Port discusses broadband and sale of Columbia Pulp property

DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m., September 13, 2023, in the Port Office. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. 

Dickinson opened the meeting with a discussion of the current and 2024 draft budgets. She will complete the final 2024 budget and schedule a public hearing in October.

Reporting on port assets, Dickinson said Cedar Rain signed a new two-year lease at Blue Mountain Station.

Abbi Russell, Senior Communications Specialist at Maul Foster Alongi, joined the meeting on Zoom to review the process of updating the Port’s comprehensive plan.

Dickinson said the study to determine the feasibility of locating a craft malt facility on the Blue Mountain Station (BMS) property is ongoing. The Port is working with Arrowleaf Consultants, Dennis Mitchell, Blue Room Architecture, Steven Peterson, and Rob Liedl to conduct the study which so far has not identified any reason a malting facility could not be located at BMS.

Dickinson aired a suggestion for the garden area at BMS, which is to build raised beds in the fenced-in area. Between the raised boxes, gravel, bark, or another method of weed control would allow free passage. The boxes would be rented out to community members.

Dickinson reported that during a recent Rural Transportation Planning Organization meeting that she attended, representatives from Washington DOT expressed concern about road preservation and maintenance. They felt the legislature had been funding new projects but not providing enough funds to maintain existing roads properly and asked citizens to express concerns to state representatives.

Dickinson said that the former Columbia Pulp Pomeroy pilot plant has been purchased by Palouse Fiber Packaging. The facility’s new owner plans to make pulp at that location and manufacture consumer products, including paper plates, towels, and packaging. Kyler Lovgren is the CEO of the new company and worked at Columbia Pulp,LLC as Plant Manager and later Vice President of Operations. Through Palouse Enterprises, LLC, Lovegren has also purchased the land, structure, and straw inventory of the pulp facility near Starbuck. The power plant and equipment at that location were sold to liquidators.

Jill Essency, the Port’s new Economic Development Coordinator, was introduced at the meeting by Dickinson. Essency briefly summarized her activities and projects since she began work.

Some areas in town, mainly on the north side, will be ready for ISPs to hook up to the broadband fiber as soon as the week of September 18. A fiber lighting ceremony will be held at Blue Mountain Station on September 20, 2023, at 5 p.m.

The public meeting closed at 6:21 p.m. to go into executive session with no following action. The next meeting of the Port Commissioners is scheduled for 5 p.m., October 11, 2023.