Port Commissioners Ponder Railroad Lease

DAYTON – At their meeting on March 9, Port of Columbia Commissioners heard from port manager Jennie Dickinson that progress is being made to turn rail operations for the Palouse and Coulee City short rail over to Frontier Rail, LLC.

Dickinson said the current rail operator, Watco, is completely willing to turn rail operations over to Frontier, but that the process is still in legal review.

Dickinson said there are 39 miles of rail, with eight bridges and their approaches, for the new railroad operator to maintain. There are also crossings and farm leases to take into consideration when drawing up a formal contract between the port and Frontier, she told the commissioners.

“We’ve got to set the tone right away,” Dickinson said. She said she wants Paul Dedelius, commercial director for Frontier Rail, to know there is no port revenue for rail repairs.

“They are 100% responsible for maintenance, unless we get state grant funds,” she said. “They are going to do this properly.”

The port recently paid half the cost to replace an old wood storm water culvert, located in the rail right of way at the corner of a building owned by the Columbia County Grain Growers, because the culvert was plugged. That repair should have been performed by the rail operator, she said.

“We paid only this one time,” said Dickinson.

Commission Secretary Earle Marvin asked about creating a firm fixed-price contract with Frontier, and he said that a detailed scope of work should also be established.

Dickinson assured him that she would obtain the right wording for the contract and that the port would create a general scope of work, through a grant from the state of Washington.

Last year the port received a grant in the amount of $273,300 from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail Assistance Program, to make repairs to the railroad bridges. That was done with the intention of reinstating rail service to the Touchet Valley, opening distant markets to Columbia County products.

Dickinson said that Seneca Foods and Frontier Rail each contributed money to the repair fund, and she said that there is $287,000 available for the repairs. The total cost for making the repairs is $300,300, and the Port will have to absorb the rest of the cost, she said.