the repairs.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Opening strike starts a long night in 41-6 football lossBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.comA...
09/14/2026

Opening strike starts a long night in 41-6 football loss

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

A new-look East Jefferson football team faced its first test of the season Sept. 4, matching up with a Kingston squad that looked ready to make some noise this fall.

The Kingston Buccaneers defeated the Rivals 41-6 at Memorial Field, a reversal from their last meeting Oct. 24, 2025, when East Jefferson traveled to Kingston and came away with a 29-0 shutout victory.

Kingston showed its speed immediately, returning the season-opening kickoff for a touchdown on the first play of the game. As the first half continued, Kingston freshman quarterback Wyatt Christensen kept the Rivals defense under constant pressure.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Nonprofit’s $1.3M gift supports wooden boatbuilding school studentsBy Leader StaffNEWS@PTLEADER.COMThe Northwest School ...
09/13/2026

Nonprofit’s $1.3M gift supports wooden boatbuilding school students

By Leader Staff
[email protected]

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding announced this week that it has received a $1.3 million gift from the Camilla Chandler Family Foundation, funds the school used to fully retire the debt on the school’s academic facilities.

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is a nonprofit postsecondary trade school at 42 N. Water St. in Port Hadlock that trains students for careers in the marine trades, offering programs in traditional and contemporary wooden boatbuilding and marine systems.

Interim Executive Director Christina Ruben said the timing of the gift is especially meaningful.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

When the alert comes, don’t rush to schoolBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.comWhen an emergen...
09/12/2026

When the alert comes, don’t rush to school

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

When an emergency alert sounds from a child’s school, a parent’s instinct may be to call their kid and head for the school.

School officials are asking them to wait.

With students back in classrooms and practicing emergency response, Chimacum School District Superintendent Scott Mauk said it’s important parents also understand their role — including how they will receive information, when to communicate with their child and what to expect before families are reunited.

“We’re not silly about it,” Mauk said. “I’m a parent; you know what parents do.”

The district expects parents will come to the school during an emergency, regardless of instructions, and plans for that possibility. But Mauk said families can take other steps long before an emergency occurs.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Homeless funding faces shake-upBy Alex FrickReport for America Corps Memberafrick@ptleader.comOlympic Community Action P...
09/11/2026

Homeless funding faces shake-up

By Alex Frick
Report for America Corps Member
[email protected]

Olympic Community Action Programs is prepared to step away as the lead agency for roughly $2.2 million in state homelessness funding as Jefferson County weighs taking over the role in 2027.

OlyCAP Executive Director Holly Morgan told the Jefferson County Housing Fund Board Sept. 3 that after months of discussion over how the county’s homelessness response system is managed, the organization is ready for a change.

“I think that after a lot of consideration and discussion, I think that the county is looking for a change and I think that that's okay,” Morgan said. “And maybe it's time for that.”

OlyCAP currently serves as the lead grantee for the state-funded Consolidated Homeless Grant, or CHG, which supports homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, emergency and transitional housing and other services.

Jefferson County will have the opportunity in early 2027 to decide whether to take over as lead grantee for the next two-year grant cycle, Commerce grant manager Sara Ihmoda told the board.

Pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com for the full story.

Address

226 Adams Street
Port Townsend, WA
98368

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(360)3852900

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader:

Shortcuts

Share

Category