A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 23, marked the opening of the first of five new floating concrete docks at Fishermen's Terminal.
"It's a big day for us," said terminal general manager Kenneth Lyles of a $22-million project that will replace Docks 5 though 10 by this time next year.
"This is a very big step," agreed Port Commissioner John Creighton, who recently bought a fixer-upper in Queen Anne and plans to move there when repairs on the house are completed.
The five new docks will replace the 1930s-era wooden docks, which many considered to be unsafe following the drowning of several fishermen at the Magnolia marina. Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Creighton noted that the new docks will make it easier to load and unload fishing vessels.
The dock-replacement project comes on the heels of other Port investments that include $12.85 million for replacing the south wall, the $3-million project to replace Docks 3 and 4, $12 million worth of improvements to the West Wall and $12 million worth of upgrades to the terminal's sewer, water and electrical systems, he added.
The improvements are a priority for the Port of Seattle, Creighton stressed. "The Port is making these investments because the fishing industry is very important to us," he said.
Creighton also noted that the dock design had the unanimous support of the Fishermen's Terminal Advisory Committee (FTAC) following four years of collaboration with the Port.
FTAC chairman David Harsila said he was pleased with the results. "I think everybody is real excited to see something we've been working on for a long time," he said.
Harsila, a 30-year veteran of the fishing industry, said he wouldn't even set foot on his boat when the old, higher wooden docks were slippery with frost. It was when the docks were icy that the several fishermen slipped and drown in the chilly waters around the terminal, he said.
That's something fishermen won't have to worry about anymore, according to Harsila. "The new dock is not even comparable because it's so much safer," he said.[[In-content Ad]]
