Port of Astoria Commission met with industry consultants on Feb. 11 at the port’s North Tongue Point facilities to discuss the agency’s draft strategic plan, which is slated for final approval in March. Expansion of that facility has been central to ongoing planning discussions.
Among controversial items on the table with the current port administration: possibly moving the port’s Pier 3 boatyard to North Tongue Point, and turning Piers 1 and 3 into a log facility that would accept locally-harvested wood from Clatsop County tree farms for export. That would put the port back in the cargo business, a role it has not assumed in years. [see related story]
The new strategic plan represents a significant departure from port policy adopted during the previous administration
Current Executive Director Jack Crider was hired in 2008, replacing former director Peter Gearin. The commission’s makeup has also changed since Gearin’s administration, with the election of several new commissioners.
At the meeting, consultants from Makers Architecture of Seattle and BST Associates of Bothell, Wash., shared reports on the port’s possible future direction for revenue-generating projects. BST also consults for other ports around the region.
As commissioners discussed the port’s possible new role as a cargo exporter, Paul Sorenson of BST Associates gave port officials a rundown of how cargo is presently being handled at Columbia River ports.
The bottom line is that Astoria is a small fish in a big sea of upriver and Puget Sound competitors, and can’t hope to compete with bigger ports in terms of container and other cargoes.
Sorenson estimated that log export growth might last up to five years.
"We don’t know what is going to happen to the log market," he said. "It could be 2015 before Oregon gets back to housing starts at the 2007 rate. Lumber as a commodity is driven by the housing market."
Commissioner President Bill Hunsinger maintained that local tree farms could supply plenty of logs for export.
Trails to rails?
One possible issue was log transport. Commissioner Holcom said that Astoria already has a rail line that runs through town, which currently carries the Astoria Riverfront Trolley. The line, which formerly belonged to the Burlington Northern Railroad, was used to haul logs by train decades ago.
"If we needed the rail, we could go back," Holcom said. "What’s the cost to restore the rail line?"
Even though Astoria’s current riverfront focus is to use the rail line for public recreation and tourism, converting the line back to industrial use is theoretically possible.
Under the federal program called "rail banking" that allowed Astoria to acquire the waterfront rail line, the city took possession of the tracks for a nominal fee. In return, the city holds the property in trust in the event rails might be needed for industrial use at some future date.
Ports go through the strategic planning process, said Julie Bassuk of Makers Architecture, because it helps them in several ways. The process meets state planning requirements, positions the port more favorably for grant support, and promotes the best use of port resources. The final plan will represent the outcome of seven months of planning.
Port Executive Director Jack Crider said the port needs to increase revenue because it doesn’t have much discretionary income available right now, and is very dependent on grants and taxes.
"We rely on our tax base to support business," he said. "We’ve got to figure out how to get our operations in the positive."