8/19 Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles OKs $500,000 for Harbor-Works By Tom Callis Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Harbor-Works Development Authority now has the $1 million it requested to cover its expected costs through 2010 and become ready to acquire Rayonier Inc.’s former pulp mill site. The City Council, in a 5-1 vote with Council member Cherie Kidd opposed and Deputy Mayor Betsy Wharton absent, approved loaning Harbor-Works $500,000 from its economic development fund Tuesday.
More at http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090819/NEWS/308199993
The thing to remember in this article is that the money is not being used to buy the site, but to run the organization to buy the site. Included in that are some very high priced salaries for the head of the organization (now being the highest paid public servant in the county, apparently) along with money for the inevitable consultants that were not subject to public debate. The PDN did a poor journalist job of spelling out opposition to this, as they glossed over concerns and didn’t restate criticism that folks like Darlene Schanfeld have repeatedly put forward. Some background on that would have been easy for the reporter to insert. You can find the links to the Olympic Environmental Council on our front page to the left.