Enhancement Opportunities on Toledo's Waterfront

The Port of Toledo, in partnership with Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society has submitted a grant request for Oregon Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement Program. Our Toledo Transportation Museum and Waterfront Path project is under consideration, and ODOT is currently seeking comments to help prioritize projects for funding.

The preliminary design for the Transportation Museum mirrors the original train depot, pictured below, and if funded will be built near the original location of the Toledo Depot. The museum will honor and preserve Toledo's heritage as an industrial town where marine, rail and roadway modes of transportation intersect. The proposed museum would be operated by Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society. The plan is for a 2,800 square foot building to house revolving transportation history displays, retail area and meeting space.

The grant application also provides for construction of 1,420 feet of paved walkway along Toledo's waterfront on Depot Slough. Here, a pirate at our annual Wooden Boat Show discusses his water-borne potato cannon target with a festival-goer on the existing gravel path.
The paved path will enhance the waterfront considerably and will promote walking and bicycling activities. Plans include interpretive signage, benches, lighting and the restoration of native landscaping. As specified in the Toledo Waterfront Connectivity Plan, the path increases connectivity between Main Street, Butler Bridge Road, and NW 1st Street to the Port’s waterfront developments, including the Marina, Waterfront Park and new Transient Dock. The Park and Transient Dock are currently in design stages with construction starting this spring.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is seeking input from the public on 85 projects from around the state for consideration for funding. Here is a link to their news release (PDF), which includes a link to their online survey. Please take a few moments to post your comments. The last day to comment is January 28, 2011.

Port Station One

Skybound Gallery owner Dave Silwones has signed a five-year lease for Port Station One (Toledo's former Public Safety building) for an arts demonstration and gallery space. He will use much of the building; the remainder will become new offices for the Port. Move-in will occur around January 1.

Port Commissioners authorized the deal at their regular meeting October 19, held in Siletz. Silwones wants an artist-in-residence operation like his Skybound Gallery at 305 N. Main, but with industrial arts like sculpture and glassblowing.

This new development is exciting because Dave Silwones’ plan works well with our own need to move, due to a tenants’ interest in the Port’s current office space on NW 1st.

The city deeded its former public safety building to the Port in 2009 with the understanding it would be developed into incubation space for new business. Silwones' plan is a perfect fit.

As an incubator for artists it would not only bring in new business, but also create a tourist draw. “There are no other demonstration shops on the coast and I don’t know if there are any of that size outside Portland or Seattle. That space has the opportunity to really shine as a destination for people to come to,” he said.

Silwones said Port Station One “has everything I could want

– the space, the art park, plenty of power, lots of parking. It is zoned properly. With that, I would be able to bring both experienced artists – and I have several who have expressed an interest – and new emerging artists into an incubator, so they can learn from experienced people, and also learn the business.”

He sees the gallery/studio drawing from across the Pacific Northwest. “The Northwest has the largest concentration of glass artists in the world. The Tacoma Museum of Glass is an example of that. I would like to tap into that excitement and take advantage of that. Fine arts are very enjoyable and we’re having a good time (at Skybound), this would offer something new that many people may not be familiar with,” he said.

Yaquina Boat Equipment

Business partners Doug Alldridge and Jerry Esbenshade are keeping very busy these days. But that means business as usual for the owners of Yaquina Boat Equipment, a long-time Port of Toledo lessee. They transform and outfit large commercial fishing boats as a specialty, and their services are in high demand.

Right now, they are transforming the 82-foot F/V Jeanoah. The Jeanoah is registered out of Newport, Oregon and fishes out of Kodiak, Alaska. It was originally built in the 1970's for the crab fisheries using a gulf shrimper design. Here is a 'before' picture, showing the Jeanoah as she has looked for the last several years.

They have removed the mast and the old pilot house, taking the boat down to bare bones, and will be installing a newly fabricated aluminum wheelhouse, topping off the lower cabin area. Here she is with the wheelhouse removed, in a picture from last week.
A visit with them today allowed a glimpse of the new wheelhouse as it is being wired for electricity.They are also hard at work enclosing the bow using a 'whaleback' technique which will also expand it upwards, increasing its seaworthiness for the west coast and Alaskan waters where it fishes for king crab, among other high-demand, fresh-from-the-sea products. They will also be reconstructing the entire back deck using new stainless steel framing and new hardwood and composite decking to help minimize wear and tear from the crab pots. Doug says the crabbers have to replace some of their wood decking every year because it is subjected to so much hard use.

Owners of the Jeanoah, Bob Jacobson of Newport, Jerry Bongen and skipper James Stevens of Kodiak know the quality of workmanship they can expect from the experienced professionals at Yaquina Boat Equipment. In addition to the Jeanoah, there are two other boats moored at their docks, the Norska is undergoing miscellaneous repairs, and the MorningStar is switching fishing gear for crab and is also being fit for an anti-roll tank system.

Doug and Jerry have been friends since high school, and partners in business since 1986. They are often featured in articles published in National Fisherman magazine. They employ about 16 skilled workers in-house, along with a number of subcontractors.

