Marquee fix to be considered

The debate over whether to repair the Bay Street marquee will continue at the Port Orchard City Council meeting on Monday as Councilwoman Carolyn Powers plans to supplement the scheduled agenda with a recommendation from the Public Property Committee — move forward to repair the aging structure.

In a presentation to the council during October, CTS Engineering, which performed a two-day marquee structural evaluation, recommended $41,000 worth of immediate repairs to the marquee, including the removal of the pickets, repairs to the gutter, replacement of brackets and sections of the structure suffering from splits and dry-rot and the replacement of bolts that are too large to fit their designated holes in the shriveling wood.

According to the report, the structure could start to come apart any day or last three to four years if nothing is done.

In addition to immediate repairs, the report recommended $26,000 in near-term repairs, $10,000 in long-term repairs and up to $4,000 in yearly maintenance, with an $8,000 aesthetic renovation option.

Powers said that the council’s Public Property Committee, comprised of Powers, along with Councilmen Bob Geiger and John Clauson, made the decision to move forward with the repair of the marquee after a recent meeting.

“We want to get it moving,” she said. “We decided that we can’t sit around and wait for things to happen,” referring to the possibility of extensive future development downtown.

Powers pointed out that even if the downtown core where the marquee is located is sold for development, it could be years or more before any construction commenced.

The city of Port Orchard owns the marquee, which is attached to buildings belonging to private property owners.

Powers said the committee is proposing action on the immediate repairs, including the removal of the pickets.

The topic will be discussed Monday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

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