A year-end recap of Port of Olympia  

With a new director leading the Port of Olympia, 2024 was a year of renewal in some sense for the facility.

Perhaps the most obvious indicator of new leadership was that the Port finally signed a contract with a union it had been negotiating with since 2022.

With fresh leadership also came stability to continue working on its long-term projects and to pursue new efforts that not everyone may have agreed with.

Let’s look back to see how the Port did in 2024. 

Second warehouse 

The Port of Olympia Commission approved the purchase of a second warehouse for $1.6 million. The port plans to have a second temporary warehouse to accommodate extra cargo from Suzano, a pulp manufacturer and paper producer in Brazil.

The port expects to spend around $4 million in total for the asset. The decision was not made lightly, as some members of the community were concerned about the risky nature of the investment. Some people have also become weary of the Port not making the best business decisions in the past. 

Master plan

A master plan for the Port peninsula is moving forward. In July, the commission authorized an amendment to the contract of Dalton, Olmsted & Fuglevand Inc. (DOF), whose subcontractors will work on the master plan. DOF was mainly hired to work on the remediation of Budd Inlet.

A master plan is being included in the project due to the interconnectedness of the future of the Port peninsula and the remediation of Budd Inlet. 

In December, the commission selected Commissioners Amy Evans Harding and Jasmine Vasavada for a subcommittee that will oversee the master planning efforts.

The new subcommittee would meet with staff and the consultant team to provide policy-level input for the master plan and serve as liaisons to the commission. 

Meanwhile, the port completed sampling activities in February to diagnose the condition of the East Bay in Budd Inlet.

The port has also set aside additional funds to continue the sampling activities at the West Bay. Funding was sourced from the sale of Commerce Building Center. 

Union contract

The Port of Olympia Commission unanimously voted to ratify a contract with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 47B, which represents the workers at Swantown Marina & Boatworks.

The union, which currently has 14 members, was organized and has been negotiating a contract since 2022.

Negotiations stalled under the leadership of former Executive Director Sam Gibboney, and in February 2023 the port and the union underwent mediation with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC).  

Deschutes Estuary project 

The Port of Olympia Commission authorized an interlocal agreement on Sept. 23 for the shared governance of the Deschutes Estuary restoration project, which seeks to revert the Capitol Lake into an estuary by removing the Fifth Avenue Dam.

As part of the agreement, the Port will oversee maintenance dredging activities in vessel berths once the dan has been removed. The agreement commits the Port to contribute around $200,000 annually to help fund future dredging activities.

The cost will escalate each year, so the Port is projected to spend about $8.6 million by 2050 when the interlocal agreement ends. 

Waterfront Center project

The Port of Olympia Commission authorized a contract with EHDD Architecture in August to begin designing the Waterfront Center, a proposed three-story, mixed-use building to be located near Swantown Marina.

The contract covers the project's first phase, including market analysis for possible tenants, pre-design work and programming. The port estimates a total budget of $17.5 million for the building's construction, plus $2.5 million for other site and shoreline improvements. 

Olympic Air Show 

Conservation group Black Hills Audubon Society requested the Port of Olympia postpone the annual Olympic Air Show in June so the event did not overlap with the breeding season of larks.

Port Executive Director Alex Smith explained that holding the show at a different time was difficult due to weather factors and the limited availability of the aircraft that visit the air show.

Smith added that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) issued a biological opinion in 2018, allowing for the air show under certain conditions. The opinion was only valid until 2023, so the port had to seek an extension for the 2024 air show. USFWS will have to conduct another assessment before next year’s show.