EVERETT — Citing safety concerns, the Port of Everett has temporarily closed the Pigeon Creek Trail, according to Lisa Lefeber, the agency’s chief of policy and communications.
The roughly three-quarters of a mile route runs along the southern Everett waterfront, which leads to a beach and is lined by chain-link metal fences. It is one of the few waterfront access points in the city
“Once you’re down there there’s no place to go. You’re stuck between the railway and the port,” Lefeber said.
Given that, and an increase of homeless encampments during the winter, the decision was made to close the trail, she said.
The port plans to open the path on weekends when there tends to be more people around, Lefeber said. During the week it will remain closed.
“Last year it got so bad, we actually had to shut the trail down for two months,” Lefeber said.
She said the port had to spend a month picking up needles and debris from the beach. The port owns the beach and trail, according to Lefeber.
In 2017, a woman was killed near the trail. In light of what happened last year and given its limited use, closing it was the prudent thing to do, Lefeber said.
“The murder was very specific, it was a personal matter,” said Andrea Tucker, of the Port Gardner Neighborhood Association.
She doesn’t think it’s a good reason to close the route.
“Closing access to the shoreline is pretty disappointing to the people here. One of the reasons people live here is the shoreline,” Tucker said.
She would like to see the port and the city work together on security measures to prevent future closures.
“There has to be something, the people in the neighborhood definitely want to the see trail open,” Tucker said.
In 2014, the entry point to the trail in the Port Gardner Neighborhood was eliminated, when BNSF Railway sealed a passage at Bond Street because users had to cross an active rail line to get to the Pigeon Creek Trail.
After that, the only way to reach the trail was from a parking lot near Terminal and Federal avenues.
In March, the port will reopen the path for use during the entire week, Lefeber said. The trail is to be opened from dawn to dusk.
Going forward, the winter closure will be a yearly occurrence, Lefeber said. The port plans to keep shutting the trail during the week from November to March.
Lizz Giordano: 425-374-4165; egiordano@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @lizzgior.
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