Port Commissioners delay decision on Childcare proposal

DAYTON- The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regularly scheduled meeting at 5:02 p.m., February 9, 2022.

For the opening public comment period, Jorie Aukerman, a resident of Dayton for four years and Executive Assistant at Columbia County Health Systems, spoke on the need for a childcare center in Dayton. She is the mother of an eleven-week-old child and said she is very interested in hearing the Port's presentation about the childcare center.

Aukerman said she hopes to remain in her career at the healthcare facility and be a long-term community member in Dayton. However, she said, this was becoming increasingly difficult due to the lack of childcare in the area, and as a single parent, she does not have the luxury of being a work-at-home or full-time mom. She closed by saying that she is here to advocate for herself and others who need childcare in Dayton.

After public comment, Jennie Dickinson, Executive Director of the Port, reported on the budget. She said the port's income for the period was typical.

An unusual or unexpected item was the expense for the Fall election, which was $15,000, whereas, in 2015, the election expense was $272. At the prompting of Commissioner Johnny Watts, Dickinson said she would investigate the cause for the higher cost.

Dickinson presented two new Port leases for the commissioners' approval. Three Pines Bookkeeping applied to rent an office on Cameron Street. The company operates online only and does not have any walk-in clients. Rural Route Farms, owned and operated by Tiffany Struthers, has applied to lease the garden area at Blue Mountain Station

Approval of policies thatwerelayed for further review at the last meeting and was discussed. Before any action was taken, Commissioner Seth Bryan asked that the Port switch from Robert's Rules of Order to Democratic Rules of Order, which he felt were simpler, more streamlined, and efficient. Genie Crowe asked for the policies to be approved as written and take up changes of the parliamentary procedures later.

Watts again asked the commissioners to adopt an employee cell phone policy. Under his proposal, the Port would pay employees fifty percent of their phone bill, not to exceed one hundred dollars. For employees who do not want to use their personal cell phones for Port business, the Port would provide one. Commissioner Crowe was concerned that providing cell phones to commissioners would not be cost-effective. For example, she might only use her phone for Port business five times a month.

Commissioner Watts replied, "In the event the volume is increased, the difference is this is a new day. Technology, that's what we use a lot now."

He thought it should be evaluated, and in the future, if a commissioner needed a phone, it could be provided by the Port without having to change policy. The commissioners passed the revised policies.

Dickinson had a brief discussion concerning the Washington Public Port Association Conferences. These meetings are held at various times throughout the year in multiple locations, with foci on different topics. She encouraged the commissioners to consider attending some, particularly those offering training.

In her report on Port properties, Dickinson said the Lyons Ferry Marina expects to receive drawings soon from Andersen Perry for the proposed pull-through sites. Also, the store at Lyons Ferry will extend operating hours in the next few weeks.

She said the Columbia – Walla Walla Railroad discovered damage to the tracks at a crossing in Waitsburg, perhaps caused by a snowplow. The rails will have to be repaired by the rail operator.

In Dickinson's career promoting economic development, she never imagined that housing and childcare would be her two biggest issues; however, they are having a significant impact on the ability of businesses to operate in the area.

Eiledon McClellan, Program Director of the Walla Walla Valley Early Learning Coalition, began the presentation on the childcare center, saying she's always excited to talk about childcare, early learning, and economic development. Those are the three powerful things for a thriving community. McClellan said she would address the childcare situation in Columbia County and the proposed solution.

In pre-pandemic 2019, the Walla Walla Valley Early Learning Coalition and Columbia County Health System partnered on a feasibility study. The study found a critical shortage of childcare slots in the county. At the time of the study, there were thirty slots available with a demand for seventy. Currently, there are zero slots available.

McClellan said the lack of childcare options affects the entire community's economic development by making Dayton workers drive their children to Walla Walla every day, quit their jobs, or move to communities with better childcare access.

The feasibility study showed that nearly half of parents had to limit their work hours or take time off work, and a quarter had to quit a job because of the shortage of childcare options. Employers cited several problems acerbated by the issue, including the difficulty attracting and retaining employees, absenteeism, and decreased productivity, quality, and profitability.

