Port manager gets his steps in

Wahkiakum County Port 2 Manager Sam Shogren is busy.

While continuing to work on the port’s comprehensive plan, he’s been talking to everyone he can, in an effort to seek funding to make improvements to the port property, and as he said, “create economic opportunity in the county.”

This includes visits with staff from Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s office, representatives from Patty Murray’s office, as well as State Representative Joel McEntire, and State Senator Jeff Wilson.

He represented the local Marine Resources Committee at an MRC summit in Westport, he said, and plans to attend a couple workshops and summits in Skamania and Ellensburg. He will also attend the annual meeting for the Washington Public Ports Association, and has joined their economic development committee.

“I’m getting out there and trying to bump into as many people as I can and find out how they can help us,” Shogren said.

“That’s external focus that we really need,” Commissioner Allen Bennett said. “You just keep following up and keep our face fresh in their minds. We are definitely on the right path.”

“I’m really happy with the fact that while our manager is looking outside, you’re running the show on the inside, he said to Assistant Port Manager Terina Davis. “It’s in two good hands and many more good hands that work for the two of you.”

Davis went over proposed rate increases for 2024 during a rate hearing. The biggest changes she suggested were to the cabin rate, which would increase from $185 to $200, and the monthly camping rate, which would increase from $750 to $800.

“I proposed a little bit of a bump to try to help compensate for the cost of everything that is going up,” she said, “not to gouge people.”

A budget hearing for 2024 followed. The proposed budget of $1,030,843 includes potential revenue for business incubator leases and some hoped for grants, which the port would like to use to rehabilitate their sports field and to conduct a historic preservation review of Swedestown. More than $300,000 is set aside for capital outlay to address much needed and continuing repairs to the Appelo Annex, and the possible purchase and set up of another rental unit.