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A Tragic Loss for Ports 2
Ports
are a Big Hit on the Hill 3
Neva
to Serve as WPPA Marina Committee Chair 5
Port
Centennial Project Update. 5
State
Auditor's Office Offers Online Reporting. 6
Redesigned
WPPA 2010 Port Directories in the Mail 6
WPPA
Welcomes New Associate Members. 7
Issues
Watch. 8
Port
News. 10
Employment
Opportunities. 13
 We don’t use by-lines much in this newsletter.
When we at WPPA communicate with our port family we all edit each other’s
work; what you read is a team product. This story is an exception. I wrote it
myself, and I’m putting my name on it. I’m doing that because I need to honor
a unique and extraordinary person – Bob Goodstein.
Bob died last week, suddenly and unexpectedly,
of natural causes. He was 58 years old, and he was my friend for 23 of them.
On a personal level, I am saddened in a way that
words cannot convey. The loss of my friend is something that I am struggling
with, but will come to accept in time. But Bob was also something else: he was
a port attorney who adopted our entire community as his own family.
Bob started out as a public defense attorney. He
told me once that he wore a clip-on tie to work in case one of his clients
reached through the bars and grabbed it. It might be a reflection on you all
when I tell you that his penchant for finding the down-trodden and the
misunderstood was probably what brought him to come to like us, and to
counsel us continuously in ways large and small.
Most of you have seen the ways large. I have no
idea how many WPPA seminars, conferences and meetings he has attended and
contributed to. Sometimes he contributed as the main speaker, and sometimes
he contributed by just being there, asking and answering questions and
guiding discussions. But he was there, large.
And many of you have seen the ways small. It was
in the ways small that Bob really shone. How many ports called Bob to ask
about technical details of port law? The technical answer is – lots. How many
ports called Bob to just ask general advice about how best to proceed on some
matter where judgment was involved? The answer again is – lots. How many
ports felt reassured to know that Bob was there to help them if they ever
needed it? The exact answer is seventy-five. All of them. (It used to be
seventy-six, but Bob was in charge of dissolving one. That’s a longer story,
for another day.)
Seventy-five plus one. That one would be the
Washington Public Ports Association. He was our general counsel. He guided us
on port law, he guided us on litigation, and he guided us on general
attitude. And what an attitude.
Bob would come sauntering into our office. Some
people walk, some stride – Bob sauntered. Few can pull it off. He would
usually ask “what’s up?” In our
world, the answer is generally “plenty”, which suited Bob just fine. He liked
challenges. We obliged.
I have a habit of bestowing nicknames on people
whom I am fond of. I always called Bob ‘counselor’. It wasn’t very original,
but I don’t think anyone else routinely used it. It went back to when we
first met, over two decades ago -- before either of us worked with ports. We
were both in graduate school and I had the immense good luck to sit next to
Bob in a law class at the UW. I wasn’t a law student, and he took me under
his care. He helped me with legal-ese, latin phrases, and general morale. I
was what passed for down-trodden in a law class, and Bob helped me get an A-
minus.
My student experience foreshadowed my
professional experience. Bob helped ports use their innate tools and abilities
to become better institutions for their communities. He went to work every
day hoping to help you all do your jobs better. I do the same thing, except
now I do it with his memory and his inspiration, instead of his presence.
I will miss you Counselor. Thank you for what you gave to all of us.
Editor’s
Note: No services have been scheduled to date. The family (wife Sara, son
Seth and daughter Emily) requests that any cards or letters be sent to
Goodstein Law Group, PLLC at 501 South G Street, Tacoma, WA 98405. Donations may also be made to UNICEF
for Haiti earthquake victims in Bob’s name.
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Earlier this month, “Port Day 2010” kicked off with a legislative
briefing featuring Representative Mike Armstrong. Armstrong reminded
attendees that the people on the hill work for their constituents, “don’t be
intimidated by them and let them know what your needs are.” He stressed
letting them know how important programs like CERB and MTCA are to ports and
their job development mission.
 About
130 port colleagues descended on the Capitol Campus for the day making the
event a great success! Many, if not all, were able to meet with their legislative
representatives and let them know what ports needed this session and several
were successful in reiterating the invitation by WPPA staff to come by the
Columbia Room and check out the many port displays.