Yaquina Boat Equipment provides vital services to our local and distant-water fishing fleet, and is a major link in Toledo's economic chain. We'll be watching the progress on the Jeanoah and will post updates periodically.

Youth Boating Club BoatHouse is Home!

The boathouse was moved back to its home at the Port Docks yesterday. With just a few minor touches yet to be completed, the boathouse is looking beautiful!
Sherwin Williams in Newport donated the stain that was applied to the board-and-batten outer layers to protect it from the weather.

Aair-Care of Toledo has donated stainless steel rain gutters and downspouts, and they will be installing them soon as well!
It has been an awesome project that will soon house a youth boating club that will assist young people in learning to love boats and boating, and has been assisted by many local groups. We couldn't have done it without their generous support.

Toledo's Port District

As you can see in this overlay/composite map, the boundaries of the port district encompass a lot of area, the bulk of it rural. Formed in 1910, the district now covers 443 square miles in Lincoln County and includes the communities of Toledo, Siletz, Logsden, Burnt Woods, Harlan, Elk City and Eddyville. The Port Commission's regular monthly meeting will be held at the Siletz City Hall, 215 West Buford Avenue. The public is invited to attend on Tuesday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m. We will be discussing current activities in which the port is involved. One item on the agenda is Mill Park and there will be a brief presentation and Mayor Leslie Button. For more information contact the port office at 541-336-5207.

Dredging Depot Slough

Dredging is finally complete in Depot Slough.

These first two pictures were taken during the Port's Wooden Boat Show last month, showing the clear need for it.

Under contract with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Dutra Dredging sub-contracted the project with Hickey Marine Enterprises out of Vancouver, Washington, and they completed the project in just over a week's time. They removed about 50,000 cubic yards of material and transported it down the Yaquina River to a designated ocean dumping site.

Below, they are shown working on the area in front of the docks leased by Yaquina Boat Equipment, a very important part of the local economy that serves the larger commercial fishing boats. In recent years, the boats would end up stuck in the mud, even at higher tides, when moored at the dock for work. Doug Alldridge of Yaquina Boat is very pleased that this project finally got finished.Last year, the project was well underway when it was abruptly halted. The original contract called for 119,000 cubic yards to be removed from the slough, with the last 50,000 removed this month. Peter Friedman and Ray Bucheger, with FBB Federal Relations, were instrumental in getting the project completed, as were the Governor's Economic Recovery Team and Dave Harlan, Ports Manager for the Oregon Business Development Department.

The last complete dredging of Depot Slough was in 1995, followed by a record high-water year in 1996, which helped to start the re-sedimenting process very quickly. This area of the slough is where the Port's planned transient tie-up dock will be located. The transient dock will allow extra space for boaters who wish to use the dock for a short period when they stop in to Toledo to visit the local businesses and facilities.

The transient dock is expected to be completed and in place by the summer of 2011. Here is an idea of what it will consist of.

Meanwhile, the Port's docks are back in place for moorage holders and 'back in business'.

Dredging has been an ongoing concern for the port, starting with its inception in 1910... one of the first items on the agenda was dredging the slough and river. Optimally, dredging should occur once every ten years. Soon it will be time to plan the next round of dredging to keep the slough - a viable and important link in Toledo's economy - usable.

2010 Wooden Boat Show

2010 goes into the record books as the best Wooden Boat Show ever! The weather was perfect, not too hot and just enough breeze to make sailing around the slough a blast!
Participants in the Yaquina Run-Off people-powered boat race line up for the starting horn, above. You can choose from a 3-mile short course or a 9-mile long course. It's a beautiful paddle on the Yaquina River.

One of the most popular events at the boat show is the kids' toy-boat building booth where you can create your own floating work of art! We saw many a beautiful boat.

We saw some very beautiful wooden boats from all over the Northwest.

MaZu under sail. She is a 17-foot teak lady sloop, donated to the port by Jim Hitchman of Waldport for use in its fledgling Youth Boating Club. A beautiful and very graceful boat!

Another fun event at our boat shows: the family boat building. Teams start out on Friday morning with all the materials they need to build their own 9 1/2 foot featherweight dory. They are finished by Sunday afternoon and launched in Depot Slough for their maiden voyage. We saw some very happy faces at this booth.
Rick Johnson, above, local shipwright, provides instructions and hands-on help with the boats.

John, above, has been paddling in his new boat every day since he built it. Go John!!

The kids take to the water in their new boats and away they go! They are very stable, very fast little boats. What a joy to watch the kids as they discover what fun boats can be.

We had lots of other activities over the weekend too, including a free fiddle workshop in the new Youth Boating Club's floating clubhouse, live music all weekend, a poker paddle, excellent food booths, art and craft booths, and of course, plenty of boat lovers to chat with.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the third weekend in August, next year's Wooden Boat Show will be held August 20th and 21st, 2011.

Many thanks to all who participated, volunteered and enjoyed our boat show! See you next year!

