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July 22-23, 2011
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Peninsula Spotlight
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Judge OKs foreclosure on Clam Cannery By Philip L. Watness
For Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — Columbia State Bank has been given the green light to foreclose on the Clam Cannery building. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marc Barreca signed an order Wednesday that gives the bank authority to conduct a foreclosure sale of the property Aug. 26. Kevin Harris, the owner of
the renovated building at 111 Quincy St., which is now an upscale waterfront hotel, is optimistic he can find investors before the scheduled sale so the hotel will continue to operate. However, Harris was unable to meet a July 13 deadline to provide “a firm commitment by an investor to make a cash investment in the property” as stipulated in an earlier order by Barreca. “We’ve got quite a bit of funding lined up, but we’re a lit-
tle short,” Harris said Thursday. “We’ll continue to press forward. It’s not over until it’s over.”
Trustees’ sale halted Columbia State Bank planned to conduct a trustees’ sale of the property in December 2010, but Harris filed for bankruptcy, halting the bank’s efforts. The matter has been in bankruptcy court since then.
An attorney familiar with bankruptcy proceedings said Harris’ only option now may be to sell the building outright, but he would have to do so before the Aug. 26 date. In a separate matter, Harris has sued Columbia State Bank for breach of contract, claiming Columbia Bank changed the rules midstream on its loan to Harris. A four-day trial is set to begin Feb. 21 before the same bankruptcy judge.
In that lawsuit, Harris maintains that American Marine Bank, which was taken over by Columbia Bank when federal regulators closed it down in 2008, had unjustly halted Harris’ efforts to sell portions of the Clam Cannery as condominiums and had insisted on having a say in business matters of the Harris’ company, Quincy Street at the Dock LLC. Turn
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Old Chimacum log cabin razed
Charlie Bermant/Peninsula Daily News
Lela Hilton is one of the food vendors who spoke out Thursday at a Board of Health meeting.
A break for food vendors Permit fee increase will be incremental Crystal Craig
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue firefighters battle a fire in an abandoned log cabin on Chimacum Creek Road on Wednesday.
Peninsula Daily News
Abandoned building allowed to burn Once cabin gone, owners excavate Chimacum site By Charlie Bermant Peninsula Daily News
PORT HADLOCK — An unfinished log home was allowed to burn to the ground, while firefighters made sure the flames wouldn’t spread, after it caught fire Wednesday night. The house was uninhabited,
and there were no injuries, said Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman. The cause of the fire, discovered at about 6 p.m., is under investigation. Just before 6 p.m., department firefighters in the area noticed a plume of smoke rising above the trees and drove to the 200 block of Chimacum Creek Road to investigate, while several people called 9-1-1 to report the fire at the same time. They found the partially completed house fully engulfed in flames.
After determining no one was in the structure, the decision was made to fight the fire defensively — to allow the fire to subside while protecting the area around the house so the flames would not spread. “This is a safer way to fight a fire once we know there is no one in the structure,” Beezley said. The firefighters left at about 9 p.m., leaving the building under the supervision of its owners, Beezley said. He did not identify the owners. Beezley said the building
By Charlie Bermant
burned to the ground, and that the owners then excavated the site. The interior was never constructed, and it has been abandoned for several years, according to Beezley. About 20 firefighters from East Jefferson Fire-Rescue and Naval Magazine Indian Island fought the blaze.
________ Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-3852335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsula dailynews.com.
PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Health Board approved a compromise Thursday between a staff recommendation for temporary food service permit fees and what vendors felt was an affordable amount. Jefferson County Public Health officials sought to restructure the permitting process, saying it was necessary to come into compliance with state law, and recommended a separate permit and inspection fee for each event rather than issuing a single permit for the whole season. This would have increased the cost of the permits so they would exceed the profit margin for a particular event and discourage vendors from participating in an event, said Joy Baisch, who manages the annual Brinnon ShrimpFest. The staff proposal recommended a $130 charge for each permit and an additional $30 for each additional event throughout the season. Turn
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Job workshop to debut in Quilcene this month By Charlie Bermant Peninsula Daily News
QUILCENE — A program sponsored by the Port Townsend Library that is designed to help job seekers find work will make its South County debut this month. The free Transition Yourself Workshop Series, which has provided seminars since fall 2009 in
Port Townsend, has scheduled workshops at the Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101. The workshops will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 29, and Thursday, Aug. 4. The purpose is to provide Quilcene and south Jefferson County residents an opportunity to receive free assistance with job searches and career planning.
Conducted by employment consultant Susan Wilson, the program seeks to teach people how to market themselves online as opposed to simply sending out resumes and waiting for responses. “A lot of people spend 80 percent of their time sending out resumes when only 20 percent of all jobs are found in that way,” Wilson said.
Wilson suggested that job seekers divide their time in thirds, with equal time devoted to sending out resumes, maintaining social networking sites and networking to generate the content to be posted on those sites. “A lot of the people I hope to reach are those who are over 40 who have job skills and an education but have trouble translating
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that into a real job,” Wilson said. The workshop topics include the changing attitudes towards job searches, how to promote yourself, how to develop the best interview responses and career planning. “I am using a coaching model, helping people to find out what they want to do,” Wilson said.
*Up to 60 months for qualified buyers. On Approval of Credit. A negotiable dealer documentary fee of up to $150 may be added to the sale price. See dealer for details. Photos for illustration purposes only. Expires 7/31/11.
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