State and local elected officials are expected to gather at 1 p.m. April 24 to celebrate the completion of the Point Hudson breakwater at the Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend.

The $14.1 million breakwater and jetty replacement project began in the fall of 2022 and was funded through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and state and county taxpayers.

Guest speakers include: Pete Hanke, Port Commissioner; U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell; Rep. Derek Kilmer; State Rep. Steve Tharinger; Carol Hasse, Port Commissioner; Wes Cochran, EDA; Nissa Rudh, fish biologist, NOAA Fisheries; Matt Klontz, director of capital projects; and Pam Petranek, Port Commissioner. 

Half of the $14 million cost came from a federal grant, coupled with $2.5 million from Washington state and funding from Jefferson County, and the rest from the Port’s voter-approved Industrial Development District levy.

Eron Berg, the port’s executive director, credited Cantwell with helping to secure a $7.1 million EDA grant to fund half of the project.

The original timber and rip-rap Point Hudson Jetty (overlapping North and South arms) was first constructed in the mid-1930s. It underwent repairs in the 1960s and 1990s, but by 2022, the breakwater was “severely degraded,” and was “well past its anticipated design life, and deteriorating at an accelerating rate.” Reports called for renovations, replacement, and rehabilitation “to maintain the marina’s continued viability.”

The ribbon-cutting begins at 1:15 p.m. with guest speakers scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Music, treats and touring from 2 to 3 p.m. round out the event.