Port 1 approves brewery site lease

Wahkiakum Port District No. 1 commissioners gained land and tenants when they met Tuesday night.

In addition to authorizing a lease agreement with Drop Anchor Brewery, LLC to site a brewery and tasting room on port property, the commissioners approved the acquisition of a lot owned by Wally Wright and situated along Third Street abutting port property. The lot currently holds a rental home.

Port Attorney Tim Hanigan explained to the commissioners that the purchase agreement had been negotiated at a price of $70,750. The commissioners authorized Port Manager Jackie Lea to sign the purchase and sale agreement and closing documents.

Commission Chair Brett Deaton clarified to the Drop Anchor Brewery representatives in attendance that the purchase opportunity had come up only recently and had been the factor that delayed the commissioners from authorizing a lease with the brewery at an earlier meeting on April 11.

Discussion about where to site the brewery occupied a large portion of the rest of the meeting.

Earlier discussions had focused on port property along Third Street, next to the newly-acquired lot and behind Drop Anchor Brewery partner Doug Martin’s dental practice.

“I’m against that,” said Commissioner Larry Bonds. “I think that property up there is something that we should hold onto.”

“What building would you want there instead?” Drop Anchor brewmaster Andy Lea asked Bonds.

“I don’t know, but I do know I don’t want a commercial building right below a piece of property we just paid $70,000 for,” Bond responded.

Drop Anchor Brewery representative Richard Erickson offered “I thought we agreed to go up there and so that’s what we got for our address. I thought we had the lot and all we had to agree on was the lease.”

Bonds said he favored a different site for the brewery, a location in the corner of the current RV camping area.

“If we go down by the sewage ponds we’re counting on the town to clean the sewage ponds, and do something with it. We could be looking five or 10 years down the road and I don’t know what kind of an atmosphere that would be for customers,” Erickson explained.

“If that sewer plant isn’t there, that property is going to be worth a lot more than the other property no matter how you look at it. We’re better off if we put (the brewery) up top,” said Port Manager Jackie Lea.

“I agree with that,” added Commissioner Gary Quigley.

Bonds explained that he thought that the site the brewery partners were proposing was valuable to the port because of its view and could potentially be used for adding more cabins or building a motel.

“I don’t think we should put any more cabins in. I don’t want us to compete with private business. We’ve got the hotel back open in Cathlamet and Skamokawa Center open down the road. When we put the cabins in, we didn’t have those facilities.” Jackie Lea stated.

“Although it is sort of a commercial building; it’s going to be a retail outlet as well,” added Erickson.

“It’s not going to look like a tin commercial building. It’ll have a covered patio and a second floor deck. It will be visually appealing; a place where people want to go sit.”

Via a 2-1 vote with Bonds dissenting, the commissioners approved signing a lease with Drop Anchor Brewery to construct a building sited along Third Street between the Wright property and Beal Street with a west-facing front.