SOUTH WHIDBEY: Port receives grant to replace Possession Beach boarding floats

Kira Erickson reports from the Island County Commissioners’ board meeting of Tue., June 10, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.

Boaters will likely breathe a sigh of relief when part of Whidbey’s most southern public boat launch gets replaced and looks less like a tsunami wave hit it.

…[T]he Port of South Whidbey received a $262,500 grant to replace the boarding floats at Possession Beach Waterfront Park. The current six floats were built in 1987 with heavy timber and Styrofoam floatation, according to information from the grant award. Over the years they have deteriorated and become severely warped, twisting into a perilous spiral shape at low tide. Wakes from larger vessels passing by have been known to toss smaller boats around that are launching from the site.

The new floats will consist of light-permeable surfaces and non-slip decking, reducing the risk of injury. The port will provide an additional $87,500, known as a sponsor match. The total agreement is $350,000, which is what Angi Mozer, the port’s former executive director, requested earlier this year. In a previous meeting, port commissioners talked about the possibility of using money from the general fund to cover the remaining cost.

The $262,500 grant comes from the [state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board’s] Boating Facilities Program.

On the Ballot in November 2025