Over a dozen ports packed the Columbia Room in the Legislative
Building with displays of all sizes. The displays focused on the importance
of ports in our state’s economy. A fair amount of foot traffic, including a
few legislators, visited the displays during the noon time clam chowder
service by New Market Skills Center and legislative staffers commented on the
many varied ports throughout our state and recognized the economic benefit
they provide. One visitor was overheard to say, “I grew up hearing ports are
the backbone of the economy” – we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Throughout the day, port officials attended various legislative
committee hearings. The lobbying day ended with an afternoon reception at the
State Capitol Museum. Despite invitations by WPPA staff, the rain and late
committee hearings made it difficult for legislators to keep their plans to
attend, but port people who braved the rain were still able to connect with
each other on the various happenings at their ports and enjoy some of the
great exhibits at our Capitol’s museum.
WPPA sincerely thanks its ports for attending “Port Day” event in
Olympia and as one port director said, “Though it is unrealistic to expect
funding for any projects, at least we were there to keep legislation from
doing the ports any harm.”
Tell Us What You Thought
A Zoomerang survey was emailed to all Port Day participants. If you
didn’t receive one, but would like to weigh in on the event, please do so
here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A73T35DMV
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 Jim Neva, Manager at the Port
of Ilwaco, has been appointed by the WPPA Executive Committee to serve as
Chair of the WPPA Marina Committee. He replaces Port of Port Townsend
Executive Director Larry Crockett who is now serving as the WPPA Treasurer.
Neva is a
Professional Land Surveyor having spent ten years as Utilities Engineer for
Pacific County and two years as Public Works Director for the City of Westport.
He served twelve years as Manager of the Port of Willapa Harbor, two years as
Marine Terminals Manager at the Port of Grays Harbor and the past three years
as the Manager at the Port of Ilwaco.
Jim served on the Board of
Directors of the Pacific Coast Congress of Harbormasters and Port Managers
for three years and the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Team for
ten years. He is a southwest Washington native and graduated
from St. Martin’s College with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Jim has been married
to Jeanette (Jet) since 1972 and has two adult children and four
grandchildren.
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The special meeting of the Centennial Planning
Committee was held January 27 at the Port of Tacoma’s Fabulich Center. The
meeting was jointly chaired by Jack Thompson of the Port of Grays Harbor, and
Dave Ripp of the Port of Camas-Washougal. The purpose of the meeting was to
follow up on the November 2009 WPPA Board of Trustees meeting during which a
motion was passed establishing this committee and assessing the membership
$67,100 in order to mark the Centennial of the Port District Act. The
“front-runner” proposal was to use the internet through Historylink’s
website as the foundation for telling our story, but the committee was
authorized to make the final determination after deliberation. In addition,
the Centennial Planning Committee was directed to discuss additional methods
of marking the Ports’ Centennial, and developing proposals for consideration
by the WPPA Board of Trustees at its May 2010 meeting in Chelan.
The Committee voted to approve the HistoryLink
proposal of placing 75 Washington Public Port histories and seven cyber
essays on the broader history of Washington’s ports on the HistoryLink
website. The committee agreed that the promotion of the HistoryLink project
and the Centennial was vital and a subcommittee to handle the details was
formed with Nelson Holmberg serving as the chair. The subcommittee will
discuss the target audience, key messaging, possible logos, promotional
campaigns and develop a public relations tool kit outline. If you are
interested in joining the subcommittee or have any questions about it, please
contact Nelson Holmberg at nholmberg@Portvanusa.com.
The next Centennial Committee meeting will be February
25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Port of Olympia. Any interested
port representative is welcome, but please RSVP to jessieb@portolympia.com if
you plan to attend. In addition, if you have any questions about the
Centennial project, please feel free to contact Jack Thompson at jrthompson2@comcast.net,
Dave Ripp at david@portcw.com
or Kathleen Olson at kolson@washingtonports.org.
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Local governments now have the option of filing
their annual financial reports online. Online reporting is faster, more
efficient, less expensive and easier. It's available to all local governments
and may be used immediately for filing 2009 annual financial reports.
To file online, go to the State Auditor Office's
(SAO) website at www.sao.wa.gov and enter your assigned MCAG number and
a screen will display what reports and schedules may apply to you. Next, you can attach
the reports and schedules,
although you have the option
to mail hard copies of schedules if necessary. (Users should reference the
BARS manual reporting, section for acceptable file formats). After
attaching the files, submit your annual
report and you will
get instant electronic confirmation that your reports have
been received. If there is a problem with the submission, you will receive an e-mail notifying you of the specific missing
reports.
