News & Events
Reminders:
All Moorage Tenants must display their 2018 Vessel Registration Decal Sticker AND must provide a copy of their 2018 Vessel Registration Certificate to the Port Office in order to comply with Port Rules and Regulations.
From the Executive Director: Port of Kingston Gears Up for 2017
With 2016 in the rear view mirror, the Port of Kingston can now focus its attention on the road ahead. 2017 will be a year of planning, creating and rebuilding, starting with the construction phase of our covered moorage roof repair project. This important project has been in the works for years, and is now scheduled for early spring. This final phase should take about 3 months to complete. The Port is extremely fortunate to have this amenity for our tenants, as covered moorage is almost impossible to build in today’s permitting environment. This will be the realization of a community investment of over $1.5 million dollars, and will last for decades.
Washington Boulevard Park is also a project that has been talked about for the last few years, and in 2017 this amazing park will come to fruition. Led by the generous donation of the property and a $400,000 grant from the Recreation and Conservation Office, this park will be a great addition to our community. The park will occupy the former Kingston Inn site above the Washington State Ferry landing. Complete plans will be posted on our website in the next few weeks.
Planning will also be an important component of the Port’s 2017 list of projects. Having secured a $35,000 planning grant from CERB, the Community Economic Revitalization Board, the Port has contracted with Heartland LLC, one of Seattle’s premier planning organizations, to assess development options for Port properties adjacent to the marina. There will be several community meetings in early 2017, providing you a great opportunity to voice your opinions concerning this exciting project.
2017 will also be a time of rebuilding. That will be the rebuilding of the trust of our tenants and the community. The Port is working hard to be the local government that our citizens are proud of, and will continue towards even higher standards of excellence in providing the best service for our tenants, citizens, and visitors alike.
As Executive Director, my commitment is that my door is always open, and the coffee always on for anyone that would like to come in and talk about our amazing community.
2017 Port of Kingston Budget
The proposed 2017 budget for the Port of Kingston of $1,500,000, represents an overall income increase of 5% and an overall increase in expenses of 10%.
The Port’s income is proposed to increase by 5% overall. This is mainly due to a proposed increase in moorage rates of 2%. Open moorage is proposed to increase from $5.56 to $5.67 and covered moorage, from $9.08 to $9.26. This will generate an additional $13,344 in overall income to offset our marina expenses. Our overall income is expected to rise in 2017 from $1,423,000 to $1,503,000.
On the expense side, our expenses are looking to increase by about 10%. This is due to the budgeting of a cost per living increase for our employees and the creation of a merit raise reserve for them. Categories also increased are our maintenance/repair and advertising budgets by close to $10,000 each. Medical and business insurance continues to rise every year and as we continue to encourage our tenants and guests to pay by credit card, our credit card fees are going up. Overall our expense budget is looking to increase from $1,245,000 to $1,411,000.
Even with these proposed changes, our Port’s financial position continues to be strong with operations generating 
enough income to pay for all expenses. This leaves all of our non-operating income ($212,000) from taxes, interest, and service charges to be used for capital projects.
Capital projects for 2017 include replacement of the roofs on all of our covered moorage, and new gates and locks on the head of each gangway. New dock ladders will also be on the list of enhancements to the marina. Plans are also being developed for expansion of the port office building to accommodate our staff and customers with a ground level facility. With this the Port is looking to invest over $2,000,000 in Capital projects in 2017.