Whether it’s with real wood or concrete boards, the beloved boardwalk on Front Street in Coupeville needs to be replaced as it represents a safety risk, according to Mayor Molly Hughes and Public Works Director Joe Grogan.

As emerged from a meeting held Tuesday evening at the Coupeville Recreation Hall, many community members want the boardwalk to keep its historic look with boards made of real wood. Some people spoke with a great deal of passion at the meeting, which was attended by about 50 people and went on for more than two hours.

At the meeting, attendees learned more and gave input on the Front Street boardwalk and the Main Street sidewalk project downtown, which is estimated to cost a total of $700,000, 37% of which will be covered by a Washington Transportation Improvement grant.

Currently, the approximately 120-foot boardwalk on Front Street is made of pressure treated wood, Grogan said in an interview. Real wood boardwalks are slippery, the boards get loose easily and curve, creating edges and making the surface uneven, he said.

While it has been replaced various times in the past, it has caused many injuries over the years, Hughes told the Whidbey News-Times, recalling various incidents where people have sprained their knees and ankles on the boardwalk. A man in a wheelchair got his wheel stuck and fell on his hands and knees while trying to get unstuck.

A good alternative, Hughes and Grogan said, could be to replace the wooden boards with faux wood planks made of concrete, which they said are safer and more durable. With the right paint, it would look like real wood, which would also help keep the historic aesthetic.

Yet many weren’t convinced. And while concrete wood remains as an option, Grogan and Hughes believe the other alternatives — a solid concrete sidewalk and a boardwalk with polyvinyl chloride — are off the table.

Regardless, the new boardwalk will have a stormwater system as it lacks one, Hughes said.

“All these years there was no stormwater plan underneath that boardwalk,” she said. “So rainwater just has been dripping through the boardwalk straight onto the bank.”

Fixing the boardwalk will also consist of securing it to the bank, stabilizing the bank and rebuilding the underlying structure.

Some community members asked questions about the timing of the project and whether it would interfere with business operations by limiting access. The boardwalk is in front of two businesses and the panoramic deck.

While the town is planning to start and complete the work in the fall when there is less tourist activity, some questions regarding timelines and methods will only be answered after a contractor is found, Hughes said.

The other half of the project involves the addition of a sidewalk on Main Street next to the historic Haller House, where there currently are three parallel parking spots and no paved path for pedestrians.

At the meeting, Fire Chief Jerry Helm explained it won’t be possible to build a sidewalk where the parking spots are located because it would make the road narrower, not allowing the ladder trucks to reach the McPherson building, which Hughes said is three stories tall.

Therefore, the parallel parking spots will remain and a concrete sidewalk with railings will be built on the eastern side, Hughes and Grogan said in the interview.

The Town Council will further discuss the project and the comments from community members at the next town meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.

The Front Street boardwalk, which is made of wooden boards, is unsafe in its current state. Mayor Molly Hughes and Public Works Director Joe Grogan believe the safest alternative would be concrete boards that look like wood, as seen in these three renderings. From left, a white picket fence, a wood mesh fence and a cedar fence add protection. (Photos provided)