Reporting is
easy. The SAO has posted
step-by-step instructions online
and contact information for
questions. Once they review the online and hard copy reports, if applicable,
you will receive another confirmation notifying you that your annual report
is accepted.
Online reporting is not mandatory but strongly
encouraged. This is the first step in streamlining annual report filing. The
SAO is moving towards paperless accounting to improve efficiency and reduce
costs for postage, CDs and printing.
If you have any
questions or comments, please contact Duane Walz at (360) 725-5594.
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You may see some new faces in WPPA’s 2010 Port
Directory. Literally. This year the directory has been reformatted to include
photos of port commissioners. We’ve also made the directory a bit more
pocket-sized so it’s easier to carry around and changed the binding so it’s
easier to flip through and find what you’re looking for.
WPPA staff is in the process of getting the
directories mailed out and we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts on
the new format. Please direct any feedback to kolson@washingtonports.org.
Editor’s Note: On page 5, Port
of Camas-Washougal Executive Director David Ripp’s email address should be david@portcw.com;
on page 22, Port of Longview Communications/Public
Affairs Manager Ashley Helenberg’s
email address should be ahelenberg@portoflongview.com
and their attorney listing should
read, Attorney: Frank Randolph, randolph@walstead.com.
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The following companies have
recently joined WPPA as Associate Members. Please add them to your new
directory when it arrives:
Willis Environmental Practice - identify and assess environmental exposures; deliver customized insurance
solutions that complement commercial objectives and risk philosophy
Contact: Rick Hawkinberry, Senior
Vice President
Four Gateway Center, 444 Liberty
Avenue
Pittsburgh PA, 15222
(412)
586-3530
www.willis.com/Client_Solutions/Services/Environmental/;
rick.hawkinberry@willis.com
Synergy Business Solutions - sells,
implements, and supports Microsoft Dynamics SL project accounting, financial,
and materials management software
Contact: Jered Cady,
Executive Vice President
221 First Avenue West, Suite 107
Seattle WA, 98119
(206)
859-6505; Fax (206) 859-6501
www.synergybusiness.com;
jered@synergybusiness.com
Lane Powell PC - expertise
in resolving liabilities and achieving environmental cleanup at complex
upland and sediment sites under state and federal cleanup laws; advising
clients on issues related to compliance with state and federal environmental,
health and safety requirements; real estate and land use transactions,
particularly with public/private partnerships; real estate and construction
litigation when issues arise in the construction of, or contracting for a
project, labor and employment, and climate change and sustainability
Contact: Alex Smith,
Counsel
111 Market Street NE, Suite 360
Olympia WA, 98501-1070
(360)
753-7602; Fax (360) 754-1605
www.lanepowell.com; smitha@lanepowell.com
Enviro-Clean
Equipment, Inc. - equipment necessary for the maintenance and
upkeep of ports: street sweepers, sewer cleaners, sewer TV equipment, asphalt
maintenance equipment, hydraulic tools, and traffic marking paint; equipment
for demonstration and assistance to port agencies in complying with the
ever-changing regulations regarding NPDES
Contact: Louis
Thaler, Washington Sales
PO Box 160
Gresham OR, 97030
(800)
200-8480; Fax (503) 491-2283
www.envirocleanequip.com;
lthaler@envirocleanequip.com
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Washington Wins $590 Million
for Rail Projects
In tandem with the
federal announcement of the award of $8 billion to 31 states for high speed
intercity passenger rail service, Gov. Gregoire announced that Washington
will receive $590 million for projects that add jobs and increase passenger
rail service along the I-5 corridor.
The Washington
State Department of Transportation applied for funding to build 26 rail
projects along the Pacific Northwest rail. In addition to the application,
work from Washington’s congressional delegation, especially U.S. Senator
Patty Murray, Congressmen Rick Larsen and Jay Inslee, to build support for
rail corridors such as Washington’s, was instrumental in the success of
WSDOT’s application. With this funding from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, rail line capacity will be boosted and congestion relieved,
and public safety will be improved.
“The grant
announcement is great news. With these investments, we will greatly improve
our on-time reliability and travel choice for passengers between Seattle and
Portland,” said WSDOT Secretary Paula Hammond. “Our team is ready to get to
work building these projects that will have real economic benefits by
supporting and creating jobs, reducing rail line congestion, improving access
to our ports and upgrading railroad crossings.”
