Affordable housing concerns presented to Port

DAYTON- The Port of Columbia held its regular meeting at 5 p.m., May 11, 2022. All commissioners were present, Genie Crowe, Johnny Watts, and Seth Bryan. Port Director Jennie Dickinson was also present in person. Members of the public attended both in person and on Zoom.

The meeting began with a presentation on affordable housing in Columbia County by Community Council representatives Catherine Veninga, Rachel Elfenbein, and Laura Prado. The presenters used the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition for affordable housing, a household that spends less than thirty percent of its gross income on housing costs, including utilities.

Based on the median income of $66,300 in Columbia County, an affordable home price is about $240,000. Home prices in the area have been rising much faster than the median income in the past ten years. Rent costs are similarly affected.

The port is interested in the issue of affordable housing as it impacts the economic health of the community. The shortage of affordable housing may discourage potential employers from locating in Columbia County if employees cannot find accommodation. Rising rents and house costs also affect employee retention, further degrading the county’s economic vitality.

After the presentation, commissioners accepted the new portable electronic device policy.

In the director’s report, Dickinson said approximately thirty volunteers participated in a Rock Hill Trail workday, working on water drainage and increasing the trail’s width.

Updating port assets, the director said Three Pines Bookkeeping is terminating its month-to-month lease at the Port to move to a permanent home office. Columbia Pulp has moved out of 521 Cameron St., putting that property available for lease.

Dickinson told commissioners that a “Lincoln Car” was coming to Dayton. No, not a Lincoln Town Car, but a train car that President Lincoln once slept in. Once exhibited in Dayton twenty-five years ago, the car will return for this year’s All Wheels Weekend. The rail company will use a locomotive to position the Lincoln Car behind the Courthouse during All Wheels Weekend, and the owner will provide tours.

The Director said the Chamber of Commerce is holding a childcare forum at the fairgrounds pavilion at 6 p.m. on May 23. 2022 to provide information on childcare possibilities.

Dickinson said she would prepare a letter to the Dayton City Council to explain how businesses may be affected by its delay in approving and replacing the wastewater plant, particularly heavy water users such as food and beverage processors. Watts said he wanted to review the letter before it was sent.

The Port ordered fiber for the broadband project. A single supplier can provide all the American-made fiber by July.

Crowe read an open letter to those who attended the April 14, 2022, port meeting. Reading the letter into the record at the meeting, she said, “As Chairperson of the Port Commissioners, I would like to comment on our meeting of April, specifically our discussion on whether to seek funding for the Touchet Valley Trail. I speak for myself, as Chairperson of the Commission, and would like to apologize to the public for the disservice in the way the issue was presented.

“First of all, it was a disservice to all those who attended because it was a long meeting, partly because of the extended comment periods we provided. I noticed many of you leaving after the third hour of the meeting. You came to hear the vote on the issue and were not awarded the opportunity.

“It was a disservice to the experts, Anderson Perry, SPVV Landscape, and our manager, Jennie Dickinson since they were not provided an opportunity to clarify or rebut the concerns voiced by Commissioner Bryan. To have given them an opportunity would have been getting into the fifth hour of the meeting.

“Ultimately, it was a disservice to you, Commissioner Bryan, for not being given the clarification you needed on the extensive issues you addressed. I acknowledge the tremendous time and effort you took in documenting and presenting your concerns. Unfortunately, you didn’t get those issues clarified and, therefore, were missing important facts to help in making a well‐informed decision.

“This is not intended as a reprimand to either Commissioners Bryan or Watts. I alone am at fault here for not yet presiding over a well‐run and time-efficient meeting; yes, we’re all greenhorns with only four months under our belts as Port Commissioner or as Chairperson.

“It is my hope that in the future, we three Commissioners come to the meetings with all questions and concerns asked and answered by our experts beforehand so that we can be confident we’re making the best‐informed decision.

“I am not an expert nor intend to be in any issues pertaining to proposed Port projects – that’s why we solicit the best facts and opinions of our manager and consultants who have prepared the information for us. That’s why we held a special workshop to get all our questions answered. Are they fallible? Of course, they’re human too.

“If we question any of what is provided to us, it is our personal responsibility to seek those answers before attending a meeting where a decision is being requested of the Commission. It is also my hope as Chair of this Committee that we can hold a meeting that does not take four hours again.

“It is not my desire to sit and address what should have been asked and answered before the meeting. Our meetings are intended to be a place where we come informed, having already asked the questions of our experts. And if we have, in fact, asked those questions in advance and have not received clarification to our satisfaction, it’s totally acceptable to bring those issues up again at our meetings before our decisions are made ‐ and not be making a decision based on unanswered concerns.

“With your attention to detail, Commissioner Bryan, and with your commitment to our community, Commissioner Watts, I sincerely think we can do good things for Columbia County.”

Crowe next read a letter responding to the concerns of Bryan. The letter from Anderson Perry & Associates dated May 11, 2022, provided the following information:

Engineers do not try to predict problems with homelessness, vandalism, right to farm, crop spraying, etc.

Maintenance costs were determined after researching other agencies and trail operators in the region.

The maintenance of restrooms associated with the trail is included in the plan. The State Park Department will maintain the restroom at the trailhead at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park. The Waitsburg and Dayton trailheads provide an area for portable toilets should the Port decide to rent them for part of the year.

Snow removal is not an issue as other regional trails do not perform snow removal. Nearby property owners are protected by State law against liability for actions of recreation site users.

The concerns about property ownership are based on maps too inaccurate to determine property ownership and are mislabeled as to ownership. Much more accurate means of determining property ownership confirmed the Port’s right-of-way.

Anderson Perry addressed the concerns about WSDOT and RCO grant funding responding to the issues Bryan had raised at the meeting.

Bryan responded, “Thank you for that. I make no apologies for my decision. We were presented with information at the workshop, and we were given the final draft of information to make a decision off of, and we were given the grant information to look at, so I made my decision. I made my interpretation of what those grants said, and I stand by that decision. I wouldn’t say I came to the meeting with questions, I came with legitimate concerns, and I didn’t have any questions I wanted to ask. I don’t think all the questions I had were answered in the presentation.”

Bryan said he wanted to talk about the lack of housing in the community and floated an idea to use the excess 6.9 acres associated with Blue Mountain Station. He suggested apartments, duplexes, and townhouses. He said it could be an attractive piece of property for an investor to come in and purchase if the port did the infrastructure work. He also mentioned another seven acres of property on Rock Hill that might be used for housing. The commissioners considered the idea and decided more background information was needed before discussing the idea in any depth.

Bryan also suggested looking into a more downtown Dayton presence for the Blue Mountain Station retailers since foot traffic was so poor at the current location.

At 6:57 p.m., the commissioners went into an executive session to discuss real estate.