Vashon’s only public fishing pier may soon close, as the Vashon Park District considers a new report that the aging dock is unsafe and vets a state demand to replace it with a more environmentally friendly structure.

The issue was to be discussed at a meeting of the park district’s board last night after The Beachcomber’s press deadline, when Director Elaine Ott planned to ask the board to consider closing the Tramp Harbor dock to the public. The request comes on the heels of a report that parts of the 80-year-old pier are in poor condition and at risk of falling.

“My feeling is safety is something that you … have to go to the extreme and protect the public no matter what,” Ott said. “I don’t know if the board wants to weigh in.”

As the park district reacts to news about the dock’s safety, it is also faced with taking on a new state lease that would require it to eventually spend over $1 million to upgrade the dock and could include other terms Ott called problematic for the small district. Ott is now working with King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) to approach the state about loosening its demands.

“We’re hoping there is some flexibility with the conditions there,” said Kevin Brown, who heads the parks division of DNRP. The county is up against the same situation at the Dockton Park marina, where the state lease is up for renewal and the county’s creosote dock there must also be replaced. Brown said that with no money in their budgets for the expensive rebuilds, the Vashon Park District and King County are both faced

with a dilemma and plan to ask the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which leases its aquatic lands to dock owners, for more time as well as help funding the projects.

While Dockton Park is home to one of two public marinas on Vashon, Tramp Harbor is a popular place for fishing, crabbing and squid fishing. The county and park district now plan to survey the public about the two docks.

“One of the questions we’re potentially asking … is where would you rather spend your parks and recreation dollars,” Brown said. “Are there other types of facilities that would provide more benefit than a fishing dock?”

The docks first came into question in 2013, when King County’s leases for the two properties expired. It was also then that the county realized it neglected to sign over its lease at Tramp Harbor to the Vashon Park District when it handed over management of the dock in the 1990s, something that now adds a layer of complexity to the negotiations.

When aquatic leases come up for renewal, DNR typically asks that the companies or local agencies leasing state land make plans to bring old docks or other structures in line with current codes, which prohibit creosote and require other environmentally friendly features.

“Trying to replace creosote pilings is a big priority for us, and it’s important for the habitat of Puget Sound,” said Joe Smillie, a spokesman for DNR. “That’s something we’re focusing on everywhere.”

During initial talks about the leases, Ott said state officials told the park district and King County that they would have ample time — up to 12 years — to replace their aging docks. Planning then stalled, and the issue was seemingly dropped for a time until a new lease manager recently brought it up again. This time, Ott said, state officials have said they may have only five years to replace the docks and want them to sign leases quickly. What’s more, a boilerplate lease that DNR provided King County includes several terms that both Ott and Brown called onerous and unreasonable.

Of chief concern, they said, are clauses concerning environmental contamination. One part of the lease, for instance, calls the lessee responsible for existing contamination at the site, known or unknown. Ott noted the Tramp Harbor dock was once used for refueling boats.

“Who knows what is under there?” she said. “For us to be responsible for everything under there, that is a concern. I don’t want to take that on.”

Another part of the lease, Ott said, seems to prohibit crabbing, and it’s unclear whether fishing would be allowed. While King County would like the park district to take on the lease at Tramp Harbor as originally intended, Ott said she has too many unanswered questions.

“Why would we rebuild a dock that you can’t fish off of?” she said.

Ott and Brown plan to meet with a DNR official soon to try to negotiate. While neither was sure how flexible officials will be on the terms, Smillie, with DNR, said the state does negotiate its leases and believes some exceptions could be made on Vashon. For instance, he said the county and park district may indeed get up to 12 years to replace the docks. And it’s possible creosote pilings could be wrapped instead of replaced, a more affordable option.

“I think we definitely have some flexibility there to try to make it happen,” he said. “It’s a great place, and we want people to be able to enjoy it.”

To help in its negotiations, the park district recently had a study done on the condition of the Tramp Harbor dock. The Tacoma firm KPFF Consulting Engineers found that 11 of its 98 pilings are in poor condition and at risk of failing. According to the report, the failure of a piling is more likely during high wind or when there are many people on the dock, but could happen at any time and could result in a 20-foot section falling into the water.

The report recommends the district post a sign at the dock to warn the public and replace the pilings in question, a project that would cost about $300,000 but would extend the life of the dock by 20 years. Ott, however, said she is considering closing the dock until something can be done.

“I don’t think there should be a stop-gap measure,” she said. “I think it should be all or nothing.”

While the park district is focused on Tramp Harbor, at Dockton, the county-owned marina is also aging, and parts of the dock have been closed for safety reasons, Brown said. The county has a $450,000 grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) in hand that it could use to make repairs, but it’s holding off on that work until it negotiates a new lease. Rebuilding the dock to meet current environmental codes — including replacing creosote pilings — would cost at least another $1 million, Brown said, and he is unsure where the funding would come from.

“We’re committed to providing recreational opportunities at Dockton. How it’s shaped is something we’re going to have to work with the state on,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, some agencies might have to make difficult decisions about the cost of providing those facilities.”

To help make those decisions, King County and the park district plan to conduct a survey about the Tramp Harbor and Dockton docks this spring. The survey will attempt to measure who uses the docks, Ott said, and how important the places are to the community. They’ll distribute the survey online, at the docks and at public meetings.

Park district chair Joe Wald said on Monday that he is torn about the idea of closing the Tramp Harbor dock, calling it a “huge loss” for Vashon. He grew up fishing there, he said, and now his son fishes there as well. The dock is often crowded on nice days, he noted, as there are few other options for fishing on land. It is also used by many off-islanders, who may be difficult to survey, he said.

“It would be nice to get the users to give us their two cents. … I know some of the Vashon guys who would come up and talk,” he said. “I don’t know if any of them would pony up $300,000.”

Both Wald and Ott called a $300,000 repair expensive but more doable than a complete rebuild, which early estimates indicate could cost $1 to $2 million. However, they also said the district likely won’t opt to repair the dock if the state will require an entirely new structure soon after.

Ott said she’s looking forward to meeting with the state and will put much weight in the results of the survey. Should the park district decide not to lease the dock, the state could opt to tear it out. But if there’s enough public interest in keeping the dock, it’s possible the district could go after grants or even put a bond on the ballot.

“Collectively I’d like to roll with how the community feels and let that help shape our decision making,” she said.