Buttigieg offers praise for PO breakwater project
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg made a brief stop in Port Orchard July 6 to champion the future work of replacing the marina’s breakwater and discuss what it means as a part of President Biden’s Invest in America.
Buttigieg was accompanied by state Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Derek Kilmer, along with a slew of local officials to celebrate what he called an important investment by the federal government.
“The former naval officer in me understands the importance of Kitsap County,” he said in a speech at Marina Park, the port directly behind him. “The former mayor (South Bend, Ind.) in me loves being able to support local work in a community that is clearly very proud and deserves a wind at your back from the federal government.”
The federal government two weeks ago awarded the Port of Bremerton a $9.4 million grant, providing funding to replace a public breakwater on its last legs in Port Orchard. Its old condition was evident even before the harsh winter weather of 2022 caused enough damage for a portion of the breakwater to be closed to the public.
Port CEO Jim Rothlin said: “This breakwater is about 48 years old, so if you know anything about breakwaters, it’s well beyond its useful life. So, we are fortunate to get this thing going.”
The replacement breakwater will provide protection for the only saltwater fueling station in a 16-nautical-mile radius along with the interior boats and waterfront shoreline. It is essential for commercial and tribal fishing and generates millions of dollars annually for the city.
The importance of the breakwater was a big motivator in the project being selected in a highly competitive program. “We got $15 billion in requests for that $2.2 billion we’re fortunate to have,” Buttigieg said, “and I mention that only to emphasize that even with those revised criteria and that additional funding, there’s no community that is a slam dunk for a project like this.”
Murray gave credit to both parties. “This is the bipartisan infrastructure law at work right here in Port Orchard,” she added. “This is actually the Appropriations process at work right here, and this is Congress investing in our communities to make life better for folks.”
The replacement project is also set to usher in the electrification of the Port Orchard Marina, namely the adding of charging stations for electric vessels, including Kitsap Transit’s ferry fleet. Inslee offered his support as it aligns with his statewide agenda to transition to clean zero-emission energy. He is confident in work to restore services at Washington State Ferries, despite criticism from some local ferry riders on a lack of effort. “The state of Washington is leading the world in a clean energy revolution in transportation so we can defeat climate change, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
By: Elisha Meyer
Source: Kitsap Daily News