PORT TOWNSEND — Fort Worden Hospitality will move its food, guest and visitor services from The Commons building to The Guardhouse on Monday as repair or replacement options are considered for a boiler that has gone out.
The closure of the Commons building is expected to last through the winter.
The Guardhouse will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Wednesdays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
“The idea of consolidating Reveille Cafe and The Guardhouse together obviously provides a different experience for our guests,” said Natalie Maitland, Fort Worden Hospitality’s director of operations. “We kind of think that The Commons is like the public living room here at the fort. We have so many people that like to gather in the space, so we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to provide that space through the winter.”
The Guardhouse is a good alternative, Maitland said.
“Hopefully there’s not too big of an impact in that day-to-day coming and getting your coffee and your pastry,” she said. “That will happen over at The Guardhouse now.”
Moving to The Guardhouse will mean more food options for the visiting public, Maitland said. While Reveille Cafe offered espresso, breakfast pastries and grab-and-go options, The Guardhouse will provide those options, plus lunch and dinner.
Dinner will be limited to Thursday through Saturday, Maitland said.
“We’re gonna have soups and salads, flatbreads and then some pub snack options like tacos, nachos, wings available,” Maitland said.
Beer, wine and spirits will also be available at The Guardhouse location.
An updated menu is available at https://fortworden.org/eat-drink/guardhouse.
Of significant impact to Fort Worden Hospitality will be the changes to catering and group events, Maitland said.
“We are currently working with our group guests who have been booked to those spaces to find them an alternative space on campus,” Maitland said. “That’s probably been the biggest piece of logistical reworking we’ve had to do with our guests.”
Fort Worden Hospitality operates eight venue spaces on the campus, Maitland said.
“As has been documented, there are a lot of challenges with capital needs here on the (Fort Worden) campus,” Maitland said. “We’ve been working with parks and the receiver for next steps for getting the boiler repaired so that we can have heat restored to The Commons building.”
Without a clear and timely solution for the boiler, hospitality made the call to move winter operations to The Guardhouse, Maitland said.
She added that state parks hospitality met with the city of Port Townsend building inspector to ensure that the building would maintain compliance as a public space.
“That’s kind of what led to us deciding to move to this closure,” Maitland said. “We need to make sure that we are meeting code requirements for public spaces. The ability to keep it at the temperature that is required for code without having heat is impossible at this time.”
Maitland said the Public Development Authority, which is currently under the management of a court-appointed receiver, is responsible for repair or replacement of the boiler.
State Parks has stepped up and is currently assessing available solutions, she added.
On Monday, Jefferson County Superior Court extended the receivership by 90 days.
“The receivership has caused a lot of ambiguity on campus,” Maitland said. “All of the contracts are currently up for negotiation through this process.”
While those conversations are progressing, the next steps are still unclear, Maitland said.
“For hospitality, we’ve been working closely with parks and the receiver, along with other campus organizations and the city, to maintain campus continuity through this process,” Maitland said.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
