by ALANA LINDEROTH

Sequim Gazette

Within the week a handful of pilings at Dungeness Landing County Park will be replaced.

“This is a good project,” Joel Winborn, Clallam County parks, fair and facilities department director, said. “We’ve wanted to do this for some time now.”

County officials awarded a $42,700 contract to general contractor Rognlin’s Inc., of Aberdeen in mid-September.

To replace the eight pilings primarily used by recreational boaters and crabbers, crew members are scheduled to work in accordance with the tides at the park and its surrounding tideland along outer Dungeness Bay.

After taking about two days to assemble the crane delivered to the project site on Tuesday, the crew has until Wednesday, Oct. 14, to complete the speedy project because of time limitation associated with fish windows.

Six of the eight pilings targeted for replacement have deteriorated to the point that they’re no longer there, Winborn said. Although this project has been on county parks officials’ minds for about the past three years, other pressing projects, funding and the permitting process kept it from being addressed until now.

During the early spring county parks officials use the pilings to secure boarding floats (docks) for the public to safely and efficiently launch and retrieve boats, and load and unload boaters.

The boarding floats are removed and stored every winter to ensure protection from winter storms.

Reach Alana Linderoth at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.