Oak Harbor’s Pioneer Way Project was assigned a new project manager, by default.

Former project manager Mick Munken left Perteet, the city-contracted design consulting firm, to work for another company. He’s been replaced with Dan Hansen, a senior Perteet engineer with family ties to Whidbey Island, said City Engineer Eric Johnston.

Hansen’s wife was born and raised on the island and her parents still live in Oak Harbor.

Despite the switch, the downtown redevelopment plan continues to move forward.

“Perteet has refined the design and continues to refine it,” Johnston said.

The original one-way plan offered about 90 parking spaces, but the new redesign increases the number of angled-in stalls to 107. Now there’s talk of purchasing property on the corner of Midway Boulevard and Pioneer Way for additional parking. Revisions also include a closer look at traffic circulation, including the role of surrounding City Beach, Dock and Hathaway streets.

The one-way street design, approved by the Oak Harbor City Council early this year over opposition from many merchants, will transform six blocks of downtown Oak Harbor from City Beach Street to Midway Boulevard.

The project has come a long way, but differing opinions and an overwhelming fear of the impending construction impacts to local businesses has made for a rocky relationship between city officials and downtown merchants.

“We need to do more public outreach, specifically to the merchants,” said Johnston.

City officials are exploring the possibility of employing an outside consulting firm, EnviroIssues, to improve communication between the city and downtown business owners and support the downtown merchants during construction.

“Our goal is a lot more focus on construction sequencing and the impacts of construction,” Johnston said.

If a contact with the firm is approved by the city council, EnvironIssues would be responsible for “a very extensive public involvement process,” Johnston said.

The decision will go before the council no later than April 6.