Competition is fierce for a grant from the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office that Port of Bremerton officials hope to score for replacement of the aging Harper Pier. Port officials formally approved the grant application yesterday. Today, Susan Zemek, RCO spokeswoman, came through with some information I had requested on the impact of state budget cuts on recreation grant funding.

“Overall, funding for recreation grants has dropped significantly in the past few years,” said Zemek, whose agency manages nine different state and federal grant programs for recreation.

The term “recreation” covers a gamut of activities, including parks, trails, ball fields, skate parks, swimming pools and wildlife habitat. Most of the RCO’s grant programs have seen fairly stable funding over the past few years (about $25 million this biennium).

“However, the largest funding source, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) has seen funding plummet from $100 million in the 2007-09 biennium to $42 million this biennium,” Zemek said. “That is the lowest amount the program has been funded since its start in 1990.”

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program is the largest grant program for local parks and trails in the state.

The grant the port will apply for come froms the RCO’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.

“Funding for ALEA has remained relatively stable at $5 million a biennium,” Zemek said.

The state Department of Natural Resources raises money for ALEA as it manages the state’s 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands. Revenue comes from leases of waterfront sites for marinas, public ports, log storage, restaurants, aquaculture, and selling harvest rights for geoducks and other shellfish. Since the Port of Bremerton leases the Harper Pier from the DNR, it appears the money would come full circle, if the port obtains the grant.

Most feedback the port has gotten from the community amounted to a loud outcry to save the Harper Pier, a popular spot for fishing, crabbing and scuba diving. But one man who attended Tuesday’s port meeting, Clarke Coulter of Port Orchard, said the port should deep six the pier. The port’s primary mission is economic development, not recreation, Coulter said.

The port is looking for support from the DNR and Kitsap County, and port officials have suggested the public needs to kick in as well. The idea was floated for scuba divers to build an underwater reef that would be a tourist destination. Port officials also wondered aloud if Harper residents would be open to creating a junior taxing district, like the Kingston Metropolitan Parks District, to help fund improvements on the dock.

As always, open to your thoughts.