J.D. White Company and the Port chose 25 “stakeholders” to evaluate the East Industrial Park Rezoning Assessment in December and January. “The stakeholders selected were intended to represent a diverse cross-section of informed and involved groups and individuals with a stake or interest in the outcome of the rezone assessment. Stakeholder interests included business and economic development, private citizens, environmental groups, municipalities, neighboring tenants, and the Washington departments of Transportation (WSDOT) and Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)”. According to the recently published Technial Memorandum prepared by the Port and jd White company.
Below is a list of “stakeholders” 25% are CCIA members, the remaining are council representatives and Port related or environmental groups.
• Doug Anderson, President, Camas Washougal Chamber of Commerce
• Wilson Cady, Board Member, Audubon Society and Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards
• Jim Clapp, Refuge Manager, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Roger Daniels, Board Member, Concerned Citizens in Action
• Paul Dennis, Mayor, City of Camas
• Brent Erickson, Executive Director, Camas Washougal Chamber of Commerce
• Bart Gernhart, Southwest Region Engineer,WSDOT
• Paul Greenlee, Council Member and Council Port Liaison, City of Washougal
• Jeff Guard, Board Member, Concerned Citizens in Action
• Rich Gunderson, Outgoing Commissioner, Port of Camas/Washougal
• Lloyd Halverson, City Administrator, City of Camas
• Richard Hamby, Board Member, Concerned Citizens in Action
• Byron Hanke, Consultant, Port of Camas/Washougal
• Alan Hargrave, Commission President, Port of Camas/Washougal
• Mitch Kneipp, Planning Manager, City of Washougal
• Martha Martin, President, Concerned Citizens in Action
• Catherine Morton, Chair, Regional Sierra Club
• Bart Phillips, President, Columbia River Economic Development Council
• Stacee Sellers, Mayor, City of Washougal
• Nabiel Shawa, City Administrator, City of Washougal
• Melissa Smith, Council Member and Port Liaison, City of Camas
• Susan Stauffer, Board Member, Concerned Citizens in Action
• Scot Walstra, Director of Planning and Development, Port of Camas/Washougal
• Bill Ward, Commissioner-Elect, Port of Camas/Washougal and CCIA member
PORT TENANT STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWEES:
• John Anderson, Foods in Season
• Doug Calvert, Calvert Co. Inc.
• John Ebeling, Saint-Gobain Crystals & Detectors
• Terry Glenn, Corrosion Companies, Inc.
• Brad Stephens, Operations Manager, Kemira Chemicals
Notice there are no developers or WAC members or area business leaders. Why not?
Missing names:
Any of the 12 WAC members
Killian
Hickey
McKibbin
Hendrickson
Oliva
Read the report attached. east-industrial-park-study.pdf
Sept. 2 -Primary Election is Certified
18 Comments
January 27, 2008 at 5:39 pm
RE: “CCIA dominates its bias in East Industrial Park Study”
Just a hunch – but I think,”dominates its bias” was intended to be, ‘demonstrates it bias…’ Either way, it’s the CCIA group thats being demonized here for reasons I just might comprehend. Perhaps some bloggers here are feeling left out because no one asked them to participate, ‘at the table.’ I know that feeling, having volunteered and been rejected from the Port’s WAC group during last years RiverWalk development debates. My reaction was to lash out at the “fancifoks” who did participate in the advisory group. I like to use my DaWerkinMan pseudonym when expressing my more basic instincts.
In hindsight, it was probably good that I wasn’t selected to participate on the WAC group – I really didn’t have that much spare time due to long hours at work combined with family and church obligations. Nor am I particularly qualified to speak on issues of public property, finances, or due diligence in legal matters. I’m an Industrial Electrical Maintneance Planner. (Some would add – ‘in name only’ since I’m close to retirement.)
I signed up for the Port’s WAC volunteer list mainly because I had been around CW-Port related activities since the 1960’s when my folks purchased the Parker House Restaurant, then known as the Dolphin Restaurant. I was the president of the Washougal Bunch Four Wheel Drive Club (later DBA the Fire Mountain Four wheelers) during the early 1980’s when the Port helped us put on the local Sand Drag Races at BA Beach, now known as Captain Clark Park. I’ve known or known of at least eight Port Commissioners since those days including; Selvy Dewiese, Dick Watrus, Dell Barnes and John Rainer. I grew up across the street from Pat Schaeffer when his folks ran the Greyhound bus stop in Camas. I also know the Port Attorney who once tried to sue me on behalf of a wealthy unhappy neighbor. (Another good reason I didn’t end up on the WAC group.)
Comparing the CW-Port then and now, I’m most struck by the rate of change taking place today. One reason my parents’ restaurant business succeeded was due to the Port’s financing the enlargement of the building that we leased from the Port. The Sand Drag Races were popular and supported by the Port because they attracted participants and spectators from all over Oregon and Washington, including some from as far away as Forks, Washington. In those days, it was understood that the Sand Drags were only destined to last until the Port found more profitable uses for the land we used – same with the Restaurant – the Port owned the building and our family lease was subject to periodic renewals.
Today, the Port has grown to include a modern 320-unit marina, a huge boaters parking lot, two parks, dozens of industrial park tenants and a paved airport. The parks, public river access and industrial land are designed to be durable assets for the community – no longer stepping stones to higher density, higher profit rendering projects for outside investers.
The East Industrial 175 acre parcel is our Port’s last large vacant spot of land. We should be planning for facilities that will be of lasting value to the community. Once this parcel gets divvied up, the rate of change will need to slow drastically, else we ruin the gifts we hope to bequeath to our next generation…
-King144 “..”
