Port of Ridgefield

Regular Meeting Minutes

October 11, 2017

Present: Joe Melroy Bruce Wiseman Scott Hughes

Brent Grening Laurie Olin Jeanette Ludka

Allene Wodaege Gary Adkins Susan Trabucco

Sandra Day Roy Garrison Dave Kelly

1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE:

At 3:00pm Chair Bruce Wiseman called the Port of Ridgefield Commission meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES AND ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:

September 27, 2017 Minutes: Commissioner Joe Melroy made a motion to approve the meeting minutes as presented. Commissioner Scott Hughes seconded the motion. The motion was carried.

3. CALENDAR:

Department of Ecology Open House: The Open House and Ribbon Cutting Event is Thursday, October 12 at 11:30am at the Vancouver Office located at 12121 NE 99th Street Suite 2100 (Building 21).

Barn Party & Ice Cream Social: State Representative Liz Pike is hosting the event on Thursday, October 12 from 4:00 – 7:00pm at Rietdyk’s in Ridgefield.

Capital Budget Grant Workshop: State Representative Vicki Kraft is hosting the workshop on Tuesday, October 17 from 10am – 12:30pm at WSU Vancouver.

PNWA 2017 Annual Convention: The convention is October 17 – 18 and will be held at the Portland Embassy Suites Hotel. Commissioner Hughes will attend.

WPPA Small Ports Seminar: The seminar is Thursday – Friday, October 26 – 27 and will be held at the Enzian Inn in Leavenworth. Commissioners Melroy and Hughes will attend.

Partnership Presentation: Denise McCarty will present at the November 8 Port Commission meeting.

WPPA Annual Meeting: The 2017 Annual Meeting is November 15 – 17 and will be held at the Motif Hotel in Seattle.

4. PUBLIC COMMENT

Millers Landing Photo – Roy Garrison displayed a poster-size digital photo of Millers Landing that was taken on May 23, 1953. He mentioned he purchased the original small photo from a garage sale and later had the photo digitally enlarged. Roy shared history and many stories about Millers Landing, PWT (Pacific Wood Treating) and that era.

5. FINANCE:

Payment of the Bills: Commissioner Joe Melroy made a motion to pay the bills for the month of October. Commissioner Scott Hughes seconded the motion. The motion was carried. The bills totaled $333,919.98.

Cash Graph: Jeanette Ludka stated that Susan Trabucco is working on adding the Port’s monthly and budget reports to our website. The weekly cash graph report is in the Commissioner’s dropbox.

Audit Exit Report: Commissioner Melroy attended the Port’s Audit Exit meeting and the Auditor reported no findings. He thanked Jeanette for her hard work and efforts. The Port will receive its official letter within a few weeks.

6. REPORTS AND BUSINESS:

Executive

Discovery Ridge Development Update: Brent Grening distributed a handout regarding the development of Discovery Ridge. He stated the Port and FDM Development/Dean Maldonado have been in informal discussion regarding the purchase of the Port’s 30-acre Discovery Ridge property by FDM. He stated FDM would like to buy the property in four phases. The first phase would accommodate a mix of retail/commercial uses. The product mix of subsequent phases has not been fully determined.

The Port has been working closely with the City of Ridgefield to coordinate early entitlement and pre-development of the site, including traffic, archeological, geotechnical, critical areas and SEPA review. It is expected that the City, Port and FDM will draft a development agreement to clearly line out the respective roles and responsibilities associated with development of the site.

Brent stated the next step is for Port staff and FDM to enter into formal discussions/negotiation of a purchase and sale agreement for the property.

Brent stated the Port and the City of Ridgefield are committed to bringing high-quality retail services to town in order to attract and retain talent (workforce). Without a workforce of talented, high-skilled people, attracting high-wage professional jobs/employers to the Discovery Corridor has proven difficult.

Commissioner Melroy asked Port staff to keep the Commission updated on the development plan and buildout for the property. The Commission stated its desire to provide additional detail to citizens as the project moves forward.

Brent stated Port staff will be back to the Commission in December with an update and additional project specifics.

Commission

Cispus Outdoor School Program: Commissioner Wiseman mentioned he and Allene Wodeage assisted again with the annual Cispus Outdoor Program this year.There were 275 kids in attendance.

Allene Wodaege has attended and been a part of this program for 48 years and trained counselors for 25 years.

Birdfest Event: Commissioner Melroy transported 40 people that attended the event this past weekend. Commissioner Melroy stated the event was a success.

Ridgefield Railroad Overpass Project: Allene Wodaege asked for an update of the project. Laurie Olin attended a meeting last week regarding the federal funding for the project and stated there are certain federal law requirements that the Port has to follow for the Right of Way purchase from BNSF. Due to requirements, the project is delayed 3-6 months, she will continue to provide updates.

7. PUBLIC AGENCY COMMENT:

Councilwoman Sandra Day mentioned several items from the agenda for tomorrow’s City Council meeting. Among those items are the Heritage Trees, the award approval for the Citywide Pavement Repair and the self-storage regulations. The meeting will start with a 6:00pm study session; the general meeting will start at 6:30pm.

8. PUBLIC COMMENT:

None

9. ADJOURNMENT:

The meeting adjourned at 4:15pm with no further comments or business. The next regular Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 3:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Port of Ridgefield offices in the downstairs conference room located at 111 West Division Street in Ridgefield.

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D. Joe Melroy Scott Hughes

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Bruce Wiseman

Respectfully submitted by

Wonder Baldwin

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