Port of Chehalis

Last updated
Port of Chehalis
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 16, 1986 (1986-09-16)
Jurisdiction Lewis County, Washington
Headquarters321 Maurin Rd.
Chehalis, Washington, U.S.
Website portofchehalis.com

The Port of Chehalis is a local government agency that oversees industrial zones, including an industrial park of the same name, in the city of Chehalis, Washington.

Contents

History

A 1952 fire at a pharmaceutical company that was the largest employer in Chehalis led to the formation of a community group known as "Adventure in Cooperation". [1] In addition to a fire at a wood shingle mill in 1953, [2] and the continuation of job losses in the city in the mid-1950s due to a decline in timber production, the volunteer initiative formed the Chehalis Industrial Commission in 1956 which created the Chehalis Industrial Park (CIP). [1] [3] The commission was formed after the Adventure in Cooperation volunteers, which included contributors from the local Boy Scouts troop, churches, garden clubs, schools, and businesses, undertook a resource-and-needs inventory of the city. Realizing the potential for an industrial area, shares were sold to approximately 1,000 people at $50 each. The money was used to purchase the first parcel, measuring 137 acres (55 ha), officially creating the industrial zone. [4]

Goodyear Tire showed interest in the new park but required a rail line to connect the area to the local railroad hubs. [3] A new 3,500-foot (1,100-metre) rail line, built by a group of local volunteers known as the "Gandy Dancers", was connected to the grounds in 1957, signally the beginnings of the park. [3] [5] Funds to construct the spur were raised by Chehalis residents, individually purchasing the 1,600 area-logged rail ties for $4 each. [6] The $1.0 million Goodyear Tire plant opened in August 1957 and became the first tenant. [7] [8]

The commission ran the park as a private port, undertaking responsibilities for purchasing additional land, managing the grounds, and recruiting businesses. [2] An attempt to created a port district in the county failed in a public vote in 1960. An amendment to a state law to allow public ports within a county was passed by legislative action in March 1986. Another public vote was called and the creation of a port district in the city was accepted by residents; it passed by a margin of 76 votes. [2] The Port of Chehalis was officially established in September 1986; it was one of the last ports created in the state. [9] [10]

The port, in 1996, helped purchase rail tracks in the area for the Chehalis–Centralia Railroad via a $420,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). That same year, the port expanded and created another industrial area known as the Curtis Industrial Park; the 40-acre (16 ha) Curtis zone was annexed under the Port of Chehalis authority. An Interstate 5 (I-5) interchange and completion of a main road to the port was completed in 2007, increasing the ease of access to the Chehalis Industrial Park. [2]

Port management and oversight

The Port of Chehalis is run by a commission of elected officers and the district boundaries mirror that of the Chehalis School District. The first commissioners, elected in 1986, were Bill Brooks, Ed Pemerl, and Bill Wiester. [2]

The agency oversees the Chehalis Industrial Park and the port is part of the South Puget Sound Foreign Trade Zone. [2] The port is responsible for acquiring land within the district, particularly at the Chehalis Industrial Park. Sites are prepared for future business entities that the port signs to contracts [2] and land in the industrial zone is leased to corporations and businesses. [5]

The port is a taxing authority and began collecting levies in 1988. Initial proposals attempted to put the Chehalis-Centralia Airport under the port's authority but the airfield remained under its own management due to its financial sustainability, and remained under the oversight of the city government. [2]

Properties

The Port of Chehalis owns and manages two main sites, the Chehalis and Curtis industrial zones, as well as undeveloped grounds, including properties in the Boistfort Valley. In 2011, the port recorded management of a combined 1,057 acres (428 ha) of industrial-use land holdings. [2]

Chehalis Industrial Park

The industrial park is located south of the city district near Interstate 5. [5]

The CIP had expanded up to 160 acres (65 ha) by 1993 and after extensive infrastructure preparation at a cost estimated at $1.9 million, the grounds were considered complete and ready for occupancy in 1995. The first official port tenant was Fred Meyer which constructed a distribution warehouse. [2] The site was recorded as encompassing 700 acres (280 ha) and was home to 30 businesses in 2008. [3]

Due to the lowland nature of the industrial zone, the port, along with an early tenant, created a stormwater retention pond. This early attempt to control flooding and drainage issues led to the port, in association with agencies at the state and federal levels and with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to begin floodplain mitigation efforts in 2008. Through an expedited process, the Port of Chehalis created a 66-acre (27 ha) wetland preserve and basin known as Pleasant Valley, south of Washington State Route 6 (SR 6). [2]

Employment

As of 2011, the industrial parks in the Chehalis and Curtis zones were home to over 50 businesses that employed a combined 2,500 workers. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centralia, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Chehalis, located to the south near the confluence of the Chehalis and Newaukum rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chehalis, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Chehalis is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chehalis–Centralia Railroad</span> Heritage railroad in Washington, United States

The Chehalis–Centralia Railroad (CHTX) is a heritage railroad based in Chehalis, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow Falls State Park</span>

Rainbow Falls State Park is a public recreation area on the Chehalis River. It is situated off Washington State Route 6 and is approximately 1.0-mile (1.6 km) east of the town of Dryad, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Albany–Rensselaer</span> Port in United States

