The news that reached the community on Wednesday, however, didn't please everyone.
Olson's Resort is one of the few surviving economic mainstays of the two villages on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Its closure would be another blow to the hamlets that have lost a bank, a pharmacy and a grocery.
Nevertheless, some people are even more fearful that county, state or federal parks might acquire the resort and prevent its commercial development.
A group of Canadian investors had approached Arlen and Donalyn Olson to build condominiums on the land their family has owned for 70 years.
The Olsons put off the offer, preferring to work with agencies who could purchase and put it into public trust, preserving it for sport fishers.
The Canadians reportedly have bought another site (Coho Resort) nearby and are testing the stability of its soil.
Property upland of the Strait is notoriously prone to landslides.
Six agencies contribute
Backers of retaining the resort for boaters and beach walkers include the Cascade Land Conservancy.
Nicole Hill of the Shelton-based nonprofit agency said the first step would be to hire "a different kind of consultant" from what the conservancy is accustomed to hiring.
The person must be expert in business and marketing, she said, rather than land use or architecture.
The grant from the state Community Trade and Economic Development will provide $50,000, matched with cash and in-kind contributions from Clallam County, the conservancy, the Economic Development Council, the North Olympic Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, and SCORE, a nonprofit group that advises small businesses.
Participants in the planning, Hill said, will include the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Chamber of Commerce and other property owners.
The process must move quickly, she added.
"The Olsons have to make decisions, and we want to help them make the right decisions"
Nevertheless, some people who attended a Wednesday meeting on plans for the Hoko River State Park said they feared a "land grab" by public agencies.
"I don't agree with that at all," recreational vehicle park owner Martin Brand said Thursday, "when they [Washington State Parks] don't have enough money to take care of the facilities they have."
Furthermore, parks and other public owners have left only "a thin strip around the edge" of the North Olympic Peninsula, he said.
"I hear about people wanting to buy lots out here, and the land is just not available."
Patti Adler, who serves on the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Chamber of Commerce and on an group that advises county commissioners on community issues, also has heard fears about the future.
"We're slowly sinking in this area big time with all the county, state and national parks coming to take over all the land here," she said.
As for recent events, "the locals don't have any hard-core facts [about the condominiums or the study], but they are fearful:
"Is this really going to be an asset or block them from what they usually do there?"
The people who objected most loudly at Wednesday's meeting, Adler said, were out-of-town people from as far away as Arizona.
More gossip than facts
They own summer properties along the Strait and had received a letter warning of a government land-grab.
"There's too much gossip without real facts, and it's extremely dangerous at this point," she said.
Bill Drath, president of the chamber of commerce, agreed:
"Any time the land trust is mentioned, everybody goes, 'Oh, no!' There's this big conspiracy thing. It's kind of a challenge."
Still, many Clallam Bay/Sekiu residents support keeping Olson's Resort open to the public.
"I just can't see Sekiu without Olson's Resort or some public access there," said Drath.
"That's half of Sekiu, pretty much. I bet it's at least half the jobs in Sekiu."
The Olsons aren't the only owners entertaining purchase offers.
"All the business owners seem to be about the same age, so a lot of the places are for sale," he said.
The people who sounded happiest Thursday about the news don't live in Clallam Bay or Sekiu.
Linda Rotmark, executive director of the Economic Development Commission, called the study "an important project in a very deserving corner of Clallam County."
As for the conservancy's Hill, she looked forward to driving her Mustang convertible along the Highway 112 Scenic Byway.
"I'm just really excited," she said, "that I'm going to get up that way more often."
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Reporter Jim Casey can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at jim.casey@peninsuladailynews.com.