Vashon Park District commissioners voted 4-0 last week to keep Tramp Harbor dock open, with signs posted warning that the dock is potentially unsafe.

The possibility of closing the dock arose several weeks ago, after engineers evaluating the dock found 11 pilings at risk of collapsing, which could result in a 20-foot section of the dock falling into the water.

Park District Executive Director Elaine Ott requested public feedback and heard from several people asking to keep the dock — a historic structure and the only public fishing pier on Vashon — open to the public.

At the meeting, commissioners and staff discussed access to the dock and making the signs as noticeable as possible, including installing a gate or bollards at the entrance.

“It’s so easy for somebody to walk right past something if it’s not staring them in the face,” Ott said.

The dock’s safety has been called into question at the same time the state has demanded that it be replaced with a more environmentally friendly structure. Additionally, Ott, representatives from King County and the state are working to address other issues of concern that have arisen regarding a new lease for the state’s aquatic lands, as the prior lease expired in 2013.

Ott will meet with state and county officials later this week as part of that process.