.png)
SULLIVAN LAKE — The Port of Pend Oreille has confirmed its intention to revitalize the unmanned Sullivan Lake Ranger Station.
Economic development director Jessica Garza wrote in an email that the Port proposed some ideas to the U.S. Forest Service, including a resort, but did not have a timeline or developed designs or plans for the site. Any plan would be shaped with a developer, investor or funding partner, none of which are involved at this time, and the Port is exploring all available options.
“The Port understands the economic impact recreation and tourism can have,” Garza wrote. “We saw a usable building, in an area people love, that was slated for removal, and we wanted to try to bring in a commercial business that would enhance the local community.”
It has been years since the Colville National Forest-based station was last manned. While an engineer’s visual evaluation found the site to be in workable condition, Garza wrote that it needed significant improvements, particularly to its roof and heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Saving a workable site at one of Pend Oreille County’s best-known recreation destinations, Garza wrote, is the kind of long-term economic development the Port exists to pursue. Beyond operating the railroad, the Port’s mission is to bolster business throughout the county.
“A federal property that has not been contributing to the local economy could instead support local jobs and businesses,” Garza wrote.
The Port holds a special use permit from the Forest Service that is limited in scope and does not allow the existing site footprints to be expanded, Garza wrote. Any development would stay within the existing footprints, as required by the permit, and would undergo the county’s permitting process.
The permit secures the opportunity for development, but is not a commitment to a specific project, Garza wrote. As of yet, the Port has not taken possession of the site, and no work there has begun.
“The Port is the permit holder and the only local entity involved at this time,” Garza wrote. The Port has not applied for any local permits. “And decision making and any work on the project rest solely with the Port.”
