2022 Roundup

Port of Olympia’s top stories for 2022

Posted
Investigation clears Commissioner Harding from conflict of interest

Port commissioners authorized a probe into Commissioner Amy Evans Harding’s alleged conflict of interest as a broker for real estate firm Kidder Matthews on January 24. The firm represented real estate developer Panattoni, which was negotiating with the Port and Tumwater to lease 200 acres of the New Market Industrial Campus. The result of the investigation was made public in April, with Harding being cleared of the issue.

Port employees sign vote of no-confidence against Gibboney

Residents called for the resignation of Port Executive Director Sam Gibboney in June after 22 Port employees signed a “vote of no-confidence” letter against her. Employees cited multiple issues, such as their working conditions, how the management communicates, and an employee turnover rate of 68% in the last three years. The Port of Olympia Commission responded with a letter acknowledging these issues and said they would improve communications to resolve further issues.

Port of Olympia approves the initial agreements for Deschutes Estuary project

The Port of Olympia commission approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which outlines the initial agreements for the Deschutes Estuary restoration project on October 17. The restoration project aims to revert Capitol Lake into an estuary. Under the MOU, the Port would work on the design, permitting, and contract management for dredging port vessel berths after removing the Capitol Lake Dam. The Port expects to contribute $3,227,000 for the project, most of which would be used for the dredging.

$100 million Budd Inlet cleanup budget

Before the Capitol Lake Dam is removed, the Port would have to spend around $100 million to clean up Budd Inlet so the area could accommodate the additional flow of sediments once the dam is gone. Even without the estuary project, the Port would have to conduct the cleanup as part of an agreed order from the Washington State Department of Ecology to investigate and clean legacy contamination.

As part of the cleanup, the Port would dredge several portions of Budd Inlet such as along the navigation channel, Swantown Habor, and the south of East and West Bay. The Port is working with Ecology to finalize the preferred cleanup method by the spring of 2023.

Olympia Regional Airport reconfiguration

The Port of Olympia held three open houses in 2022 as public outreach for the 2021 Airport Master Plan Update, a study that seeks to establish a development plan for the airport. Plans for the airport include the rehabilitation of runways and taxiways and new infrastructures to accommodate developing aircraft technologies.

There is also an ongoing commercial service feasibility study being conducted which seeks to evaluate the airport’s compatibility to meet requirements for regional commercial service. A preferred layout plan included in the master plan update showed the airport with a commercial air service area.

A draft of the master plan update is planned to be published in February 2023 for public comment.

Coordinated opposition against proposed airport

The Port of Olympia commission on October 24 endorsed a letter opposing a proposed airport in Thurston County. The Thurston County Board of Commissioners prepared the letter and included signatures from the mayors of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Tenino, and Rainier.

The proposed airport site is located near Rainier and west of Yelm and is one of three sites selected by the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission as the potential location of a new airport, with the other two being in Pierce County.

Residents around the proposed site opposed the airport, citing the loss of value of their property and the airport’s environmental impact as the proposed site is located in the McAllister Geologically Sensitive Area, which replenishes groundwater.

Port districts increase to five

As Thurston County moved to add two more districts due to an increasing population, the Port of Olympia worked to achieve the same. When the general elections came on November 8, the public voted in favor of adding two more districts drawn from the existing three districts. After a public hearing, the Port approved the boundaries of the newly drawn five districts on December 4, with one of the five districts representing the rural south of the county, including Tenino, Rainier, Bucoda, Grand Mound, and Rochester.

Biggest Port transaction in history with soda bottler

The Port of Olympia commission on December 12 approved a 75-year lease contract for a 95-acre airport property with Swire, a Coca-Cola bottler. The company plans to use the site as a manufacturing facility and storage. Swire would have to complete a habitat conservation plan and seek approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before they can begin construction.

Once the rent starts, the Port expects to earn $2 million per year, according to Port real estate director Allyn Roe, who had also said that the agreement was the biggest Port transaction in history.

Comments

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  • TonyW33

    "Port commissioners authorized a probe into Commissioner Amy Evans Harding’s alleged conflict of interest as a broker for real estate firm Kidder Matthews on January 24."

