|
Upcoming Events
January
10, 2011
Washington State Legislative Session
Olympia
March
14, 2011
Port Day
Olympia
Special
Session: What Happened?. 1
REMINDER: Port History
Book Orders Due By Year’s End. 2
Acoustical
Lab Operating in Satsop’s Reactor Building. 2
Legislative Issue Talking
Points. 3
Knowing the Waters. 5
Department
of Commerce – Clusters Grant Opportunity. 5
Washington State Awarded
Additional Federal High-Speed Rail Funds. 5
Paula Hammond Elected
Chair of National Passenger Rail Coalition. 6
Enduris
To Offer Free Workshops to Ports. 6
Port News. 7
Employment Opportunities. 10
The one-day Special Legislative Session that
convened on Saturday, December 11 did not have a significant effect on programs
or accounts that port districts use or depend upon. The unprecedented “lame
duck” Session was called for the sole purpose of adopting budget cuts for the
remainder of this budget cycle, which ends June 30, 2011.
A significant amount of the budget savings comes
from over two hundred million in federal education dollars that were
re-directed into the state’s General Fund. Most of the other cuts came from
education and human services accounts and programs.
There was also a $20 million transfer from the
State Toxics Control Account to the General Fund, but this is not the Toxics
Account which port districts utilize for cleanup grants. That account – the
Local Toxics Control Account – was left untouched, at least for now.
One budget reduction that could affect some
ports is a reduction of $500 thousand in Department of Ecology watershed
planning grants to local jurisdictions. There are also continued
administrative reductions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Natural
Resources, Parks, Agriculture, Recreation and Conservation Office, Puget
Sound Partnership and the Columbia River Gorge Commission.
The Department of Commerce avoided budget
reductions in these amendments, but their underlying budget had already been
cut so far that there were few areas left to reduce. These actions dealt solely with the state’s
Operating Budget, and there were no amendments to the Capital or
Transportation Budgets, as they are funded outside of the state’s General
Fund.
The 2011 Legislative Session convenes January
10, when additional reductions are likely in this budget. The 2011-13 budget
discussions will center around the need to reduce overall expenditures by
several billion additional dollars.
top
Please remember
that if your port is interested in ordering any of the highly illustrated
HistoryLink timeline book on ports, you
must return the completed order form with the number of books you want before
the end of the year.
The book on the
history of ports can only be printed IF enough ports choose to order these
finely crafted historical books. Once a final tally is done, requestors will
be notified whether or not enough orders were placed to make the minimum
print run. If the minimum is met, requesting ports will be invoiced for their
order in January 2011.
top
Ron Sauro, 64, president of NWAA Labs, recently signed a four-year
lease with the Satsop Development Park for his little piece of the reactor
building, which is near one of the iconic cooling towers that can be seen
from State Highway 12. Satsop Development Park was founded in part by the
Port of Grays Harbor.
Sauro’s company, NWAA Labs, tests the sound absorption
and transmission properties of building materials such as windows, doors and
acoustical materials used in wall structures, ceilings and floors. He also
tests sound equipment such as speakers to see how they project sound.
So, inside the
reactor building Sauro has created a temporary,
“proof of concept” two-room acoustical reverberation and transmission loss
suite that is the largest in the world. No one actually works in the rooms. The materials are set in place for
testing and later removed. Testing is monitored from a nearby control
room.
“There is nothing
else like this lab, period. They just don’t exist,” said Sauro.
Because of the rooms’
sizes, he is able to measure the low-frequency sound waves, which are longer
and therefore need more space to develop. So far this temporary lab has been
so successful that he’s making plans to build the “real” lab that will be
twice as big, near the current one inside the massive reactor building.
Since completing the
temporary “proof of concept” lab at Satsop, Sauro’s
first customer was Perdue Acoustics, an Amarillo, Texas, manufacturer that
has a world-wide reputation for its acoustical absorption and diffusion
units.
“The work Ron Sauro is doing at Satsop Development Park will advance
acoustical testing,” said Jay Perdue, president. “With the test results we
obtained from his recent tests of our materials, we will finally be able to
put the tools in the hands of architects and acousticians to be able to
accurately specify acoustical treatments and accurately predict the results
of those acoustical treatments.”
Stan Ratcliff,
director of services at Satsop Development Park, has worked closely with Sauro to make his dream a reality. He also sees the
potential for a much larger environmental testing facility.
