The in basket: Gerry Devenpeck wrote to say, “I was driving through Gorst on Highway 3 this morning and looked into the bay and saw barges anchored there. It caused me to wonder who is responsible for the enforcement and if there is a parking fee charged.

“You may have already done a story on it that I missed,’ he said.

The out basket: Well, sort of. I explained the purpose of the barges or their contents in a Road Warrior column in August, but didn’t answer the questions Gerry has.

Paul Fritts of Thompson’s Landing on the south shoreline helped me then by telling me the large blue barge in the middle is a fish processing vessel to which he leases the spot. He referred me to the Navy as regards the others, and Navy officials said they hold components of the second explosives handling wharf being built at Bangor, waiting for when they are needed.

Two of the barges held those bridge-lilke structures then. Now there is only one and the others are empty.

This time I asked the state Department of Natural Resources. Joe Smillie, a DNR public relations officer, said, “Yes, barges in Sinclair Inlet pay to lease moorage. As the manager of aquatic lands owned by the state of Washington, DNR is the only agency who grants leases in Sinclair Inlet.

“Leases are granted after a potential user applies,” he said. “DNR then reviews the site and (whether) the applicant has secured the necessary regulatory permits (from Fish & Wildlife, Ecology, Army Corps of Engineers, the local shoreline management jurisdiction, etc.) to install any improvements or trade fixtures needed for their intended use.  “Final lease terms are then negotiated between DNR and the applicant. DNR revalues rental rates every four years. Rents for water-dependent leases are spelled out in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 332-30-123.

“There are three barge mooring leases in the west end of Sinclair Inlet near Gorst,” he said. Paul Fritts has one good through March 2036 and pays $4,086.32 a year, Boyer Towing Inc. has another one good through this year and pays  $3,776.23 a year and Alaska Marine Lines has the third, good through October 2026 and pays $7,941.86 a year, Joe said.

“Leases can be assigned to other parties,” he said when I asked. “Authorizations to use state-owned aquatic lands, or pending applications to do so, are posted on the DNR web site at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/BusinessPermits/Topics/ShellfishAquaticLeasing/Pages/Home.aspx.”

The in basket: I learned something surprising in preparing for a talk to the Silverdale Rotary recently. Tina Nelson, senior program manager for Kitsap County Public Works and its spokeswoman on the upcoming closure of Bucklin Hill Road, said there will be some re-timing of traffic signals in Silverdale to accommodate the detouring of the 20,000 or so cars that normally use Bucklin Hill Road. But most of it will wait until observations show where changes are needed.

Moreover, she said, they can adjust a signal’s timing remotely and right away based on what they see via the overhead traffic detectors the county increasingly uses in place of the in-pavement wires that use metal mass of the vehicles straddling them to detect waiting traffic.

It was the first I’d heard that the overhead sensors, at the top of tall poles on the signal cross-arms, send images to the signal office. I’d assumed they just reacted to changes in the traffic they were focused on.

Perhaps mindful of the reaction from our more privacy-sensitive citizens to government recording of the public, Tina was careful to say she thinks the sensors aren’t designed to capture license plates or the faces of car occupants, and that the images aren’t recorded. She also was careful to say she wasn’t an expert on the sensors, and suggested I double-check.

The out basket: Doug Bear, spokesman for the public works department, said, “Is it possible that a license or face could be seen in an individual frame. That said, the images are not retained. It is just a live feed.”

The in basket:  At a recent meeting of the Silverdale Rotary, where I was guest speaker, Jim Dudley asked me if there will be any pedestrian access across Clear Creek when Bucklin Hill Road closes for year, beginning in July.

I didn’t know.

The out basket: Tina Nelson, senior program manager for Kitsap County Public Works, says no, “pedestrians will not be allowed in the closed area.” That area will be Bucklin Hill Road between Blaine Avenue and Mickelberry Road. They’ll be building a bridge for a wider Bucklin Hill Road, starting this summer.

“The closure limits are in essence the right-of-way,” she said.  “This correlates to between 5-10 feet behind the existing sidewalk.

“What does this do for Clear Creek Trail users?  The signalized trail crossing at Crista Shores will not be accessible.  The trail will dead end at Bucklin Hill Road on the east side of the estuary.

On the west side of the estuary, trailer users will have to cross Bucklin Hill Road at Blaine Avenue and walk up to Ridgetop Boulevard to get onto the trail. Parking is available at the Old Mill Park just west of the closure.

The in basket: I saw an unusual sight while heading southbound on I-5 between Federal Way and Fife the other night.

A large truck approached from behind me with two flashing yellow lights, each on the end of a row of non-flashing horizontal lights that ran along the bottom of the cab. The two flashing lights were so bright they illuminated the pavement ahead of the truck. There also was a vertical double row of yellow lights above each headlight.

I slowed down to see what it was and found it to be a wide load, which was covered by blue tarp. A “Wide Load” sign was attached to the back, which had remarkably few lights.

There was no pilot car in front.

I’d never seen such a lit-up truck before and wondered if it was a new approach to warning other traffic of a wide load.

The out basket: State Trooper Russ Winger, public information officer for the State Patrol here, says, “I’m not aware of any new lighting requirements for wide loads. However, according to one of our local commercial vehicle troopers, the truck you describe may or may not require pilot and/or trail vehicles with special lighting and/or signage.

“The requirements vary depending upon the length, width, overhang, gross vehicle weight and hours of the day.

There are specific requirements for commercial carriers that operate under the SMVP (special motor vehicle permits). The DOT web site, under commercial carrier SMVP, has detailed information and requirements for these types of loads.

“Some truck owner-operators greatly enhance the basic lighting on the trucks. As long as the lighting is legal (color, brightness and location) more is probably better than less for safety.”

I scanned that Web site but the only mention of lighting I found seemed to require lights on the load’s overhang beyond normal legal widths, which I don’t recall seeing on the truck on I-5.

Perhaps some of you truckers can shed some light on this.