    Hardly a "probe". They went all the way to Bellingham to find a friendly venue and were relieved to find the answer that they wanted in the first place. This Port "Authority" really needs to be dealt with and requires a much firmer hand than has so far been in evidence. It is disappointing to many of the taxpayers in the county that better qualified and uncompromised candidates do not seek these seats.

    Monday, January 2, 2023 Report this

  • UrsulaEuler

    Residential areas are surrounding the Olympia Regional Airport more and more, and housing is more important than a regional airport. It would be more valuable for a community to have well developed residential areas, with convenient services, than having an airport that only very few people use. It is currently a general aviation airport (lessons, private planes, emergency service, helicopter joy rides) would be gad to see it move elsewhere. Expanding it to commercial passenger and cargo service is a bad idea, also for the above reasons.

    Tuesday, January 3, 2023 Report this

  • northbeachcomm

    We appreciate your work. You printed "The Jolt" article on the Port of Olympia, below.

    Who ever wrote this "Jolt" article seems to be almost "an apologist' for the Port of Olympia, and their votes, their actions.

    There are several examples of this.

    This article "white washes" the issue of the Port Comm. Amy Evans-Harding investigation, into "conflict of interest" between her full time job as a realtor for the huge real estate firm, Kidder Matthews, and her work as Port Commissioner, voting on real estate deals for the Port of Olympia. This issue was discussed in the Olympian Newspaper, before her election.

     This article below, does not give details that are listed in the Amy Evans-Harding "conflict of interest" investigation. The investigation report that said, "There are possible conflict of interest issues regarding the Evans-Harding work with the Port and her employer, Kidder Matthews".

    The investigation was conducted by another Port attorney," in-house" (outside of Olympia). This is unacceptable.

    This article says that Harding was "cleared of this issue"; that is incorrect.

    The person who wrote this article did not mention that the employees who work for the Port, demanded to be

    heard, they felt that they had been bullied by the Port Director S. Gibboney, in their letter to the Port. Some of

    them were fired for their actions. This issue was not addressed in this article. (Port Staff Allen Roe was recently

    put "on leave", from this job at the Port.)

    We think that this action to Allen Roe, by the Port (S. Gibboney) was retaliation for his writing this letter on behind of the Union workers at the Port.)

    And below, there is a part of this article that discussed the huge expensive Budd Inlet dredging issues coming before the Port Commissioners.

    This issue talks about "clean up" of the toxic dioxin "hot spots" in areas of Budd Inlet, without giving any details.

    This dredging issue is in fact two fold; clean up of legacy contamination (dixin), and navigational dredging. These two different types of issues, two different types of dredging concerns, they have different funding sources. How will the Port pay for the navigational dredging for Swan town, listed in this article? This article never talks about these funding issues adequately. Correct?

    $100 million Budd Inlet cleanup budget

    Before the Capitol Lake Dam is removed, the Port would have to spend around $100 million to clean up Budd Inlet so the area could accommodate the additional flow of sediments once the dam is gone. Even without the estuary project, the Port would have to conduct the cleanup as part of an agreed order from the Washington State Department of Ecology to investigate and clean legacy contamination.

    As part of the cleanup, the Port would dredge several portions of Budd Inlet such as along the navigation channel, Swantown Habor, and the south of East and West Bay. The Port is working with Ecology to finalize the preferred cleanup method by the spring of 2023.

    And lastly the article states;

    Olympia Regional Airport reconfiguration

    "There is also an ongoing commercial service feasibility study being conducted which seeks to evaluate the airport’s compatibility to meet requirements for regional commercial service. A preferred layout plan included in the master plan update showed the airport with a commercial air service area."

    The author of this Jolt article fails to mention the huge "push back" of the local Tumwater population to this proposal.

    Many in our community do not support the expansion of the Tumwater airport, or a new "greenfield" airport.

    I could go on and on with a list of problems with this article. (It did not mention the harassment of former

    Port Commissioner E. J. Zita, before she left office. It did not mention the glaring problems with the Weyerhauser lease.)

    On the other hand, perhaps I should be grateful that these issues will be discussed at all, by The Jolt. It seems that The Olympian Newspaper will not address these glaring issues, listed.

    Saturday, January 7, 2023 Report this