Port plans maintenance for fairgrounds buildings

Repairs are slated for two major buildings in need of maintenance on the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds.

Repairs are slated for two major buildings in need of maintenance on the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds.

During a meeting this week, Port of South Whidbey commissioners approved two proposals related to the upkeep of the Coffman and Burrier buildings.

The first, costing $34,703, pertains to the commercial kitchen in the Coffman building. Last month, the port accepted the delivery of a three-section commercial refrigerator, but it was too big to make it through the doorway.

“The Port was already considering finishing the partial walls between the kitchen and meeting room spaces, and then this situation created a level of urgency to also modify the doorways to accommodate large appliances,” Executive Director Angi Mozer wrote in her report to the commissioners.

There is a wait list of users hoping to access the commercial kitchen, and cold storage is the limiting factor.

Workers will complete partial walls and install two oversized doors to accommodate the movement of large appliances. Mozer said 45% of the cost of this work will be covered by the Rural County Economic Development grant awarded in 2018 by Island County. The grant currently includes $63,000 of remaining funds dedicated to the Coffman building.

Lighting fixtures and a heating register located near the construction zone are little nuances in the project that ended up costing more than expected to work around, Mozer told the commissioners.

The other maintenance, with a price tag of $10,777, involves the third phase of a project addressing the Burrier building’s roof, which is sagging. This work isn’t covered by a grant, which has delayed the project.