HomeMy WebLinkAbout24-06-05_Support letter for NWSWBB to WSHS Heritage Capital Grant
June 5, 2024
Jay Baersten
Director of Heritage Outreach
Washington State Historical Society
1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402
To the Heritage Capital Grant Selection Committee,
As a Commissioner for Jefferson County I would like to offer this letter of support for the Northwest
School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWB) grant proposal for its project “Integration of Historic
Cottages into NWSWB’s Port Hadlock Heritage Waterfront Campus.”
NWSWB plays a critical role in our County, where 20% of the jobs are related to maritime businesses.
The school draws students from around the country, and many decide to stay in our area and work for
local employers or start their own companies. The local Boatyard has relied on a steady stream of
graduates over the last four decades to fuel the marine trades and build the now international
reputation for high quality boat repair and refit projects.
The County’s shortage of affordable housing is severe, and the County has supported the School’s
acquisition of seven historic cottages for student housing. In a competitive grant cycle the County
awarded $80,000 to the electrical upgrades for the cottages, to support the school continuing to bring
skills tradespeople into our community.
With recent acquisitions of property, the school’s now eight-acre campus is really a community
resource. Not only does the campus provide vitality to Port Hadlock and the marine trades, it also helps
preserve and feature the unique history of our county’s working waterfront. Visitors are drawn to the
school’s campus – to attend and visit the school, to watch the skills being learned in the boat shops, to
eat at the Ajax Cafe, and to visit the waterfront. NWSWB’s stewardship of the historic buildings on its
campus garnered them our County’s top preservation award in 2022 for its restoration and preservation
of the Galster House. NWSWB’s work preserves historic structures that are irreplaceable and legacy
skills that can only be taught by one person showing another, while also providing a career pathway to
living wage jobs and fueling our local maritime businesses with prospective employees.
NWSWB works actively and collaboratively with other organizations so I know that every dollar that
comes into the project will be amplified through volunteers and technical advisors.
Sincerely,
Heidi Eisenhour
Phone (360) 385-9103 Fax (360) 385-9382 heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us
Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner District 2
1820 Jefferson Street
PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.co.jefferson.wa.us