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Home My WebLink About083022 Letter from Washington State Department of Transportation P Box 670 Port Angeles WA 98362 360-452-8552 director@olympicpeninsula.org PENINSULA www.OlympicPeninsula.org TOURISM COMMISSION August 28, 2022 Board of County Commissioners Jefferson County 1820 Jefferson St. Port Townsend, WA 98368 Dear Commissioners Dean, Eisenhour and Brotherton, The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has announced a planned 2023 Center Lock Rehabilitation project on the Hood Canal Bridge, which will involve "four total weekend closures sometime between spring and early fall 2023." As you can appreciate, doing so during the busy summer season will have significant impact on Olympic Peninsula residents and visitors alike. That is our peak season for tourism, and many of our major events occur over summer weekends. A weekend- long bridge closure over those dates could have significant negative economic impact on our communities. The Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission (OPTC) sent the enclosed letter to WSDOT, in an effort to be a part of the conversation and to affect the ultimate decisions regarding potential closure dates. We are asking for your support in amplifying the same message to WSDOT on the matter. Thank you for your consideration. I am available should you have any questions. Sincerely, C7ka,Cag.-- Marsha Massey Executive Director Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau Cc Steve Shively,Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council obj I P Box 670 Port Angeles WAA 98362 w ,,L� 360-452-8552 director@olympicpeninsula.org PEN I NSU LA www.OlympicPeninsula.org TOURISM COMMISSION August 26, 2022 Mr. Steve Roark Regional Administrator, Olympic Region Washington State Department of Transportation 7407—31sY Ave. NE Lacey, WA 98516 Dear Steve: On behalf of the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission ("the Commission"), please consider the following input relative to the planned 2023 Center Lock Rehabilitation Project closures of the Hood Canal Bridge to be scheduled for "four total weekend closures ... sometime between spring and early fall 2023". The Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission is a marketing collaborative representing Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties, as well as the municipalities of Forks, Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend. The Commission's goal is to market the Olympic Peninsula as a highly desirable year-round destination for visitors, primarily overnight guests from fifty miles away or greater. In total, the industry sector we represent generates $886 Million in direct visitor spending, which in turn generates nearly$72 Million in state and local taxes while supporting 6,400 direct jobs. The period between mid-May and mid-September is the peak season for visitors to the Olympic Peninsula. Any transportation projects, including area highways, bridges and/or ferries have significant impact, not only to local residents, but also to the visitors and the businesses that depend on them. As you plan for these necessary bridge closures, we ask that WSDOT please consider the attached information that highlights ways to minimize significant economic impact to local communities and businesses. The attached includes a list of sixteen major North Olympic Peninsula festivals or events, as well as three holiday weekends, occurring between May and September, that will be most significantly impacted by a Hood Canal Bridge closure. It is assumed WSDOT would not schedule any bridge closures for the holiday weekends. Note the five most significant events in terms of potential visitor impact are highlighted in orange, and the request is that bridge closures are avoided for these weekends. To recap, the five events are: • June 2-4, 2023: North Olympic Discovery Marathon • July 21-23, 2023: Sequim Lavender Weekend • August 29—September 1, 2023: THING Concert, Fort Worden, Port Townsend • September 8-10, 2023: Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival • September 21-24, 2023: Port Townsend Film Festival Please be aware that a full closure of the Hood Canal Bridge over ANY of the weekends on the attached list will have a dramatic impact on traffic and on attendance at these vital events. The five highlighted have the largest volume of visitors, and therefore stand to be most significantly impacted by such a closure. When the events are negatively impacted, the area businesses are also significantly impacted, and many of these small businesses are still in post-pandemic recovery mode. The Commission urges WSDOT to consider the impact over these dates and to avoid any planned Hood Canal Bridge closures at those times. Finally, we understand that WSDOT has numerous factors to consider in determining any closure dates. The sooner the closure dates can be established and announced, the more lead time we have to determine impact and workarounds, and to establish consistent messaging to help potential travelers prepare for the planned closures. We ask that these determinations be made sooner rather than later for maximum mitigation. Thank you for consideration of this request and input. Sincerely, Marsha Massey Executive Director On behalf of the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission partners: Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau (Clallam County) Forks Chamber of Commerce City of Sequim City of Port Angeles Clallam Bay/Sekiu Chamber of Commerce Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council (for Jefferson County) Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (for Port Townsend) Mason County Tourism Cc: Clallam County Board of Commissioners efferson County Board of Commissioners City of Forks City Council City of Port Angeles City Council City of Sequim City Council City of Port Townsend City Council Clallam Transit, Kevin Gallacci, General Manager Jefferson Transit Authority, Nicole Gauthier, Interim General Manager Clallam Economic Development Council, Colleen McAleer, Executive Director EDC Team Jefferson, Cindy Brooks, Executive Director Port Angeles Business Association, Jim McEntire Washington Festival and Events Association, Bruce Skinner, Executive Director Major Event Dates- Olympic Peninsula May- September 2023 AVOID HOOD CANAL BRIDGE CLOSURE 2023 Date City Event Potential Attendance Impact May 6-7 Sequim Irrigation Festival 2K/250 out of town May 13-14 Sequim Irrigation Festival 2K/250 out of town May 20-21 Port Townsend Rhody Festival 2,500 May 27-28 Port Angeles Juan de Fuca Festival 1,500/250 out of town May 26-29 Olympic Peninsula Memorial Weekend 50k May 26-29 Sequim Tandem Bike Ralley 400-800/80% out of town June 2-4 Port Angeles Discovery Marathon 8k/5k out of town June 10-11 Port Angeles Maritime Festival 4k/500 out of town July 1-4 Olympic Peninsula Independance Day Weekend 50k July 7-9 Clallam Bay/Sekiu Sekiu Fun Days 1k/325 out of town July 21-23 Sequim Lavender Festival 25-30k/75% out of town July 14-16 La Push Quileute Days 4k Aug 5-6 Sequim Tour de Lavender 750/400 out of town Aug 5-6 Port Angeles Ride the Hurricane 1200/800 out of town Aug 29-Sept1 Port Townsend THING Festival 10k/50%out of town Sept 1-4 Olympic Peninsula Labor Day Weekend 50k Sept 8-10 Port Townsend Wooden Boat 25-30k/15k-20k out of town Sept 14-17 Forks Forever Twilight Festival 4k/95% out of town Sept 21-24 Port Townsend Film Festival 10k/6k out of town Holiday Weekend Major Events Updated 8/19/2022