“This could not just provide testing
services to businesses, but could be a research and development site for
universities and other groups. I enjoy matching up businesses with the
perfect spot for them here at Satsop – and this shoe fits!” Ratcliff said.
top
The 2011 session arrives in just a few weeks,
and once again, the state is facing a major deficit of another $5.7 billion,
or more. WPPA continues to focus on strategically targeting policies and
investments that will help grow private sector businesses and jobs,
strengthening the state’s economy as a whole. Keeping our ports healthy, and
providing us with the tools to incent the private investment necessary to
rebuild our economy will go a long way toward bringing back economic
prosperity to our state. As noted last month, our priority items for 2011 are
as follows:
Building
Infrastructure
· CERB
(Community Economic Revitalization Board) funding must be continued in some
form, whether through the traditional program or through a new iteration. WPPA will support efforts to provide $20 million
in funds out of the state’s capital budget specifically for economic
development infrastructure investment.
Criteria for awarding funding should allow for adequate flexibility
and should focus the ability to leverage private sector investment and job
creation.
· With
state funding difficult to come by, ports must better utilize current funding
mechanisms in order to build necessary infrastructure. Providing additional
flexibility to current IDD levy financing tools will provide more
opportunities for ports to fund infrastructure projects themselves. WPPA
will work for passage of legislation that will allow ports to use smaller
portions of their IDD levy capacity on specific projects over extended
periods of time without forfeiting their remaining capacity, while
maintaining the current level of taxing authority.
· Transportation
Infrastructure Funding is facing a crisis very soon. As need grows and
funding shrinks, state and local governments must strategically prioritize
projects, and come up with innovative new ways to fund those projects. WPPA will work to ensure that the state
prioritizes strategic freight mobility projects, including rail.
Cleaning
Up the Environment
· Stable
predictable funding for remedial actions continues to be a primary concern
for ports. During the last biennium we
enjoyed some success at preserving existing funds and maintaining the
integrity of MTCA (Model Toxics Clean-up Act). WPPA will seek stable, robust MTCA funding in the 2011-13 biennial
budget.
· Providing
additional funding stability and flexibility for remedial action projects is
critical for long-term project planning purposes. A financing report organized by WPPA and
the State Department of Ecology last fall has given rise to the idea of grant
funded trusts as a possible concept. WPPA
will work towards development of grant funded trusts in order to create
additional funding stability for future clean-up projects.
Keeping
Public Agency Costs Down
· Providing
an opportunity for requestors and agencies to clarify and resolve issues
relating to public record requests prior to lawsuits being filed would save
public agencies millions of taxpayer dollars in fines and court costs. WPPA will work for passage of legislation
to allow public agencies and requestors to “meet and confer” prior to
litigating public record request disputes.
· Being
able to recover the research costs of extensive public records requests would
save time and money. WPPA will work
for passage of legislation that will limit free research time, and allow for
some recovery of costs for public records requests.
For
more information contact the WPPA staff at (360) 943-0760.
top
“Can a Port
Commission require an Executive Director to live within the Port District?”
Neither
RCW Chapter 53 (“Port Districts”) nor Washington
case law expressly discuss residence qualifications a Port Commission may
impose upon Executive Directors. RCW
53.12.061 states that “general election law” applies to the port
commissioners. Port Commissioners are
elective public officials. By
extension, ports should be able to look to other RCW sections and answer this
question by analogy.
Executive
Directors of Port Districts may be characterized as appointive public
officials. RCW addresses residence qualifications for appointive public
officials in contexts similar to port districts.
RCW
35.21.200 states that residence qualifications may be imposed by cities and
towns for appointed positions. These
municipal residence qualification may not override the city charter, nor be
the grounds for discharge of the official.
Similarly, RCW 52.30.050 states that residence qualification cannot be
grounds to discharge an appointed fire district employee.
Considering
the above, a Port Commission may probably require an Executive Director to
live within the Port District. Any residence
qualification however cannot be applied retroactively to stand as the grounds
for discharge of Executive Director who was appointed
prior to the enactment of the residency requirement or pursuant to a waiver
of such requirement.
As always, consult
with your local counsel on your unique situation before proceeding.
top
Ports are invited to apply for a competitive
grant to fund economic development activities to further regional cluster
growth and to exhibit support for the development of an innovation
partnership zone. Applications
are due January 13, 2011.
To determine if you have an eligible project,
review the Application Guidelines.
top
Washington state will receive an additional $161
million in federal high-speed rail funding from the Federal Rail
Administration. U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently
announced that he is redirecting nearly $1.2 billion in rail funding
originally designated for high-speed rail projects in Wisconsin and Ohio.
This additional money brings Washington’s total
funding for passenger rail to $782 million, when combined with $621 million
in federal rail funds awarded earlier this year.