Washington will apply for more federal funding for the rail program this year
from the $2.5 billion set aside for high speed rail in the federal
transportation appropriations bill approved in December 2009.
Port Security Grant Program
Marine Exchange of
Puget Sound is accepting "Investment Justifications"
("IJs" or applications) for the FY10 round of the Port Security
Grant Program. They have set a "soft" deadline of March
1. They guarantee that any IJs received by March 1 will be processed and
submitted to FEMA by their deadline. If they receive IJs after March 1,
they will still process them if possible but cannot guarantee that they will
be submitted.
They will announce a deadline for the FY09 round after FY08 IJs that have
been received to date are submitted.
More information can be found at http://www.marineexchangesea.com/psgp.pdf.
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office Grants Available
The Washington State
Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) will begin accepting applications
this spring for grants to build parks, trails and boating facilities and to
conserve wildlife habitat and protect farmland.
RCO administers 13
grant programs for activities such as building parks and trails, protecting
wildlife habitat, conserving working farms and recovering salmon from near
extinction. Since 1964, the office has granted nearly $1.5 billion for more
than 6,600 projects across the state.
This year, the office
is offering grants in the categories below. Grant applications will be
accepted March 1 through May 3, 2010.
·
Boating – Funding to develop and
renovate boating facilities or provide boater education programs aimed at
larger, motor boats (26 feet and longer).
·
Parks – Funding to acquire land
and/or develop parks, ball fields, sports courts, outdoor swimming pools and
waterfront access areas for the public.
·
Trails – Funding to maintain and
develop trails.
·
Farmland
Preservation
– Funding to preserve valuable farmland.
·
Wildlife
Habitat Conservation –
Funding to conserve significant natural areas or habitat for plants, animals,
and other wildlife. This includes grants to protect areas along streams and
waterways.
Workshops to help you
determine which grant program is right for you are offered later this month:
§ February 23: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Big
Bend Community College in Moses Lake
§ February 26: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at La
Quinta Inn in Tacoma
Register for the workshops at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DTPL33P.
For more information
about the grants available this year, visit the RCO Web site at: http://www.rco.wa.gov/grants/grant_news.shtml.
Volunteers
Needed to Evaluate Grant Proposals
RCO is
also looking for volunteers with the following expertise to help review and
evaluate grant applications for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation
Program:
- Local government representatives with
expertise in outdoor recreation.
- State government representatives with
expertise in outdoor recreation or habitat conservation.
- Tribal government representatives with
expertise in outdoor recreation.
- Citizens with knowledge of general
recreation issues or experience in recreation and trail groups;
conservation clubs; federal agencies; or recreational bicycle,
equestrian, pedestrian trail or recreational water trail groups.
- Citizens with knowledge of biology, botany,
ecology, fish and wildlife management, geology, natural resource
management, watershed management and planning, or zoology, or experience
in academia, acquisitions, agriculture, engineering, forestry,
geomorphology, hydrology, lakes management, land use management, urban
planning, or management of marine, freshwater, wetland, stream or river
systems.
For more information
or to volunteer, visit the Web site at http://www.rco.wa.gov/grants/grant_news.shtml#wwrp.
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Deja Returns to Port of Port
Angeles
The Port of Port Angeles has rehired former employee,
Pat Deja, as its new marketing and property manager. Deja previously worked
for the port for 10 years as properties manager until his position was
eliminated during some restructuring in 2007.
“Deja now will be responsible for more than simply managing the properties,”
said Jeff Robb, port executive director. "He'll be going outside of the
area to other parts of the region to try and attract business here," he
added. Although he notes large businesses are good, Deja plans to focus on
attracting multiple smaller businesses with 10 to 15 employees.
Seattle Port Commission
Approves MOA with WSDOT
The Port of Seattle Commission
voted to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT), outlining the port’s participation in
the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program. The Alaskan Way
Viaduct is one of only three north-south corridors for the Puget Sound region
and its replacement must be able to move goods and travelers efficiently
through port facilities. The vote is an important step forward for the program.
“Tens of thousands of
family-wage jobs are generated by our airport, air cargo, container, fishing,
and cruise facilities, and if we can’t move people and goods efficiently,
those jobs are in jeopardy,” said Commission President Bill Bryant. “We’re
investing in putting our region to work.”
