No fuel dock at the port

I agree with Denis Langhans’ recent letter that the proposed fuel dock is not financially viable.

Come to the port meeting June 13 at 5:30 p.m. and voice your concerns.

A fuel dock will not bring visiting boaters to Olympia. Many boats have large fuel tanks and they fuel up where the fuel is the cheapest.

I wish the port had not spent the $500,000 creating feasibility studies, getting permits, and then providing us with an almost done deal.

The majority of Thurston County residents are not aware that their port is considering building a fuel dock with their tax dollars. It would not make money for at least 10 years. It would cost $2 million to build. The interest on that for a year is almost $90,000. The total interest charges over the 30 year life of the loan are $1,649,083, almost as much as the total cost to build it. The port documents said the estimated useful life of the fuel dock is 30 years.

I am a boater and Zittel’s or Boston Harbor Marina is a fine place to fuel up. A port fuel dock could put the Boston Harbor Marina out of the marine fuel business.

The location of the fuel dock on the port isthmus, given the risks of sea level rise and a possible earthquake do not make sense.

I hope our port commissioners will reject this project. Why should the general public subsidize the recreational activities of private boaters?

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 1:37 PM with the headline "No fuel dock at the port."