Facility Description

Ownership: The Herb Beck Marina ownership on Quilcene Bay encompasses approximately 57.75 acres of waterfront and adjoining uplands lying at the south end of Linger Longer Road on the west shore of the Bay. The Port’s property on the east side of Linger Longer Road (i.e., on the waterward side) comprises approximately 3.85 acres made dis-contiguous by an intervening property owned by Coast Seafoods Company. Not included within the 57.75 acres of Port land cited above are extensive submerged tidelands beneath the Bay, including the approximately two acres occupied by the breakwater and marina.

Existing Facilities & Use: Existing in-water facilities on Port property include a 51-slip marina, boat launch ramp, fuel and water service, and rock breakwaters. The upland property west of Linger Longer Road (i.e., approximately 53.9 acres of the 57.75-acre total) consists of forested, steep hillsides and a two-acre area of gravel extraction for local use.

The marina is a small manmade harbor with floating docks that can accommodate approximately 51 boats. Two large riprap revetments were extended from shore to create the harbor. A sanitary sewer pump-out and a single-lane launch ramp are also situated within the harbor along with the boat slips. A small fuel dock situated on the north side of the marina was decommissioned earlier this year.

Generally, the marina is in fair to poor condition and provides 14 doublewide boat slips ranging in size from 20 feet to about 40 feet. About 22 additional side-ties are available in the remainder of the harbor for small-to medium-length boats. This is the only facility owned by the Port in southeastern Jefferson County.

The floating docks are concrete with structural timber wales and are in fair to poor condition with minimal freeboard (12 inches or less). Originally constructed in the late 1960s, these docks have exceeded their anticipated useful lives, and are in need of substantial capital renovation to remain usable into the future. Anchoring the concrete floats within the harbor are 17 creosote-treated timber pilings, with galvanized steel pile guides. These pilings remain in good to fair condition.

Two 40-foot steel gangways access the boat slips and fuel dock. Electric service provided to each slip and water service is located along the float walkway. The condition of the utilities is fair to poor. No telephone service is available on the floats.

The fuel dock (now decommissioned) is approximately 12 feet wide and 40 feet long with minimal freeboard (12 inches or less). The float is concrete with structural timber wales and is in fair to poor condition. One of the gangways is attached to landside and is the access point for the above ground fuel tanks, sanitary sewer pump-out and electric and water service. Landside at the top of the ramp is a small wooden structure that housed the fuel dock attendant, electric service meters, and lighting control. The other gangway accesses the parking area, garbage container, and oil dump.

The upland facilities include a gravel parking area for seven cars and 25 trailers, a public restroom and laundry, a marina office, a swimming beach, and tidelands. A caretaker’s residence (mobile home) was removed from the property in 2017 due to safety concerns. Additionally, an approximately 1,400 square foot converted barracks building is located on the northeastern corner of the Port’s ownership and is presently leased by the Quilcene Harbor Yacht Club. The parking lot located adjacent to the marina is about 75 percent asphalt and 25 percent gravel. Both the parking lot and marina are lighted by street type high-output lighting attached to steel posts.

The boat launch ramp situated on south end of the marina is concrete, somewhat steeply sloped, and is in fair to poor condition. The ramp has no temporary moorage float, but access to the marina floats is adequate for temporary tie-ups while launching or retrieving boats.

Single-family residential properties are located adjacent to both the north and south of the Port’s Quilcene property. As noted above, Coast Seafoods, Inc. (“Coast”) owns a .56-acre parcel on the east side of Linger Longer Road. In addition to the parcel owned by Coast, the company leases approximately six acres of shoreline and upland property from the Port along with approximately 8,400 square feet of building space in two separate structures that comprise their oyster hatchery and research facility (a permitted aquaculture use under the Jefferson County Shoreline Master Program).