The Port of Albany–Rensselaer, widely known as the Port of Albany, is a port of entry in the United States with facilities on both sides of the Hudson River in Albany and Rensselaer, New York. Private and public port facilities have existed in both cities since the 17th century, with an increase in shipping after the Albany Basin and Erie Canal were built with public funds in 1825.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis and Clark State Park (Washington)</span> State park in the U.S. state of Washington

Lewis and Clark State Park is a public recreation area located six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Winlock and immediately south of Mary's Corner in Lewis County, Washington. Named after the explorers Lewis and Clark, despite the expedition not venturing in the area during their travels, the state park occupies one of the last major stands of old-growth forest in the state. When the park opened in the 1920s it was visited by over 10,000 people per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park</span> Sculpture park in Thurston County, Washington

Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park is a free, outdoor art gallery located along the Chehalis Western Trail near Tenino, in southern Thurston County, Washington. Opened in 1998 by sculptor Myrna Orsini, the 5-acre (2.0 ha) park features sculpture gardens. Under threat of closures in the 2010s, the grounds are considered a primitive park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chehalis–Centralia Airport</span> Airport in Chehalis, Washington

Chehalis–Centralia Airport is a city-owned public use airport located in Chehalis, a city in Lewis County, Washington. The airport lies one mile (1.6 km) west of the town.

Parks and recreation in Chehalis, Washington is administered by the Chehalis Parks and Recreation Department. Trails that connect Chehalis with locations beyond the city limits are maintained in conjunction with other local jurisdictions, state government agencies, and/or local non-profit groups and volunteers.

The Recreation Park Complex is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's South Market district near the Green Hill School. The venue, also known as the Chehalis Sports Complex, contains four distinct parks within its borders, providing recreation for athletics, walking, swimming, and playground activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westside Park (Chehalis, Washington)</span> Park in Chehalis, Washington

Westside Park is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District which was catalogued on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Hedwall Park</span> Park in Chehalis, Washington

Stan Hedwall Park is the largest park in Chehalis, Washington at 204-acres. It is located west of I-5, and southeast of Lintott-Alexander Park and the beginning trailhead for the Willapa Hills Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millett Field</span> Public park in Chehalis, Washington, US

Millett Field is the oldest, continuously used public park in Chehalis, Washington and is most noted as home to a Chehalis minor-league baseball team in the early 20th century. The ballfield was regularly used as the central hub of Chehalis sporting activity for decades, including hosting games for several Negro League teams in the 1920s. Located in the city's South Market district, one block north of the NRHP-listed O. B. McFadden House, the 3.3-acre (1.3 ha) park began in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lintott-Alexander Park</span> Park in Chehalis, Washington

Lintott-Alexander Park is a 6-acre (2.4 ha) park in Chehalis, Washington, located west of I-5 and south of Washington State Route 6. Due to its location in a bend of the Chehalis River and at the confluence of the Newaukum River, the park can flood in most years.

John Dobson and McFadden Parks were once the center of the Chehalis, Washington park system and they were referred to by residents as the "Top-of-the-Hill" parks due to their proximity to one another. They are the two oldest non-athletic parks in Chehalis. Begun as memorials to well respected Chehalis residents, they are located in the Hillside Historic District on Park Hill, above and east of the Chehalis Downtown Historic District. The parks are connected by the Dobson-McFadden Trail and the Troop 373 and 7373 Scout Lodge is often considered part of John Dobson Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willapa Hills Trail</span> State park and trail in Washington, United States

The Willapa Hills Trail is a 56.0-mile (90.1 km) intercounty rail trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling through or near several small towns and parks along the way. Overseen by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, local cities and towns often maintain areas of the trail within their jurisdictions. The trail is built upon a decommissioned railroad track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson House State Park Heritage Site</span>

Jackson House State Park Heritage Site is a 1.4-acre (0.57 ha) Washington state park centered around the John R. Jackson House, the restored homestead cabin of John R. and Matilda Jackson, who were among the first Euro-American settlers north of the Columbia River.

Parks and recreation in Centralia, Washington is administered by the Centralia Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD). The agency oversees a variety of sites, including natural areas, community recreation facilities, and city parks, classified as either neighborhood or community. The department also oversees several single-purpose sites in the city and partners with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on maintenance and improvements to several areas, including Hayes and Plummer lakes. Centralia hosts privately owned parks and there are some trails under volunteer oversight.

References

  1. 1 2 Lawton, Mark (September 25, 2004). "Self-help effort launched commission". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Fogel, Elise (February 27, 2011). "First Port of Chehalis commissioners are sworn in on September 26, 1986". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ott, Jennifer (July 1, 2008). "Chehalis volunteers begin work on a spur rail line from Chehalis to the industrial park on March 3, 1957". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ "New Life For Old Towns". Aiken Standard and Review . June 27, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Mittge, Brian (April 5, 2007). "Half a Century Later, the 'Gandy Dancers' Are Still Building". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Residents Buy Railroad Spur". Port Angeles Evening News . UPI. December 4, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Goodyear To Build In West". The New York Times. September 27, 1956. p. 54. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ Fund, Edna (April 15, 2007). "Thousands Celebrated Opening of Goodyear Plant in 1957". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ HistoryLink staff (April 29, 2011). "Washington Public Ports: A List with Founding Dates". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ Oldham, Kit (July 30, 2021). "Washington Public Port Districts - Part 2". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 1, 2024.

46°37′38″N122°54′31″W / 46.6273°N 122.9086°W / 46.6273; -122.9086

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.