“Washington continues to prove it’s a
competitive player in the nation’s high-speed passenger rail program,” said
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. “This funding supports highly-skilled
construction and operating jobs, and we appreciate Secretary LaHood’s
confidence in our ongoing efforts to expand and improve Pacific Northwest
passenger rail service.”
The additional funding requires no matching
state funds and will most likely be applied to eligible projects in WSDOT’s
original 2009 Recovery Act application, like a project that completes a
series of repairs to the BNSF rail line between Everett and Blaine. The
repairs reduce delays and increase on-time performance for Amtrak Cascades
service by improving track quality, reliability and passenger ride.
There were 14 rail projects valued at $602 million in the original
application that did not receive funding
top
Washington state Secretary of Transportation
Paula Hammond was unanimously elected chair of the States for Passenger Rail
Coalition by state transportation directors.
As coalition chair, Hammond will work with the
other states and transportation advocacy groups to build support for
continued funding for passenger rail programs.
“I want to work hard to communicate and influence
national policy and programs to support our coalition because passenger rail
is returning as a viable choice of travel in many of our growing states,”
Hammond said.
The States for Passenger Rail Coalition was
established in 2000 and is an alliance of 32 state departments of
transportation with a mission to promote the development, implementation and
expansion of intercity passenger rail services.
The coalition played a major role in helping to
advance the $8 billion in new funding for passenger rail projects in the 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Washington state has successfully
invested these federal dollars, plus state money, in a passenger rail system
that has growing ridership and expanded service between Seattle and
Vancouver, B.C.
top
WPPA Associate Member Enduris has two workshops coming up that may
be of interest to ports. There is no charge for either training class.
n Public Works
101
January 18 & 19, 2011
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
WCIA Training Center
320 Andover Parkway East
Tukwila, WA
Materials, refreshments, and lunch provided
n Developing and
Managing RFPs and RFQs
January 10, 2011
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
WCIA Training Center
320 Andover Parkway East
Tukwila, WA
Materials, refreshments, and lunch
provided
To
register or learn more about the trainings, please visit www.enduris.us.
Click on Risk Management, then Training Seminars.
Port Garners $6.5 Million in 2011 Capital Project Funding
The Port of Olympia has obtained $6.5 million in external funds and budgeted
over $7 million in port funds for projects that will create jobs in Thurston
County in 2011. The expected $13.6 million total supports capital
investments in environmental cleanup, security, airport and rail facilities
and other upgrades.
The sources of the port’s capital investment dollars are port reserves
($5,677,149) and 2008 bond proceeds ($1,400,000). The out-of-county funding
resources vary by project type.
Port of Port
Angeles Moves Ahead with Composite Manufacturing Campus
The Port
of Port Angeles Commission announced
that Angeles Composite Technologies, Inc. (ACTI) signed a letter of intent
for two new buildings at the Port of Port
Angeles’ Composite Manufacturing Campus located at the Airport
Industrial Park. A strategic vision for the Port, the
Composite Manufacturing Campus will complement the existing businesses at the
Airport Industrial
Park and will attract new business to the
community.
Executive
Director Jeff Robb noted, “The site plan for the Composite Manufacturing Campus
includes infrastructure for three, 25,000 square foot buildings. With ACTI’s letter of intent, the Port will
begin the construction of one building to house ACTI’s growing workforce and
product demand. This building will be
complete by the end of 2011. The
second building’s construction will begin mid-year 2012. With the infrastructure development and the
business expansion, more than 100 new jobs will be created and more will
follow.”
Port of Skagit County Gains Tenant
and Saves Energy
Impressions
Worldwide Inc. has leased the new industrial building in the Port of Skagit’s
Bayview Business Park that formerly was occupied by The Holloman Group.
Impressions Worldwide specializes in the rebuilding, selling,
installing and servicing offset web printing presses for newspapers. The
company, which has delivered and installed presses to more than 30 countries,
is expanding from another building at the Bayview Business Park to
accommodate growth in its business. Impressions currently employs 15 people, up
from eight last year and will continue to add positions after the move into
the new building is complete, said Tom Loesch,
owner of the company. The transition into the new facility is currently under
way and will conclude in February of 2011.
“With
our existing lease expiring, we spent nearly a year looking for a facility
that will allow us to grow, give us the presence we are looking for and also
long term security. This property solves all of our needs and we are very
pleased to be staying here at the port”. Loesch
said.
In other news from the port, efforts to reduce electricity usage
are exceeding their goals. For the two-year period ending July 2010, the port
achieved a 17.6-percent decrease in electricity usage, saving the port $2,801
in energy costs overall.