Public Access, Services, & Utilities:

Regional Access: US 101

Local Access: Linger Longer Road

Marine Access: Quilcene/Dabob Bay

Fire/Emergency Services: Jefferson County Fire District #2 (i.e., Quilcene Volunteer Fire Department)

Water: Water service is provided by the Port of Port Townsend through a well.

Sewer: The site is served by an on-site septic system.

Electricity: Electricity is provided by Jefferson County Public Utility District #1 (PUD).

Other: CenturyLink (formerly Qwest) telephone service; Waste Connections provides solid waste collection service. Wave Broadband is the provider of cable and internet services in this area.

Herb Beck Marina Improvement Plan

Port Commission meetings with Quilcene residents over the past decade have not revealed a clear consensus regarding the desired future of the marina and uplands. Previously, the Commission discussed the sale of portions of the uplands to fund marina redevelopment (e.g., partial asset sale to fund marina reconfiguration and construction of an upgraded two-lane boat ramp facility with associated handling float).

Earlier iterations of the Port’s CSHI (2003) contemplated reconfiguration of the floats within the existing marina basin, further development of commercial and marine trades uses along the shoreline, and the development of usable portions of the uplands south of Coast Seafoods for transient accommodations (e.g., RV park). This update to the CSHI seeks to move forward with repair and replacement of existing capital infrastructure while the Port Commission actively engages the community in discussions concerning the long-term future of this facility. The focus will be on investments that extend the useful life of the facility, ensure safety, and maintain compliance with environmental standards.

Because of the deteriorated condition of this facility, three significant projects that will be necessary over the next 10 years to maintain its continued viability. These projects are summarized below.

Project #1 – Marina Entrance Dredging: The marina is located on a stretch of shoreline that sees substantial sediment transport, and periodic maintenance dredging (i.e., once per decade) of the marina entrance and within the boat basin is required to maintain safe navigable access for vessels. The last dredging occurred in 2010 (3,500 cubic yards). The Port is presently in the preliminary stages of planning a dredge project for this facility that is anticipated to occur in the near term (i.e., 1-2 years). The near-term project is estimated to require up to $400,000 (including engineering and permitting costs). Dredging would again be needed in 2031 at an estimated cost of $512,000 in inflation adjusted dollars.

Project #2 – Boat Ramp Repair or Replacement: As noted above, the launch ramp within the marina is in fair to poor condition and rather steep. It is also a facility that sees heavy use, particularly for shrimping and tribal fish openings. This facility will require either substantial repairs or replacement over the next decade in order to ensure continued trailer boat access to the waters of Quilcene Bay. This repair and replacement project is anticipated in years 6-10 of this plan, at an estimated cost of up to $1,050,000 in 2026 inflation adjusted dollars. Neither ramp relocation and addition of a second lane, nor a handling float are included within this estimate. Addition of a dedicated handling float, or an expanded capacity two-lane ramp would increase project costs by multiples and would also require reconfiguration of the docks and finger piers within the marina.

Project #3 – Dock & Float Renovations: The docks in the marina are primarily used by transient recreational vessels, although small work vessels (skiffs) associated with the upland oyster hatchery also make frequent use of both the launch ramp and the docks, particularly on the northeast side of the marine. All of the docks and floats are in fair to poor condition and require extensive renovation in the near term to remain useful. Accordingly, this CSHI anticipates a renovation project in the next five years that would include the replacement of rub boards, walers, associated through rods & nuts, installation of miscellaneous hardware, the addition of supplemental flotation, and new concrete dock tops to replace deteriorated areas. The proposed project would not include electrical service repairs or upgrades. The project is estimated to require up to $250,000 in 2025 inflation adjusted dollars.

Estimated Capital Project Costs – Herb Beck Marina, Quilcene:

HERB BECK MARINA TOTAL = $2,212,000

In addition to the more significant capital renovation and replacement projects outlined above, the Port plans would continue to undertake projects as necessary to maintain existing capital infrastructure and address public safety concerns and changing regulatory requirements.