PORT NEWS AND NOTES: Port Drives Economic Development in Columbia County
August 16, 2024
Sean Clark, Executive Director
The Port of Columbia County was created in 1940 to promote economic development opportunities in the newly created Port district, primarily through the lease and development of industrial property. The Port plays a key role in our local economy, with Port-dependent businesses supporting over 1,400 jobs and generating more than $30 million in labor income, as highlighted by a recent Business Oregon study on the economic impact of Oregon’s public ports.
With so much at stake, it is vital that the Port plans strategically for the future. That’s why we recently updated our Strategic Business Plan to guide policies, practices, and priority capital improvement projects over the next 5 to 10 years. With input from Port Commissioners, staff, stakeholders, tenants, the public, and local and regional partners, it is the result of various planning, marketing, financial, and facility assessments undertaken in 2023 and early 2024.
The Strategic Business Plan identified three strategic priorities for the Port’s future:
- Invest in development and modernization of existing properties;
- Development of projects at Port Westward; and
- Purchase additional industrial property throughout the Port district.
The Port’s 2024-2025 Adopted Budget reflects these priorities, with over $4 million budgeted for capital projects in the next fiscal year. Almost half of this investment—$1.95 million—is designated for dock improvements at Port Westward. The Beaver Dock Modernization Project will structurally retrofit the dock to meet Oregon’s new seismic resiliency standards for liquid fuel terminals, as mandated by state Senate Bill 1567. Phase one of this multi-year project will fund professional services to design, engineer, and permit the dock upgrades. While the Port is seeking state and federal grants to aid with funding, the construction—currently estimated at $28 million—remains a significant unfunded liability, which the Port only has ten years to complete.
Other major projects budgeted this fiscal year include upland improvements at Scappoose Bay Marina, pavement maintenance and runway rehabilitation at Scappoose Airport, and the installation of an emergency generator at Scappoose Airport. Over $1.3 million in grant funding has been secured for these capital projects.
Over the past 12 years, the Port has invested more than $40 million in capital improvements throughout the Port district. This is a notable achievement given annual revenues are just over $5 million a year and the absence of taxpayer support since 2019 when the Port stopped assessing its property tax levy.
We have had to make some tough decisions this year, including postponing a couple of non-critical capital projects, but I’m confident that our strategic approach will enable us to continue investing and making a positive economic impact on our region.
