Discussion continues in the community on the subject of the Port of Astoria’s interest in log exporting.
On Feb. 16 the port commission voted unanimously to accept a letter of intent from Westerlund Log Handlers of Bremerton, starting the clock on a 90-day window during which both the port and Westerlund have the opportunity to assess options regarding the deal.
I don’t know if a workable plan will be delivered or accepted by the port commission. But I think there is a greater issue at stake here than whether bark dust will be flying over Astoria like a cloud of locusts, or if residents and hotel guests in the area might be rattled out of bed by the log transfer process.
What strikes me in this is that for the port commission to even consider the idea of log exports at the port’s waterfront shows a complete and utter disregard by the current commission for a prior administration’s strategic plan, the taxpayer dollars it invested, and the tenants who liked what was presented to them and invested there.
The Port of Astoria’s 2000 strategic plan was touted as visionary, and as projects came on line, caught the attention of the State of Oregon – all the way to the governor’s office. The Port of Astoria gained fame in economic development circles for carrying out a successful maritime-related "industry cluster."
I feel I can speak with some authority on this issue. My work as an independent contractor for the Port of Astoria from May 2001 until about May 2006 was to communicate the port’s activities to the public via monthly paid newspaper space, a quarterly Web newsletter, and press releases when appropriate.
While the dismantling of the old Pier 3 warehouse pre-dated my work there, I watched and reported on the removal of oil tanks on port property and the subsequent development of the new Englund Marine building at the site. I wrote about the clean-up of junk-filled property where new light-industrial buildings were built and filled with tenants.
I chronicled major upgrades in two breakwaters, expansion of the West Basin marina, the move of Columbia Pacific Marine’s building, and development of the boatyard and haul-out facility.
Bornstein Seafoods’ new facility was one of the final projects I watched develop, and reported on for the port.
Millions of dollars were invested by port tenants during this time. In all, towards fulfillment of the 2000 strategic plan, something in the neighborhood of $26 million was invested by the port in maritime-related infrastructure.
Leadership at that time was comprised of former Executive Director Peter Gearin (now my husband, in the interest of full disclosure), and the prior commission of Don McDaniel, Glenn Taggart, Jim Bergeron, Larry Pfund and Dan Hess.
Those, my friends, were the good ol’ days of progress at the port.
The current port commission seems hell-bent on dismantling all that the prior administration accomplished, yet Pfund and Hess sat on that prior commission. Why do they want to take apart that which they created, and were so proud of at the time? And new personalities on the port commission added ego and private agendas to the mix—a combination leading to bad business decisions.
A U.S district judge stated in his recent Findings and Recommendations that the Port of Astoria’s failure to sign its lease obligation with Oregon LNG will "likely create public and business mistrust of doing business with municipalities."
This port commission’s willy-nilly approach to business further fosters business mistrust that will serve to unsettle tenants and discourage further investment in the maritime industry cluster.