PORT ANGELES — With a downtown conference center now moving toward reality, two other major city projects — annexation and the Gateway transit center — go to the front burner tonight.
* City Manager Mike Quinn and other officials will be before the public from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Roosevelt Middle School library, 106 Monroe Road, for the last of eight forums on annexing unincorporated residential and commercial areas of Clallam County between the city’s eastern boundary to Morse Creek.
The forum will be a wrap-up session covering issues from property taxes to commercial development to police and fire protection.
In February the City Council will decide whether to proceed with annexation and, if so, finalize the boundaries.
But even after four months of the informational meetings, most annexation opponents say they haven’t changed their minds — they don’t want to be part of the city.
City officials say annexation will not proceed if there is not enough residential support.
* From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., city and Clallam Transit officials will hold a workshop to get public input on the design plans for Gateway — officially known as “The Port Angeles International Gateway Transportation Center” — a $4.5 million transit facility that would include six bus parking stalls and a pedestrian plaza that begins at Lincoln and Front streets.
The session will be held in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. 5th St.
For those who can’t attend in the evening, there is an earlier session, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., intended for downtown business owners but also open to the public.
* The downtown conference center project moved forward Tuesday night when the City Council picked a $14 million proposal from Ehm Architecture of Seattle and San Diego, Calif., and authorized city staff members to proceed with a 45-business day “due diligence” phase with Ehm.
During this phase, Ehm will need to show it has adequate financial backing for its proposed 154-room Holiday Inn hotel, with 10,000 square feet of conference center space, and it must reach terms (or show substantial progress toward a contract) with the city, Port of Port Angeles and state Department of Natural Resources to build the facility on 3.75 acres at the northwest corner of Front and Oak streets.
The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News Clallam County edition. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
