Port of Ridgefield
Regular Meeting Minutes
January 22, 2014
Present:Bruce WisemanScott HughesBrent Grening
Wonder BaldwinLaurie OlinRandy Mueller
Bill ElingJeanette LudkaLee Wells
Scott FraserJohn BarbieriBetty T.
Sandra DayRay DeBuhrMary Anne DeBuhr
Rick GrenzRon OnslowMike Bomar
Susan Trabucco
1. CALL TO ORDER:
At 3:00pm Chair Bruce Wiseman called the Port of Ridgefield Commission meeting to order.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Chair Wiseman led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AND MINUTES:
Commissioner Scott Hughes made a motion to approve the January 8, 2014 regular meeting minutes as presented. Commissioner Bruce Wiseman seconded the motion. The motion was carried.
Chair Wiseman stated Commissioner Joe Melroy is out of town and excused from today’s meeting.
Introductions were made by everyone in attendance.
4. CALENDARING ITEMS:
2014 Economic Forecast Breakfast – The breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, January 23, 2014 at the Hilton in Vancouver from 7:00 – 11:00am. Chair Wiseman, Brent Grening and Randy Mueller will attend.
2014 Mission to Washington D.C. in March – The dates for the mission are March 9 – 13. Brent will keep the commission updated as this annual trip gets closer.
Clark County Transportation Alliance Day – This annual trip is scheduled for Monday, February 10th from 9:30am – 1:30pm. Port and City staff will travel to Olympia to meet with legislators. Chair Wiseman will contact Wonder Baldwin with his availability.
Chamber Day – This day is scheduled for Thursday, February 6th. Port and City staff will travel to Olympia to meet with state legislators.
Brent will schedule a day in February to meet with legislators and come back to the commission with that date.
5. CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
None
6. FINANCE REPORT:
Cash Graph – Jeanette Ludka stated the December report is in the dropbox and the 2013 financial statements should be ready for review by late February. The Port is tentatively scheduled for an audit in mid-March.
Brent clarified that this will include a federal single audit for the Port’s Railroad Overpass Project expenditures.
7. OLD BUSINESS:
None
8. NEW BUSINESS:
Consultant Reports:
John Barbieri, the Port’s engineering consultant had nothing to report at this time.
Scott Fraser, the Port’s real estate consultant stated that commercial real estate is doing well at this time.
Susan Trabucco, the Port’s marketing consultant stated she and Brent are preparing presentation materials for the upcoming 2014 Public Private Partnership conference in Dallas.
Commissioner Hughes mentioned Denise McCarty from CREDC and staff from the Port of Camas-Washougal will be attending the conference. Brent stated Dave Ripp and Commissioner Mark Lampton from Port of Camas-Washougal will attend the conference to gain ideas to market their available properties.
Brent stated the Port will represent and promote the metro-area by showcasing our property. Chair Wiseman asked the role of Denise McCarty. Mike Bomar, president of CREDC responded that Denise is the business recruitment expansion representative for CREDC. She will represent the CREDC at the conference.
Brent stated that the public private partnership conference is a tool to fund projects for small businesses similar to the Port, attending this conference participants get to network with people that specialize in private partnerships for small businesses.
Business Development Report – Randy Mueller provided updates on the following:
Millers Landing Subdivision – As discussed at the last meeting, the Millers Landing Subdivision Application is scheduled to go to hearing on January 29th. The City of Ridgefield has generously provided the Port with a copy of their draft staff report to review, and we are working with them to clarify some of the language in the report.
As conditions of the City of Ridgefield approval of the subdivision, the Port will be conditioned to do certain things, which is standard practice in developments like this. The main conditions that the city is asking the hearings examiner to adopt and that the Port agrees, include:
➢ Upgrade water and sewer facilities as necessary to serve the site
➢ Complete sidewalks on the south side of Division Street and the north side of Mill Street, from Main Street to the railroad tracks
➢ Add street lights to Division Street and Mill Street, from Main Street to the railroad tracks
➢ Construct and maintain the planned Waterfront Park
Additionally, the City of Ridgefield is asking to impose the following conditions that the Port does not agree with that we plan to oppose at the hearing:
➢ 2-inch grind and repave of Division Street from Main Street to the Railroad tracks when we reach 50% of approved traffic capacity. There is nothing in the record to indicate this mitigation is needed (no current road deficiency) and no indication that the roadway will need resurfacing beyond normal city maintenance.