Per the agreement, the port’s
contribution will not exceed $300 million. The port has already invested in
projects along the SR 99 corridor, such as the East Marginal Way Grade
Separation and Phase 2 of SR 519. The memorandum of agreement includes a
credit of $25 million for those and other projects that are complementary to
the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement.
To read the full memorandum of
agreement, visit http://www.portseattle.org/community/development/viaduct.shtml.
Port of Vancouver Highlights Possibilities
In his
recent annual State of the Port Address, the Port of Vancouver’s Executive
Director Larry Paulson said there is evidence of the types of economic
development and jobs currently happening at the port – which calls itself the
“Port of Possibility” – happening all over the port.
Paulson
cited more than 100 construction jobs at the port’s new Terminal 5 – where a
unit train rail loop is being built – another 10-15 workers installing
fencing and utilities; deconstruction of buildings on the former Rufener Farm
that makes up another 15-20 jobs, and a number of other jobs as a result of
projects on or near the port and noted those jobs are being filled by local
workers.
Paulson and
Port Commission President Jerry Oliver spoke of a light at the end of the
tunnel – marking the end of the recession, and stated that the port is
prepared to be a leader in the community’s recovery.
The Address
in its entirety was taped and can be seen online at www.cvtv.org.
Port of Everett Expands Liveaboard
Accommodations at 12th Street Yacht Basin
The
Port of Everett received approval from the city to allow liveaboards at its
12th Street Yacht Basin. The 220-slip, state-of-the-art marina facility is
equipped with moorage slips ranging from 40 to 70 feet, with end ties up to
143 feet. Per port policy, the number of liveaboards for the port’s marina
facilities is capped at 10 percent of its 2,100 marina slips.
“It
is very exciting to be able to offer this amenity to our 12th Street moorage
holders,” Port Marina Director Cyndy Olson said. “The 12th Street Marina
facility was constructed with all the amenities to compliment the liveaboard
lifestyle.”
More
information about the Port’s 12th Street Yacht Basin can be found at www.portofeverett.com.
Port
of Bremerton Hires Case to Manage Marketing and Communications
The Port of Bremerton has hired a former
newspaper editor and school district communications director to be its new
manager of Marketing and Communications.
Chris
Case will begin her new position next month, after most recently serving as
the communications director for the North Kitsap School District. She also
served as editor of the North Kitsap Herald in Poulsbo.
Ports of
Moses Lake and Warden Awarded CERB Funding
The Washington State Community
Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) announced $3,060,000 in public
investments targeting job creation and business growth.
“These strategic
infrastructure investments have the potential to create or retain more
than 200 jobs and will stimulate the economies of local
communities,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire. “Creating new jobs is more important
now than ever before, and these funds will help Washington set the foundation
for growth.”
Since 1982, CERB has
committed nearly $150 million to counties across the state, an investment
generating more than 36,000 jobs. Included in the recent awards are :
Ø $1,500,000 loan and $500,000 grant to the Port of Moses Lake for the
construction of a new electrical substation. CERB funds are matched by more
than $5 million in private funds.
Ø $1,000,000 loan to the Port of Warden for the upgrade of five existing
grain storage silos and associated facilities for a new oilseed crush and
biodiesel production facility. CERB funds are matched by more than $3.2 million
in public and private funds.
As Washington’s
strategic economic development resource, CERB is focused on creating private
sector jobs in partnership with local governments by financing infrastructure
improvements. These improvements encourage new business development and
expansion. In addition to funding construction projects, CERB provides
limited funding for studies that evaluate high-priority economic development
projects. Learn more about CERB at www.commerce.wa.gov/cerb.
Port of
Centralia Signs Lease with Quick Quotes, Inc.
The Port of Centralia signed a long-term lease
agreement with Quick Quotes, Inc. The paper and scrapbook wholesaler will
locate its new facility in the port’s Industrial Park I.
Port of Centralia Commission President Gene
Groshong said, “We are glad the port was able to provide a facility to meet
Quick Quotes needs. They have a proven record of creating jobs in our
community and we are hopeful that this expansion will lead to more new jobs
at a time when our community needs them the most.”
Quick Quotes has ten employees and plans to hire
more as they settle in to their new facility at port.
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Executive
Director, Port of Woodland
Marine
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor,
Port of Olympia
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© 2006
Washington Public Ports Association. All rights reserved
PO Box 1518
* Olympia, WA 98507
360-943-0760 * 360-753-6176 FAX
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