Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2015)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015 BAYWATCH Tokeland marina smokin’ busy $564,000 state grant sets stage for new era in little town By KATIE WILSON EO Media Group TOKELAND, Wash. — The Tokeland marina on Willapa Bay is quiet for now, but the parking lot is full of pickup trucks and boat trailers baking in the heat of a mid- day, midweek July sun. All of the marina’s existing 42 slips are spoken for, with roughly half rented out long term to commercial boats and half to recreational boats. Visitors to the marina — and during the summer there are a lot of visitors — must haul in and haul out each day they JR¿VKLQJ7KHUHDUHRQO\WZR boat launch ramps. So when the 50 plus boats in the water off nearby Washaway Beach hit their limit in salmon and head back to the marina, they will have to take turns to haul out while everyone else drives in circles, waiting. It is not uncommon for more than 200 boats to launch from the marina in a single day when the summer Colum- bia River and ocean salmon Natalie St. John/EO Media Group seasons are going strong. Lo- cated near State Route 105 The Tokeland marina on Willapa Bay’s north shore, like ports in Chinook and Ilwaco, Wash., is abuzz with recreational fishing boats this summer as an at the northern side of the outstanding salmon season nears its peak. The marina will soon benefit from state-financed renovations intended to reverse decades of deterioration bay’s entryway, the marina is exemplified by the weather pilings pictured here. the closest ocean access for ERDWHUVLQQRUWK3DFL¿F&RXQ- ty, also drawing users from elsewhere around southwest Washington. During salmon season, says one angler who is dock- bound thanks to some expen- sive boat repairs, it is com- plete chaos. But all of this is in the pro- cess of changing. Big renovations This summer, the Port of Willapa Harbor, which owns and operates the ma- rina, learned it will receive $563,780 from the state Rec- reation and Conservation Of- ¿FHWRUHGHYHORSWKH7RNHODQG Marina. Work already in mo- tion or set to begin this year includes: • Replacing a dilapidated ÀRDWLQJ GRFN XVHG IRU QRZ primarily by birds and, in the winter, by the port as a sort of breakwater) with a new dock that can double as summer moorage and winter breakwa- ter; • Building new bathrooms to take the place of a row of green porta-potties; • Generally cleaning up the marina frontage; • Driving piling for a fu- WXUH ÀRDWLQJ GRFN WKDW ZLOO add approximately 40 more slips; and • Other work to protect the south shoreline from erosion. Natalie St. John/EO Media Group Salmon like these are the big attraction for fishermen uti- lizing a Willapa Bay marina with convenient access to the Pacific Ocean. Natalie St. John/EO Media Group Commercial and recreational vessels jockey for space at Tokeland’s marina, which is fully booked this time of year. to develop a master plan for the area. They asked the com- munity questions like: If you could build one business here, and the only goal was to serve the community, what business would you build? They prior- itized a list of improvements, development ideas and proj- ects. Improving the Tokeland marina was near the top of this list, said Rebecca Chaf- fee, manager for the Port of Willapa Harbor. The face of the marina has Community vision already changed dramatically This, and other grants since then. The port has taken the port has landed in recent GRZQRUKDGEXLOGLQJRZQHUV years, are thanks in part to the take down) several run-down energetic work of Tokeland structures such as an aban- and area residents. doned, boarded-up building $ERXW ¿YH \HDUV DJR D ²WKH¿UHGHSDUWPHQWEXUQHG loose organization of area cit- that one down. Now, Nelson izens and local government Crab is building what will formed Sustainable Tokeland eventually be a commercial seafood market. Meanwhile, the old Nelson Crab building, a rusted-out potential safety hazard sitting out on an old pier to the far side of the ma- rina, is also gone, torn down in late July. The pier itself is considered a failed structure and will be dismantled — work that is set to begin soon. “Right in the middle of ¿VKLQJVHDVRQ´VDLG&KDIIHH sighing a little. Still, Chaffee is excited about the work and the future in store for the Tokeland Ma- rina. She envisions a much more useful facility, one that can handle its growing pop- ularity with local and out-of- town anglers. Busy, but not rich Garth Gerber, the Toke- LOWER COLUMBIA BOWL U ES G A E L L L A F I N G M R O F W O N 503-325-3321 C O S M IC B OW L F ri d a y & Sa tu rd a ys 9:30 to m id n ight In d ivi d u al s & Te am s W an t e d St o p b y o r call t o d ay! 10 AM - 10:30 PM M O N -TH 10 AM - 12:00 AM FRI - SAT 12 PM - 10:30 PM SU N DAY land marina harbor master, ZDONV LQWR KHU RI¿FH EUDQ- dishing a thick sheaf of pink-colored receipts. The stack is thick: all the launch receipts from the recent weekend, representing hun- GUHGVDQGKXQGUHGVRI¿VKLQJ boats. But despite how well- used the marina is during the summer, it makes the port al- most no money. The slips are rented long-term and there is not a lot of turnover. The port doesn’t charge for parking, only for use of the launch. “In a perfect word, with lots of money, we might have done bigger and better WKLQJV´ VKH VDLG 7KH YLVLRQ Sustainable Tokeland had for marina improvements will be met, in part. “We haven’t been able to do them all, and probably never will, but we’ll be able WRGRVRPHRIWKHP´&KDIIHH said. And every little bit helps. Chaffee believes the marina is well on its way to having its busiest season ever this summer. Those new docks for recreational boats can’t come soon enough. “The word seems to really WUDYHO IDVW DPRQJ ¿VKHUPHQ LI WKH ¿VKLQJ LV JRRG´ &KDI- IHHVDLG³$QGWKH¿VKLQJKDV EHHQYHU\JRRG´ Fre e as Est F ima t t es ll Ca ime yt n A • Residential • Commercial •Cedar Roof Treatments • Interior & Exterior Over 20 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 VOLUN T E E R PICK OF THE WEE K McCloud 1 1/2 year old neutered male Siamese -- With sapphire eyes and velvet tread, Royalty Purrsonified. Phil the Pelica n is co m in g to Ca n n o n Bea ch! 10K Run/Walk Across the Astoria Bridge October 11, 2015 Registration Fee - Chip-Timed: $45 / Non-timed: $40 Long-sleeved T-shirts are available to purchase. Don’t delay! Attendance is limited to 3,500 participants. Register online at GreatColumbiaCrossing.com CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER 1315 SE 19th St., Warrenton • 861- PETS www.dogsncats.org Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat K itchen & Restaurant M anagers S ta rt tra in in g NO W in Pa cific City a n d op en ou r n ew Brew Pu b in Ca n n on Bea ch in 2016. Com p etitive W a g es , 401K, Ben efits , Va ca tion Pelica n Brew in g Co m pa n y Pa cific City, O rego n 503- 965- 7779 ext. 307 See profile on petfinder.com Sponsored by H I RI NG NOW event sponsor Presented by Astoria Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce (503) 325-6311 s oldoregon.com s Facebook.com/TravelAstoria w w w.you rlittlebea chtow n .com / jobs em p loym en t@ p elica n brew in g .com