Regular Meeting

January 12, 2009

Chairperson Lynett McLean called meeting to order at 6:30p.m.Commissioner Robert D. Stevens, Commissioner Richard T. Edwards and Port Manager Chris Phalen were in attendance.

Guests Present: Pat Lambert

Consent Items:

1. Motion was made and seconded to accept minutes of

November 10, 2008.

Motion carried.

2. Vouchers: motion was made and seconded to accept vouchers

for January 2009 as prepared.

Motion carried.

Unfinished Business:

1. Campground:

Port Manager Chris Phalen said the park is quiet. The Lady Prisoners won’t be back until March. The Sergeant called and wanted to know when we wanted them in December. Port Manager Phalen responded that it was too wet and cold to have them working out and we also have too much snow in winter. The Sergeant agreed. She will call us in March. As of

January 6, 2009, Petty cash has $1,684.78 and the campground has $379.86. Port Manager Phalen added that we didn’t have a lot of damage from the snow and se didn’t get a lot of rain to melt it, like we did last year.

2. Website:

Ken Jarstad, our web master, was absent, but Port Manager Chris Phalen said he called her last week about the meeting. He had a bad cold at that point, but he was hoping to make the meeting when I told him we had postponed the meeting on account of snow.

New Business:

There was a discussion about spaying insulation on the walls down stairs and making that mouse proof to store things. We would also need to put heat and lights down there. It was also discussed about the Red Cross storing supplies down there as well.

Putting in a culvert to access the other property was also discussed. Maybe the county would put that in also. Mr. Lambert said the road that we had vacated behind the building, that ran along between the properties comes out on the Harbor Rd. but it did not come back out on the Dewatto Rd. along side of the state land. Port Manager Phalen said the road Forman, Dave called her and asked what we wanted to do with the application for the culvert and she told him to hold on to it because we haven’t decided what we are going to do at this point.

Chairperson McLean asked if there was any other new business. Commissioner Edwards said he went to the WPPA Annual Seminar and he said there is a big turn over of people. The shipping is down 40% in all Ports and in Tacoma, it is down 50% of what it was in July. The State is looking at cutting 6 million from their budget to get the deficit down. Shipping and Taxes are down and they don’t know where they are going to get the money. Commissioner Edwards said he knew the environmental people is a sore subject with a lot of people and with the Puget Sound Environmental Group and Super Power Clean up Groups and all the things that are going on, they are identifying the trouble areas. Dewatto is one of those areas. He said he had no idea until he asked. Commissioner Edwards asked him how we get money to address the expansion of our Park or Land acquisitions. He was told the money is there in tremendous amounts to enhance the environmental sensitive areas for protection. The intent is to identify it, clean it and square it away. Open it so you have designated areas to be used by everyone. Dewatto has been identified as one of the migratory routes of a lot of waterfowl and boaters. We all value the area. Dewatto River is valued as much as the other rivers’ Environmental areas. We are the same entity as all the other areas. Commissioner Edwards said he did learn at the Seminar that it is the Ports responsibility to develop and create resources for the district, which it occupies, as for the benefit for all the citizens of that community. It doesn’t have to create a profit, but it does have to make money. Commissioner Edwards said the small Ports want to set up a meeting with the other Ports, to get together and exchange ideas. Maybe they can help each other. The first meeting is in Shelton on February 10^th. All the Commissioners and Manager will attend the meeting. Commissioner Edwards is still trying to set up a meeting with Manke. He was going to try to contact Chet Manke in Tacoma. He added, “If you have an Environmental piece of property that can not be developed, you enter into a Limited Partnership with the Port of Dewatto, and there is a tremendous tax write-off. It never ceases to be yours.” Manke still owns it. He could donate it and take the whole write-off if he wanted to, or go into a Limited Partnership and sit back and guarantee it would never be surplused and sold. He said that is the biggest concern of any one right now in the Port of Dewatto requiring Property. Can anyone guarantee that when these Commissioners sitting at this table are gone in 5 to 6 years, that the 2 Commissioners wouldn’t surplus the property and sell it, and when you go to the Seminars, you see Centralia and Chehalis and Ports in Eastern Washington surplus the property and buy property all the time. So the fear is well generated so that is why Limited Partnership is the answer. We don’t own it. We rent the portion from Manke now for $1.00 for 5 years. Commissioner Edwards said we could get a better benefit by going into a Partnership with Manke. There was a discussion about getting to talk to Chet Manke.

Our next meeting will be February 3, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

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Lynett D. McLean, Chairperson Robert D. Stevens, Commissioner

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Richard T. Edwards, Commissioner Christine F. Phalen, Port Manager