Port 2 tables office loan, reviews performance review

Commissioners of Wahkiakum County Port District 2 Commissioners showed a mixture of self-restraint and common sense at their July 21 meeting after they reviewed the details of a resolution that would have increased the ports debt load by $100,000.

Commission Chair Brian O’Connor set the agenda, and Commissioner Kayrene Gilbertsen announced she hoped the board would approve Resolution No. 2009.

The proposed resolution authorized Port Manager Steve McClain to sign for a loan that would raise the port’s existing debt of $284,000 to $384,821. The extra $100,000 was slated for maintenance and to purchase and setup a doublewide trailer that would become Skamokawa Vista Park’s new front office

In a phone interview after the meeting Gilbertsen said that the idea for the new park office came from the park’s Marketing Coordinator Karen Bertroch during a port meeting back on March 17.

The minutes show Bertroch told the board she thought Vista Park needed a new front office and a place for a park host. Commissioner Carlton Appelo agreed and made the motion for the board to move forward on a loan application totaling $100,000.

The commissioners adopted the motion knowing it came with a caveat.

In Bertroch’s report to the commission dated July 14, she explained that she had found a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant for $15,000 to help install the trailer. The catch was, as Bertroch told the commission, “I can apply for the grant after the park model is set up.”

The loan was discussed again at the port’s July 21 board meeting,

The resolution required McClain to take out a $100,000 loan to buy a trailer so Bertroch could apply for a $15,000 grant that could only be used in accordance with the American Disabilities Act.

Also during the July 21 meeting both O’Conner and McClain said they were concerned that Bertroch said she could not even make an application for the USDA grant until after the port had secured the loan, bought the trailer and set it up.

There was no guarantee the park would get the USDA grant. O’Connor also questioned whether the trailer would even last as long as the loan.

McClain also told the board he had also had questions about any increase in the park’s loan payment and that a $1,000 increase in the park’s existing $2,400 monthly payment might reduce the port’s ability to respond to future emergencies.

After the board discussion, Gilbertsen made a motion to adopt Resolution 2009. The resolution states that Port District 2 had explored several borrowing options and determined a loan of $384, 821.79 from Bank of the Pacific was the best choice.

When asked if the park’s current loan had a fixed or adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), McClain said, “I think it’s fixed.”

Port Attorney Jennifer Hanigan nodded in agreement.

Commissioners were then asked if the loan they were about to approve for Vista Park was a fixed or ARM mortgage?

Gilbertsen said she didn’t know and turned to Hanigan and asked,“ What type of loan are we signing?”

Hanigan said the loan they were about to sign was an ARM mortgage and that Resolution 2009 called for interest rate hikes every five years for the next 15 years.

All three commissioners then picked up the resolution and found this fact in the sixth paragraph of the document. Commissioners continued reading the resolution, and after a few minutes, O’Connor put down his copy of the resolution and said, “I’m not prepared to sign something like this, not in this economy.”

Appelo was asked what he thought of the proposal. After a while he said he would not vote for the Resolution.

Gilbertsen seemed surprised. Having lobbied for the loan, she took her time reviewing both Vista Park’s financials and the resolution but finally, with regret in her voice said, “I can’t vote to approve an ARM mortgage for the park, not after what the country’s just been through.”

Resolution 2009 was tabled and will be considered at a Port 2 special meeting August 5 at the Methodist Church in Skamokawa.

The commissioners encourage those with an interest to attend.

In other business at the July 21 meeting, Port Auditor Sharon Mast made a request that the commissioners split a $1,500 grant between herself and Steve McClain.

Mast asked, “Would the Board mind if I split the fee I received from the Port with Steve because he helped administer the program?”

O’Connor said he saw no reason why Mast couldn’t share her fee with McClain, and made a motion to the board to split the fee.

Appelo voted for the motion; Gilbertsen, however, voted no.

The motion was carried and shortly after that McClain asked why commissioners had sent out a survey to people not associated with Vista Park to evaluate his job performance without him being consulted.

O’Connor said, “I’m not aware of any survey. Besides we can’t legally evaluate park employees, the park doesn’t even have a personnel policy.”

The discussion continued until Gilbertsen mentioned that Bertroch had sent out the survey. After more discussion, Gilbertsen said she had told Bertroch to send out the survey.

“I was in charge,” Gilbertsen said, “so I made the mistake.”

The discussion then turned to the question of authority and if Gilbertsen had the board’s permission to send out a port employee’s job evaluation survey to people in the public sector.

O’Connor said commissioners could not make private decisions related to port business. Both Appelo and O’Conner were unaware the survey had been sent out. “I knew nothing about it,” said O’Connor.

Gilbertsen said she had made another error. “I thought I had the board’s full approval to send out the survey," she said.

McClain said the survey showed up on his computer after Gilbertsen broadcast it to several people and that four of the surveys were returned to Gilbertsen (and indirectly to his computer) indicating that any response made by them would be inappropriate.