The Port of Orcas Commissioners heard from the Dog Park Board at their Oct. 9 meeting about the construction of a shelter in the park at the southeast side of the Port property and voted to allow the construction.

Port Manager Bea von Tobel cautioned that the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) may still register objections to the structure; the Port is still waiting to receive a written summary of the FAA’s compliance inspection conducted last summer. The FAA takes issue with land purchased with FAA funds being used for recreational non-port purposes, Von Tobel said.

Although the Dog Park Board provided plans and a rationale for the shelter at the off-leash dog area, “a building on that property implies permanent use,” said von Tobel. Port commissioners reiterated to the Dog Park advocates that the lease of property is a temporary thing, with a 90-day vacancy clause written into it. “The Commissioners made it clear at the meeting that if the FAA rules against the shelter, it will have to come down.”

Also, said von Tobel, Port commissioners were also concerned about the orientation of the proposed shelter, with three walls facing away from Mt. Baker road. The shelters open side now faces west, discouraging what von Tobel referred to as “after dark use.”