HomeMy WebLinkAbout120423 email Re_ Pool in Port HadlockALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Thank you for your email, Ashley. I certainly hear the argument that building a new public pool in Port Hadlock would result in it being closer to the geographic center of eastern Jefferson
County, but the geographic center is not the population center. The City of Port Townsend and the areas immediately surrounding is the most densely populated part of the County. By
siting the pool in Port Hadlock, far fewer pool patrons would be able to reach the pool by foot or bicycle, effectively guaranteeing that we would increase our County's vehicle miles
traveled and working against the County and City's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals . It would make our community considerably more dependent upon personal vehicles, while simultaneously
reducing access for the majority of people in Jefferson County.
Furthermore—and perhaps more practically important—is that the County has no way to pay to build the pool in Port Hadlock, as it would require finding an additional $400,000 per year
that the County does not have. The City of Port Townsend has preliminarily committed to contributing an extra $400,000 per year if the pool is located within the city limits, but that
money goes away if the pool were to be built in Port Hadlock.
Attempts to move the location of a future public pool from Port Townsend to Port Hadlock now, at this extremely late stage in the planning process, would erase years of difficult negotiations,
undermine the hard work of many, many people, directly work against our community's climate and energy goals, be less equitable, and be financially impractical, if not impossible.
I appreciate and respect the idea that a pool could conceivably be located in Port Hadlock, but I cannot agree that it would make anywhere near as much sense as building it where population
densities could support it, and where the city subsidy could actually result in it being built: in Port Townsend.
Thank you.
Best,
David J. Faber
Mayor, City of Port Townsend
(360) 821-9374
________________________________
From: Ashley Portilla <ashleyroseportilla@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, December 1, 2023 10:25 AM
To: CityCouncil <citycouncil@cityofpt.us>
Subject: Pool in Port Hadlock
CAUTION: External Email
Hi there,
As a small business owner, parent and resident of Port Townsend, I just wanted to voice a quick vote in favor of locating a pool in Port Hadlock. I can't think of an easier way to let
the wider community know that this pool is for everyone, not just a few wealthy Port Townsend residents. I for one would be happy to make the short 15 min drive down there to use it.
Thanks for your hard work on this issue!
Ashley Portilla