No more floundering in Gig Harbor; it’s time to make waterfront more accessible to paddlers, boaters, everyone
Tension between the commercial fishing boat community and human-powered watercraft users has been part of the Gig Harbor narrative for years, as familiar as the rhythmic slapping of the tide on the netshed pilings downtown.
This clash of tradition and evolution, of preserving a working waterfront versus creating a recreation destination, was natural in the beginning. But in recent years it’s tested the patience of many residents.
Lately fishing boat owners and paddlers aren’t even the ones clashing. They’ve figured out they can co-exist, that the future of Gig Harbor’s inland waters isn’t an either/or proposition.
They came together to press the city to develop Ancich Waterfront Park, a downtown gem that opened last spring, beautiful but unfinished.
Lately what’s held Gig Harbor back is its elected leadership, adrift and uncertain, beset by lack of vision and fear of change. A divided City Council has wavered in its commitment to the new park and kept the maritime city from steering boldly into the 21st century.
Now Gig Harbor leaders should make up for lost time by prioritizing a “two-pier solution” at Ancich Park.
Last week the City Council took a promising step, voting 6-1 to direct staff to move ahead on developing a float system that paddlers could access from the park. Ancich is the planned home of the Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Racing Team, but young GHCKRT athletes can’t use it until they have a safe, efficient way to get their boats in and out of the water.
A feasibility study to build a commercial fishermen’s dock on the north side of the park is proceeding more slowly.
Council members still must come back and amend the 2020 budget to allocate $700,000 for the paddlers’ dock. They also will finalize an agreement with GHCKRT spelling out that the club must raise an additional $500,000 in private funds.
The city should seize this chance so construction can start in September and finish up by next February. Then the racing team can finally pack up from Skansie Brothers Park — its “temporary” home since 2013 — and relocate to the empty new boathouse down the street at Ancich.
Completing the Ancich project is an overdue investment in the youth of the Peninsula, providing a home base for these elite competitors — national champions seven of the last eight years — and instilling local pride.
Kids aren’t the only ones who will benefit; GHCKRT welcomes paddlers of all ages and abilities, including seniors and inexperienced adults. The club also provides an encouraging environment for people to overcome disabilities; among the para-paddlers who’ve trained in Gig Harbor in recent years is a U.S. Army veteran who lost both legs in a firefight in Afghanistan.
Most importantly, the Ancich facilities are open to the general public. Sixty percent of the boat storage is set aside for the team, 40 percent for other paddlers, and the dock will offer water access to the community.
That’s why the project has gung-ho support from residents like John Libner, one of several fans who spoke at Monday’s council meeting.
“I’m a blue collar worker, I drive a forklift for a living,” Libner said. “I can’t afford to go out there on expensive motor boats, but I can afford to go out there in a kayak.”
All it took was fresh blood in elected leadership to negotiate a breakthrough.
Credit Robyn Denson, in her first month on City Council after four terms on the Parks Commission, for pushing through Monday’s resolution. She got a boost from key allies, including Mayor Kit Kuhn, along with an unexpected $800,000 windfall in end-of-year city cash investments.
The city’s portion of the project would come from the general fund ($390,000), park impact fees ($210,000) and lodging tax revenues ($100,000) — a good mix of money that distributes the burden.
Alas, one or two council members will keep trying to scuttle the project.
They’re fastened, barnacle-like, on false notions of irresponsible city spending. They’re blinded by lack of imagination, unable to catch the vision of a first-class collection of waterfront parks that will attract local residents, motor boaters, paddle sports travelers and eco tourists.
They ignore the potential for hundreds of thousands of dollars in moorage revenue at Ancich Park.
And they fail to grasp a future where young athletes feel fully accepted by Gig Harbor, the city whose name they’re honored to wear on their jerseys.
A two-pier solution for human-powered watercraft and fishing boats should be more than a dream floating on the horizon. In 2020, it’s time for the city to put its blade in the water and plunge forward.