Or should it be crow
This week my social feed, and newspaper articles I saw were full of Port happenings. Celebratory lists of all things happening because of the decisions made by the Commissioners of the Port of Bellingham.
After looking at their past mistakes, lets look at what the Port is doing and why it continues to break the promises made to Bellingham at the Waterfront.
Past
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - A huge loss
Back in 2009 the Port had an opportunity to bring in an incredible long term tenant. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was looking to relocate from Seattle, with ship berths, offices, and warehouses. A tenant that would have of course been environmentally friendly to the region (its NOAA!), while bringing incredible economic possibilities for employment and partner businesses. Instead of recognizing the overall long term possibilities, Port Commissioners focused on getting a premium for their lease, got greedy for their bottom line, and lost the contract.
Harcourt is given chance after chance after chance
Recently, while reviewing a Port Commission meeting in 2020, I heard a conversation between our Port Commissioners and Harcourt. The Commissioners forgave Harcourt of utter failure with ‘aw shucks, you’ll do better’ type statements. Fast forward to the end of 2023, four years later of continued failure by Harcourt, the Port finally cancels the Harcourt contract, after considerable leans are placed on their condominium projects, and dangerous soils are illegally stored on Port land. Commissioners in the end put the blame on Harcourt, when there were countless times that the Port failed to act and didn’t.
The buck stops with Port Commissioners Michael Shepard, Ken Bell and Bobbie Briscoe. Harcourt should have never received the original contract, with its history of failures, and fact that its personnel were half way across the world, and Harcourt should have been held accountable time and time again for its failures at the Waterfront, both financial and environmental. That’s on these three men, while they pass the buck, or draw the focus of residents to the next shiny project that will probably fail (read on).
2020 - ABC Option to lease the Waterfront for 25 years
In 2020, Port Commissioners Michael Shepard, Ken Bell and Bobbie Briscoe, voted for a lease option to ABC Recycling for Metal Recycling Storage in the center of the Waterfront. An area of land where hundreds of people were to be employed with long term, environmentally safe, living wage jobs, the Commissioners sold out the area to a monstrous metal pile for less than 12 full time equivalent jobs (the numbers quoted at the time).
The location, size, danger and noise will make further recruitment of industry and investment next to impossible.
Future
Lets do the math - $27,500,000 minus 6,850,000 = $20,650,000
The Port in February of 2024 posted their pleasure to announce their Shipping Terminal project, to rebuild the main dock. As well as money to be spent on GP contamination cleanup in the Waterway, the majority of the money is to be spent on the fortification of the Shipping Terminal dock which cannot sustain the weight of the Port’s celebrated Crane, purchased in 2021.
In the purchase authorization documents, the Port’s reasoning for the purchase of the Crane was to enable the loading of the Boulders being barged from the Terminal since 2018. The crane since its delivery has been dormant due to the weak dock (did the Commissioners not know?), and the boulder contract will come to an end prior to the dock’s ability to handle the weight of the crane.
So over $20 million dollars are celebrated to be spent on a dock for a crane that has no work.
.
Why does the Port continue to say 'mistruths'? What's another way of saying that...
Technology has recently found that the ‘Fake it Till you Make It’ strategy no longer works and gets people into real trouble. The Port seems to have not gotten that memo.
is an important point of entry for goods from around the world."
Over the last many years, the Port has imported almost ZERO goods at the Shipping Terminal. Just as the Commissioners allow the Port to fib to the community as to garner support, the Port is celebrating the ridiculous gamble of Port (Whatcom resident’s) money of $20 million to portray a semblance of success, where there is none.
How many jobs lost? How many gained?
The Port’s state mandate is economic development. The Port’s reasoning for the ridiculous expenditure of $20 million for a hope and a dream, is job creation. How many jobs will be created? They don’t say. How many jobs will be lost, because of the Port Commissioner’s continued bad decisions? They won’t say.
Maybe its time to ask.
Although we support local ILWU employment, the focus on the Shipping Terminal is a stern focus on ILWU jobs. But these jobs often bring in labor from around the state or West coast, though are not local and are not stable.
Instead, the Port should be helping develop a local ILWU membership without a huge cost to the loss of hundreds of other jobs elsewhere at the Waterfront.
The risk at the Waterfront
In June of 2023 Commissioners Bobbie Briscoe, Michael Shepard, and Ken Bell voted for a consent agenda that included a 25 year lease for a non-permitted heavy industrial activity in the center of the valuable and highly planned for Waterfront.
- Who in today’s world signs a lease for 25 years?
- The scrap metal recycling storage in the center of the Waterfront is Heavy Industrial and NOT allowed under the agreed upon, and legally binding Waterfront Sub-area Comprehensive Plan.
- Upon signing of the lease, the Port was obligated to review the project for SEPA (environmental impacts), and if the project were to fall under the Waterfront’s Environmental Impact Statements a Planned Action determination of consistency would have had to be done. NEITHER A SEPA REVIEW NOR DETERMINATION were begun or completed.
The Waterfront plan relies heavily on investment from business and developers alike to be successful. A question. If your company or investment was to be within close proximity to this, would you go forward, or take your money elsewhere? That’s a huge risk, the Port has placed upon the entire community.
This video was shot just feet from the new Millworks building, a work force housing focused complex, with a new YMCA child care inside. The metal pile itself is located on prime real estate saved for hundreds of jobs, not three long arm excavator operators.
