Knowing The Waters
Legal Updates from WPPA General Counsel
Photo courtesy Port of Vancouver
Knowing the Waters- July 2021 column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
This month we will take a look at the resolutions that govern the transaction of business by port commissions. Like many issues raised in this column, hopefully, this discussion will
June 2021 Knowing the Waters- a column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik, Peter Ruffatto, and Allison Beard
Welcome to summer- the season that while you have warm weather, boating and barbeques on your mind– we lawyers are thinking about election season. As the election season is upon
Knowing the Waters- May 2021 Column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
This month we look at what happens when a port discovers a “known or suspected loss of public funds.” Honestly, this does not happen very often, but when it does
Knowing the Waters- April 2021 column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik with Seth Woolson & Peter Ruffatto
Seth Woolson is a principal at Chmelik Sitkin & Davis and works on public work construction issues for port districts. Peter Ruffatto was the Bellingham city attorney before joining Chmelik
March 2021 Knowing the Waters; a Column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
Port districts, like all Washington local and municipal governments, are required to redistrict their commission districts once every ten years using the decennial census data provided by the federal government.
February 2021 Knowing the Waters; a column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
Requests for public records have been on the rise, and any request you receive that asks for a list of of individuals, companies or employees needs to be treated with
January 2021 Knowing the Waters; a Column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
This month we will take a quick look at a growing area of port district interest – providing fiber optic cabling telecommunications infrastructure (known as “broadband infrastructure” or “digital infrastructure”)
December 2020 Knowing the Waters; A Column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
Last month we discussed some long-term changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the way that business is conducted at ports which will likely continue into the future. Since
November 2020 Knowing the Waters; a column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way business is conducted. Ports, like many other businesses and governments, have adapted and innovated. But which of those adaptions and innovations will survive
October 2020 “Knowing the Waters” – a column by Frank Chmelik of Chmelik Sitkin & Davis, P.S. – WPPA Counsel
After years of being a lawyer, one can start to see trends in the law; I think this happens when lawyers read proposed agreements from other lawyers and think
Knowing the Waters- September 2020 column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
This month’s column discusses homelessness, camping on port property, in port parks, car camping on port streets, liveaboard boaters and the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Knowing the Waters- August 2020 column by WPPA Counsel Frank Chmelik
In December of this year, the United States Census Bureau will deliver the decennial census to the President and Congress. The “reference day” used for the census was April 1,