➢ Construct a Neighborhood Park when residential units are created. Two parks are not needed, and the additional land needed for a Neighborhood park would significantly impact available land for jobs. Instead, the port proposed incorporating the appropriate features of a Neighborhood Park into the Waterfront Park.
It should be noted that the City of Ridgefield is approving 293 trips, which is approximately 37% of the total number of trips the Port has requested to serve this site at full build out. The City of Ridgefield is approving these trips with no traffic mitigation projects required, whereas the Port had requested more trips under the condition that we would agree to construct certain mitigation projects. The City of Ridgefield plans to do a Pioneer Street Corridor Study and downtown traffic plan, as that study and other work identify more traffic capacity to serve the downtown/waterfront area more trip capacity would be added.
Discussion took place regarding possible railroad crossings closures and parking.
It was mentioned that the anticipated timeline for sediment dredging are: Carty Lake in August or September and Lake River is November or December of this year.
Councilman Lee Wells and Mayor Ron Onslow mentioned that the Pioneer Street Corridor traffic study is one of the topics being discussed at the city council’s work session that is scheduled for Thursday, January 23 at 5:00pm at the Ridgefield Community Center.
Pioneer Street Railroad Overpass, Phase 3 Funding – with Phase 1 constructed and Phase 2 going out to bid this spring, what remains is the third and final phase of the project. Phase 3 consist of the actual span across the BNSF tracks, linking phase 1 and 2.
The estimated cost of this work is $10M. Of that, the port currently has about $2.25M in federal funds available to us, ONLY if we can produce a verifiable plan to fully fund the project by the end of this year. If not, those funds are taken from us in January, 2015 and given to two other projects; a roundabout in downtown La Center and the county’s new Carty Road bridge crossing.
- The preferred path to getting the project fully funded is obtaining state funds via a legislative transportation package this year. The $7M previously included in legislative negotiations would fully fund the project, with the port contributing the estimated $750,000 in remaining funds as necessary. For this to happen, (1) the funding needs to be included in a package that passes the legislature, and (2) that package will then also have to pass statewide in the November election.
- If there is no state funding this year, the Port and city will have a decision to make: do we try to obtain the remaining $7.75M ourselves this year, or let the federal funding go and leave a $10M balance to try to fund in future years. The Port has planned on a $2M contribution to the project and the city has planned $1.25M, but both agencies would still need to solidify plans to source those funds. Adding $250K as a contribution from BNSF, this leaves approximately $4.25M to be funded in some other way, or $6.5M if we lose our federal funding.
FYI, a $7.5M bond that would fully fund the project (20 year term paying 6%) would require annual payments of approximately $682,000. Split 50/50 between the city and port, each agency would pay $341,000.
9. CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Ray DeBuhr asked if the dredging project will impact access to Mill Street. Rick Grenz also inquired about Phase 2 of the Railroad Overpass project and the impact on Mill Street and parking. Laurie Olin explained the process of the projects, impact and anticipated parking areas.
Mayor Ron Onslow stated that the Ridgefield city manager search is moving forward and will also be discussed at tomorrow’s city council meeting.
Councilwoman Sandra Day announced that National Trails Day is scheduled for the first Saturday in June which is June 7, 2014.
10. ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned at 4:10pm with no further business or public comments. The next regular Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 3:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Port of Ridgefield office in the downstairs conference room, located at 111 West Division Street in Ridgefield.
______
Scott HughesR. Bruce Wiseman
Respectfully submitted by
Wonder Baldwin
Administrative Assistant
1
1/22/2014 Minutes