PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles will hold the first of two public hearings on Friday on its intention to surplus 6.13 acres at its intermodal handling and transfer facility and transfer it to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
In exchange, the tribe will transfer to the port about 1 acre of property that contains three stormwater ponds built by the state Department of Transportation in 2003-2004.
A second hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7. Both hearings will take place during special meetings that start at 9 a.m. at the port’s offices, 338 W. First St. To access the meetings online or via phone, go to www.portofpa.com.
A special joint meeting with the tribe, along with the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the U.S. Department of Maritime Administration, to sign a memorandum of agreement will be held Jan. 9 at the tribe’s Justice Center, 341 Spokwes Drive.
The log yard property is the site of Tse-whit-zen, an ancestral Klallam village occupied for more than 2,700 years.
The village was uncovered in 2003 when WSDOT began constructing a graving dock for a Hood Canal bridge repair project that included the stormwater ponds.
Construction stopped when human remains and artifacts were found.
In 2004, the tribe and WSDOT reached an agreement for archeological objects to be removed so that construction could continue.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
