Port 2 chooses planning consultant, cuts sand price hike

Commissioners of Port District No. 2 agreed to hire a consultant to update their comprehensive plan when they met Tuesday.

Commissioners Lori Scott, Kayrene Gilbertsen and Brian O'Connor also voted to revise the price of sand they sell from Skamokama Vista Park.

Commissioners started work on updating the 2006 comprehensive plan last year, but the project languished after commissioners held sparsely attended public meetings to gather public input.

Last fall, they put out a request for proposals for planning assistance, and two firms responded. They heard a presentation from Karen Bertroch of the Columbia-Pacific Research, Conservation and Economic Development organization last fall, and Tuesday, Brian Perleberg of Northern Resource Consulting, Inc., talked for nearly an hour about the services his firm would provide.

Perleberg would conduct public meetings, gather and summarize responses, and also use the district's website to gather comment. Major concepts would be developed into planning goals.

He offered to do the work for not more than $6,000. The RC&ED had estimated the project at $10,000.

Commissioners initially intended to make their selection at their February meeting, but, after Perleberg had left the meeting, they decided to authorize staff to negotiate a contract with his firm.

In other business, commissioners rescinded a motion doubling the cost of sand from the park sand pit and set it at $3.75 per cubic yard.

The park has sold the sand, deposited on the shoreline by a Port of Portland channel maintenance dredge, for $2.25. Dredging officials calculated that it cost them $3.75 per yard to deposit the sand; however, there is no charge to the port because the port provides a disposal site. The state Department of Natural Resources claims ownership of the sand and charges the port a commission of 81 cents per cubic yard for the sand.

Commissioners had surveyed the cost of sand from commercial sources and found rates ranging from $19.67 to $42 per yard. They set the new price at $4.50 per cubic yard.

However, Port Manager Janet Bryan said contractors said the increase would be hard on them, and they asked the commission to reconsider the increase.

After discussing the issue, commissioners agreed to a rate of $3.75 per cubic yard.