Paul Ihle of Columbia County Health System said his employer had identified childcare as a significant problem a few years ago and has been seeking a solution since then. They created a solution to have the Columbia County Health System build and own the childcare building while the Walla Walla YWCA runs the childcare operation.

Anne-Marie Schwerin, the YWCA Executive Director, spoke of the YWCA's long history of providing childcare.

Tabitha Haney of the YWCA spoke of the great success of their programs, supporting it with anecdotal evidence.

Shane McGuire, CEO of Columbia County Health System, gave an overview of the project. He stated proposed sites, including the vacant church across from the elementary school, the city park, the old migrant buildings near Seneca, and port property on Cameron Street, had significant time or monetary constraints. McGuire said CCHS identified the best option was the port property west of the garden area at Blue Mountain Station. He asked the Port Commissioners to approve leasing that land to CCHS, who would build a facility that the YWCA would operate. He emphasized that childcare is a significant hurdle to their workforce.

Dickinson said she had provided the childcare group a draft lease between the Port of Columbia and the Columbia County Public Health System. The lease is a bare-land lease at a discounted rate.

John McLean, an architect at Blue Room Studios, presented conceptual architectural drawings commissioned by the CCHS.

Dickinson said the location meets an economic development need, a community need, is allowable use, and meets zoning requirements. The existing buildings at Blue Mountain Station do not have the space available for the project.

Management at Columbia Pulp also spoke of the difficulty of attracting employees when they cannot offer childcare.

Genie Crowe offered her support for the project.

Seth Bryan agreed there is a childcare deficit in the community but said he is not convinced it is the government's responsibility to solve the issue. He said childcare should be paid for by the parents alone and not by a government agency.

He expressed other concerns, including that the facility would operate at a loss. He was also worried that since the Health System would be building the facility, their employees would have priority over other businesses.

Bryan thought it was a great opportunity for private business to come in and "set something up."

Shane McGuire rebutted that the CCHS providing the building would prioritize the Health System employees beyond a guarantee of a few slots to cover operating deficit.

Schwerin emphasized that the YWCA is not a governmental agency and is a private non-profit. She said the YWCA is a business and maintains a diverse funding base, but that does not mean they lose money.

Watts said he would like to "mull it over in my skull and kind of sort out the questions that I have so that they're most efficient (sic) put together."

Crowe said they did not have to decide today, and there was still time.

A few other members of the community spoke in favor of the project. Bryan said his hesitation was that it wasn't the maximum use possible out of the land at BMS. He said he was struggling with whether it was the best location, and he was concerned about the amount of traffic using the intersection (presumably Wagon Road and Highway 12). He continued by saying it uses a "high speed" intersection, and he is concerned about safety. He reiterated that he is not sold on the idea that BMS is the best location or would be the best use of Port resources.

Tiffany Struthers, a business owner at BMS, said the childcare facility would draw more potential customers into the area. She thought it would be a great asset to the BMS businesses if it were located there as traffic to and from the Childcare facility might stop to see what the BMS offers.

Dickinson and McGuire spoke to the urgency of the decision as grants needed to proceed with the project are time-sensitive. The plan presented to the commissioners identified two phases. The first phase consists of CCHS building a facility with three classrooms for infants, toddlers, and preschool-age kids. The budget estimate is $1,752,881. Currently, there are three pending grant requests for the entire amount. The timely selection of the location is critical for the project to be awarded these funds.

McClellan said a decision was needed after the beginning of March or risk losing grant money.

Kris Takemura said the mission of the Port is to "maximize public resources and private investment, to create jobs, provide infrastructure... and I think this is providing important infrastructure."

Since a timely decision is essential, Crowe asked for a motion to consider using the space at BMS for a childcare facility. Watts said his position had not changed and asked to discuss this at the workshop scheduled to discuss the railroad on February 17, 2022.

None of the commissioners made a motion, and the issue was shelved without action.

Dickinson said that a contract was in place with ZeroDB Communications concerning the broadband project, and a walkout meeting was to take place on February 11, 2022.

The next commissioner workshop will be with the railroad operator on February 17, 2022.

The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The commissioners agreed to hold this meeting as a hybrid meeting; in person at the port conference room with Zoom available to those wishing to attend remotely. The meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m.