Family Boat Building

Each year at our Wooden Boat Show, one of the most popular activities is building your own boat! Teams start on Friday morning (August 20th this year) and work on their boats during the festival, with a launch party on Sunday (the 22nd) at 3:30, where the "Nuf"s take their owners on a maiden voyage.

The "Nuf" is a 9 1/2 foot Featherweight (30 lbs.) Dory designed by Carl Chamberlin of Port Townsend, Washington. All the materials and instruction are included in the $400 fee. You'll work under the supervision of Carl and local boatwright Rick Johnson to complete your own boat.

We still have two slots available, so visit our website for more information and registration forms. www.portoftoledo.org. You'll also find the 'Suggested Tools' list there.

We also have scholarship forms on the website for those who would love to build their own boat but maybe can't afford the fee.
Bon Voyage! We'll see you at the boat show!

Our Wooden Boat Show Poster

Here is the poster for this years' boat show.
You'll soon see them all over town! They are also available for purchase here at the Port Office for $6 each, suitable for framing! We are all looking forward to the boat show, it will be the best ever!

Local Shipwright Rick Johnson

The Teak Lady Sloop Ma Zu, a generous gift from Jim Hitchman of Waldport for the Youth Boating Club, as posted here, was damaged in a crash in Yaquina Bay last year...and the beautiful sailboat is undergoing repairs under the highly-skilled hands of local boat builder Rick Johnson.
Rick took a few minutes to chat about his work, but he never did stop working while we were talking. He's been interested in wooden boats since he was a boy, and told me when I asked how he got started in wood boat building and repair that he'd been lucky enough to be chosen as an apprentice in the Bumblebee boatyard in Astoria in the 70s.


Fitting all the pieces together perfectly is an amazing skill, requiring loads of patience. It's neat to watch Rick at work, quietly planing here, chiseling there, all the time very focused on his work. He is very personable and friendly, and interesting to talk with. His river-side workshop is full of exotic and beautiful woods, and he's very knowledgeable about the various aspects and properties of each.

He says he'll have her all fixed up and looking good again in time to have her on display at our Wooden Boat Show, the third weekend in August. She really is a beautiful boat, and we're very lucky to have Rick here to heal her wounds and make her whole again.

The 2009 Wooden Boat Show poster depicts Rick and a boat he and Michael Bogoger built:


Rick and Port Townsend boat builder Carl Chamberlin will be teaching folks how to build their own wooden boat at our event in August. Make sure you stop by and say hello and take a look at what all goes into building a small dory. There are still slots available if you want to try your own hand at it, under Rick and Carl's skilled tutelage. It's an experience you'll never forget!

For the kids!

We will be auctioning off this Cal-29 sailboat on Friday, July 2nd, here at the Port office at 11:00 a.m. Here are some of the particulars:

Documented length - 29 feet; beam - 9.2 feet; draft - 7.5 feet. S/V Skye is an auxiliary sloop built in 1974. Propulsion provided by a Faryman 1 cylinder, 6 horsepower diesel engine. Includes sails: Dacron mainsail, 3 headsails, 1 spinnaker.

Deck gear includes Lewmar and Barient winches: 4 - deck, 4 - cabin top, 1 - mast, and 1 chain/rope manual anchor winch.

Other equipment includes a Furuno 16-mile radar, a Horizon 25 watt VHF/FM marine transceiver, Binnacle mounted compass and Navico autopilot, and a sextant with charting tools.

Will be sold AS IS/WHERE IS, starting bid is $3,000. Call or email the Port Office for more information. She is at the Port Docks now for viewing.

Proceeds from the sale of this donated vessel will benefit the Toledo Youth Boating Program, which will encourage kids to get involved in boating, sailing, water safety and teamwork.

Scenes from a Celebration

Here are some images from last Friday's Centennial Celebration.

There was live music by Tony Johnson, who is a Port employee, he works with Maintenance Supervisor Les Hall on most everything that needs to be done for the Port properties... he and Les do an awesome job. Terry Dillman of the News-Times and Fire Chief Will Ewing peruse the historic photo albums and scrapbooks on display.

People entered their suggestions far a new name for the property. The list of suggestions will be put before the Port Commission so they can choose the very best one. Here former Port Manager Penny Ryerson, Anne Stangeland and Commissioner Stu Strom give us their best ideas. Folks had a good time rubbing elbows with others and taking a closer look at the hand-crafted wood boats that were on display.

Commission President Chuck Gerttula said a few words about the Port's history and future.

People enjoyed the new art park during a brief sunbreak. It's a beautiful spot to sit and rest a while, with metal sculptures, bordered by beautiful mature trees and some newly-planted ones as well.
The new Art Park is officially dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Port Staff, Commissioners, CSC students and the metal sculpturists whose art is featured at the park.

Many thanks to everyone who was involved in the project, and also a big thanks to everyone who attended, making the Centennial Party a great success! Special thanks to Island Wild Seafoods for providing the yummy seafood treats and to Toledo JC Thriftway Market for donating the soft drinks and a beautiful (and yummy!) custom-made cake.