Island County commissioners will see for themselves this week how Nichols Brother Boat Builders in Freeland is shaping up for the new year.

Commissioners Helen Price Johnson, John Dean and Angie Homola will meet with John Collins, Nichols’s new chief executive, and take a tour of the boatyard this week.

The tour begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14.

The company is busy with four construction projects, including a new ferry for the Keystone-Port Townsend run, and two vessel refurbishings.

The company has hired 36 additional employees in the past two months, and more new hires are expected. Company officials say the workload scheduled for the coming year is expected to be close to capacity.