Port 2

Port 2 was short one commissioner last Tuesday due to Commissioner Carlton Appelo being on vacation.

Commissioners settled vouchers and discussed the Oneida boat launch. Both Commissioners Brian O’Connor and Kayrene Gilbertsen said they were surprised the ramp hadn’t seen more use this summer.

Port auditor Sharon Mast gave commissioners copies of the Port’s financial report and said several of the vouchers commissioners were being asked to sign dealt with the Youth Services grant that the park had administered during the summer.

“So some of these vouchers you’ve never seen before because they are all for the kids,” Mast said, “and they cover the Labor and Industry and state FICA requirements for insurance on the kids."

Port Manager Steve McClain reported that he had made adjustments and cuts to Vista Park’s budget to help move it closer into the black.

“Tell me what you (the commissioners) think," he said. "I've made a few changes to balance the preliminary budget but understand there could be some dramatic changes to the budget.”

McClain explained that the Small Communities and Rural Counties Grant application approved by the commissioners earlier in September had been sent in and Vista Park should be notified by October 8 if the county would receive the $165,000 grant.

O’Connor asked port attorney Jennifer Hanigan if she had researched the park’s rights to remove four abandoned boats parked on a strip of land near the parks boat-ramp entrance on Pleasant Point Road.

“I have prepared a draft resolution adopting the procedures for the sale of the abandoned vessels,” said Hanigan. “The RCW is specific and long so to make sure we’re in compliance, I have placed the RCW directly into the resolution.”

O’Connor reported he had talked to Irene Martin and Sunrise Fletcher about ownership of the Vista Park front office.

“Are you saying that the port already owns the building?” asked Gilbertsen.

“I think we do,” said O’Connor. “According to Irene and Sunrise we should be able to follow up with discussions and paperwork to transfer the building over to the park.”

“What we have in our files,” said Hanigan, “is the hanging point because the Methodist church has a first refusal.”

McClain said the Methodist Church next to Vista Park has a right of first refusal to buy the property the Vista Park office sits on from the Skamokawa Parks and Recreation District.

“What’s it gonna take to get all the people together to make this happen?” asked O’Connor.

“All we need to do is get the park district board together to transfer the ownership of the Vista Park office building to the park,” said McClain.

“I think what we need to do is get all the information together and formalize it and then move forward with sorting out how to transfer ownership to the park,” said Hanigan.

O’Connor said he thought that was a smart idea and asked McClain and Hanigan to make the transfer happen.

Next, McClain reported that the dredging co-operative that had been formed by six small ports including Wahkiakum’s Port 1 and 2 had finally received the dredge it had purchased earlier in the year.

O’Connor asked when the dredge would start “to make the rounds” dredging and deepening port basins and harbor entrances.

McClain said the dredge co-op had purchased a 12-inch hydraulic dredge. The dredge can be trailered without going into the ocean.

“That was a concern when the ports first talked about a joint purchase of the dredge,” said McClain. “We were worried about how we would get it to the Port of Willapa Bay without taking it out into the ocean.”

Toward the end of the Port 2 meeting audience member Phil Vik walked in and was recognized by O’Connor.

Vik said his story started 12 years ago when the Corps of Engineers and Port of Portland designated a section of his land as a dump-site for dredge spoils. At first the Corps offered to lease or buy his land. Vik said he refused to sell but would lease land to the Corps.

“They agreed but never gave me any money,” said Vik.

Time has passed and recently a Corps representative came to Vik and told him he had to sell his land to them, otherwise they’d condemn it.

Vik said the representative told him the Corps had the power of condemnation because Port 2 had passed a resolution stating if the port or its suppliers need land near the port to conduct business then Port 2 has a right to condemn the land for public use.

The Corps pumps sand onto Vista Park’s shore; sand the park sells at a profit. Therefore the Corps says it has an economic relationship with Port 2, thus it has the right to condemn property.

“I know they want permission from Port 2 for the disposal site,” said Vik. “All I’m asking is that before you give the Corps permission, I have the support of Port 2 to make them deal with me.”

The Corps of Engineers is nearing the end of the channel deepening project and wants a 20-year easement from Port 2 to dump sand on its shores.

“This gives the port leverage,” said Vik, “and I hope you’ll help me."

“I move that we request our attorney to send a letter to the Port of Portland and Channel Coalition and say that it is time the Vik matter is taken care of,” said Gilbertsen; “it’s taken 12 and a half years, and it’s time to get this straightened out."