January 27, 2008 at 6:37 pm
King144. I, too, applied for the WAC. Most people know my resume of public service and many of my friends thought I was very well qualified to serve on the advisory committee. But my name didn’t even make it to the top 25 that was screened down from 65 applicants. I’m sure this was due to the fact that I questioned how the port could enter into an agreement with developers to lease land without first asking for the public’s permission to commit public land to a 50+ year lease without first asking for permission from the property owners (the tax payers). Had I been selected to serve on the WAC, I would have dutifully worked with other members to make reasonable and responsible recommendations. But, since I was not selected, it freed me to participate in organizing the CCIA, and to engage in community dialogue regarding the Port’s mission, management and processes. Had I served on the WAC, I would not have had time to help organize the CCIA. So, I am thankful for not being selected. But, I also believe that several WAC members did an excellent job and were not influenced by the developers — and some of their recommendations were very good. Likewise, I am also pleased with the work that JDWhite has done with obtaining public input on how the 126 acres in the Port’s industrial park might be best used. I wish the Port would have undertaken this kind of planning before they entered into a pre-lease agreement with Riverwalk.
January 28, 2008 at 12:41 am
Roger Daniels:
I’m not quite so keen on the J.D.White Company. My in-laws and I attended their first RiverWalk development public meeting at the WHS Cafeteria back in the Fall of 2006. About a year after the Port Commissioners had already signed the RiverWalk lease agreement.
We were ushered in by a band of roving young attendants to tables set up for ten folks each; with pencils, literature, and a prioritizing ballot placed at each setting. After several inquiries from us attendees, we were told that the ten “Community Value” statements on the little ballots were the result of a J.D. White Company Camas-Washougal community survey and that we were to prioritize these values according to our individual preferences.
One frustrated older lady at our table objected to our roving attendant, ‘I didn’t come here to play Mickey Mouse, I’m a tax paying property owner in the Port District and I’m here to ask the Commissioners about the RiverWalk project!’ No one at our table knew of anyone in town who had been surveyed at home by the J.D. White Company – we assumed the ballot’s ten values had been dreamed up by the Port Commissioners and their hired public relations firm.
As the meeting progressed K.C. Cooper, one of the J.D. White Company’s most touted public meeting facilitators, tried desperately to keep the microphone away from Roberta Tidland who had been holding her hand up repeatedly to speak. Finally, faced with hoots and hollers from the crowd, K.C. diverted from her planned agenda and handed the Microphone over to Roberta. The grand old lady’s ensuing short history lesson about the Parkers Landing Park and its importance to our local heritage won her a resounding standing ovation from the attending local crowd! In hindsight, this was already the beginning of the end for the long winded RiverWalk waterfront development proposal.
Recently, the CW-Port has retuned to the J.D.White Company for Public Relations assistance regarding the East Industrial Park property rezoning study. There is a shadow cloud hovering over this pending study process in the form of a not well publicized year-old Port proposal to promote a trash recycling center on this land very near to the existing Steigerwald Wildlife Preserve.
While optimistic that developers aren’t yet considered stakeholders by the Port and the J.D. White Company, I wouldn’t be heaping accolades on the new Port Authority just yet. Nor is it time for the CCIA types to abandon their public service vigil. And I’d keep my eyes on Wilson Cady, Board Member of the Audubon Society and Columbia Gorge Refuge Steward. He easily ranks up there with Roberta Tidlland when it comes to selfless stewardship. Already it seems, they’ve some trash to paw through…
Asa DaWerkinMan alwais bea sayin, don goa tykoon huntin widouta sum dri powowder…
Bena reel nic a yakin widya,
– King144 “..”
January 29, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Gershon, three days ago, ‘Watching from the Shadows’ asked you, regarding the stakeholder list, “why include John McKibbin? He is not a Port district resident, and has shown no interest in the industrial park”. I was about to ask the same question and am still waiting for your answer. Why include McKibbin and his buddy, Oliva? There is no reason they should be included, but they are already being represented by their other buddy, and our Port employee, Scot Walstra.
Gershon, you must be buddies with them all.
January 29, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Just how did Steve Oliva’s name come up (founder of Hi-School Pharmacy)? McKibbin and he may know each other — but how do you know they are buddies? On the other hand, McKibbin and Walstra are known to be buddies. It doesn’t appear that either of them (Oliva or McKibbin) are interested in the 126 acres in the industrial park. But, McKibbin is very interested in the Grove Field Airport expansion. Rumor has it that he has already expressed an intent to lease two airplane hangers from the developer who recently received a long-term lease from the Port. Nothing improper here — but you know he’s happy to have his buddy Walstra working at the Port. So who really has a front row seat at the Port?
January 30, 2008 at 9:24 am
Carl, as usual, you miss the point. Who I know should be none of your concern. since your inquiring mind wants to know: the point is that the Port placated its selection process weighting heavily on CCIA members, most likely, because these jokers scream and holler the loudest. Business developers were NOT represented. Hendrickson and Dennison expressed interest in the property early in 2007 to develop a High Tech business center – yet they, nor any business developers were there. So, you had the CCIA there in full force, pushing their agenda and their biased viewpoint under the banner of “representing the public”. It is not a far fetched idea that Mr. Ward played a key role in this selection, knowing his past membership with the CCIA.
BTW Carl, a little secret – I don’t read this blog everyday, I’m a busy guy, so if you can’t wait for me to respond on the blog, email the moderator
January 30, 2008 at 9:29 am
Check the date on Wes Hickey’s letter to the Port. It was written well over a year ago. He was the first to express an interest in the 126 acres.
January 30, 2008 at 10:48 am
CCIA involvement in the information gathering was about 5 of our members, including me. We were asked the same questions as other groups and individuals. The difference is we took our role seriously enough to want to be there and included. As with many local initiatives, involvement is only there if you want to be part of it. No screaming and hollering … just normal response and input.
Comments are closed.