The Board of Commissioners approved a new Resource Conservation
Plan last January with a goal of reducing energy consumption in port-occupied
facilities by 10 percent from 2008 levels by 2012. Developed by the port’s
Conservation Task Force in cooperation with SCOG’s Resource Conservation
Management Program, the plan takes a broad-based approach to energy
conservation aimed at achieving maximum efficiency from the utilities
necessary for daily operations. The port is one of nine local agencies
participating in the 3-year RCM Program
administered by SCOG.
The program is funded by the participating agencies and a grant from
Puget Sound Energy.
Elsner
Retires from Port of Anacortes
The Port of Anacortes Commission thanked Director
of Engineering Bob Elsner for his 16 years of dedicated service and honored
him with a plaque and presentation denoting that service at their regular
meeting of December 2, 2010. Elsner recently announced his retirement from
the port. He will begin a new career as a private consultant, assisting with
the management of environmental cleanups. Elsner has become a sought after
leader and expert in this field and the Port Commission thanked him for his
expertise in championing the Port’s series of cleanup projects under Focus
Fidalgo, a Puget Sound Initiative, and in partnership with the Department of
Ecology.
Elsner voiced his
appreciation for his 16 years at the port, noting the success of these and
other projects could not have been accomplished without the support of the
Port Commission, its trust in the port staff, and in Executive Director Hyde.
He thanked the Commission for that trust, and for the experience and
education they had allowed him to develop while at the port. Elsner noted he
was leaving with pride for the port’s accomplishments and excited about its
future.
Port of Everett Hires Les Reardanz for Key
Leadership Post; Jerry Heller to Retire
The
Port of Everett hired Les Reardanz, 45, to serve as
the Port’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The CAO position is the second
highest staff position at the port.
Reardanz, who will begin his duties at the Port in
January 2011, is currently the municipal legal advisor at the city of
Bellingham. He is also the project manager for the city’s Waterfront District
Development, which is a joint effort with the Port of Bellingham. In addition
to his civilian duties, Reardanz is a Captain in
the Naval Reserve.
At the city of Bellingham, Reardanz represents and
advises the City’s Executive and Legislative branches. He also serves as the
City’s Waterfront District Project Manager charged with planning,
coordinating, and synchronizing the City’s efforts to redevelop 220 acres of
brownfield waterfront property in coordination with the Port of Bellingham.
Previously, he served as the City’s interim museum director. He also
volunteers with various non-profits, committees, and commissions.
“Les has a way of bringing people and partners together in order to achieve
community priorities,” Executive Director John Mohr said. “Most notably, Les
led the efforts to revitalize and expand the Whatcom Museum and was appointed
by the mayor to synchronize City/Port efforts to redevelop the former
Georgia-Pacific site in Bellingham.”
Jerry Heller, who is retiring from the post in January 2011, will spend
the first part of 2011 cross-training Reardanz.
Heller, 67, has been with the Port of Everett since April 2007.
“Jerry has played a key role in bringing several long-term projects to
closure,” Mohr said. “Because of Jerry’s due diligence the Port has
been able to address some issues of the Mukilteo Tank Farm transfer and
the Collins Building. He also played a vital role in managing our numerous
cleanups under the Puget Sound Initiative. Jerry is going to be greatly missed,
but his retirement is well-deserved.”
Prior to his tenure at the Port of Everett, Heller served as the Port of
Skagit County's Executive Director for 13 years. Prior to coming to the Port
of Skagit County, he spent fifteen years in a private law practice in
southwest Washington state where he was legal counsel for the ports of Kalama
and Woodland. Heller transitioned to become both legal counsel and
manager of project development and environmental compliance at the Port of
Kalama in 1989.
Job Creation, Environment Lead Port
of Seattle Investments for 2011
The Port of Seattle Commission recently authorized the
port's annual budget and plan of finance, approving nearly $500 million in
capital projects and maintaining the agency's tax levy at $73.5
million. The budget also invests over $9 million in transportation
infrastructure and $11.6 million in environmental projects.
"Generating jobs, protecting our environment, and
holding taxes flat - those are our priorities and they are reflected in this
budget," said Commission President Bill Bryant.
Dollars from the port's tax levy are invested in capital
and environmental projects as well as freight mobility projects that improve
access to port facilities. The port also uses these funds to put noise insulation
in schools around Sea-Tac Airport and to support facilities like Fishermen's
Terminal, the home of the North Pacific Fishing Fleet.
Find complete details about the port's
budget here.
top
Senior Project Manager, Port of
Olympia
top
© 2006 Washington Public Ports Association. All rights
reserved
PO Box 1518 * Olympia, WA 98507
360-943-0760 * 360-753-6176 FAX
|
