BlockNavHeading

BlockBlogPostsList

You may know the Port of Whitman County Commissioners meet regularly on the first and third Thursdays of the month, but did you know the Commission also meets quarterly for “strategic planning” meetings? So how are these meetings different, and what should you expect?During a regular meeting, the Port Commission approves meeting minutes and vouchers and votes on routine matters, such as renewing leases or expiring contracts. Regular meetings also include discussion on topics important to the long-term success of the Port, but the agenda for a strategic planning meeting only includes these big-picture planning discussions.That’s why strategic planning meetings sometimes take five or more hours. In my 24 years as Executive Director, the longest strategic planning meeting I can recall lasted about 1.5 days. If you’re primarily interested in just one topic, I recommend taking note of its scheduled time on the agenda. Agendas are always posted on our <a href="/agendas-and-minutes">Agendas &amp; Minutes page</a> two business days prior to the meeting.Some examples of prior strategic planning meeting agenda items include state legislative session strategies, budgeting and capital projects.Other public port districts call these meetings “work sessions,” “study sessions” or “retreats,” but the purpose is the same: to give your elected officials the time to discuss the strategies that will propel the district’s economy into the next decade.The Port of Whitman County’s next strategic planning meeting will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, January 25, 2021. Depending on current public meeting restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting could be held remotely, in-person or by a combination of virtual and in-person meeting elements. The final location will be posted on the meeting agenda.For the dates and times of future strategic planning meetings, please visit the <a href="/port-calendar">Port calendar.</a>About the Author: Joe Poire is the Executive Director of the Port of Whitman County.

Strategic planning meetings vary from the Port Commission’s regular bimonthly meetings in a few key ways.

What to Expect at a Port Strategic Planning Meeting

From our first-ever virtual Port Commission meeting to the retirement of our longstanding Commissioner John Love, 2020 has been full of defining changes.&nbsp;Some were the result of strategic, long-range planning, while others were brought on by the unexpected: a global pandemic.For the first time in our 62-year history, we moved our board room entirely online to meet the new COVID-19 restrictions. Like other government agencies, we learned to bring our Port Commission meetings to the community, rather than vice versa, as we no longer had doors to open.We also celebrated the <a href="/press-releases/longtime-port-commissioner-john-love-announces-resignation">career of our longest-serving Commissioner</a>, John Love, who retired after 24 years of service to Whitman County. While bittersweet, this change led us to welcoming Karl Webber to a seat on our board.The Port also moved forward on several key projects in 2020:<ul><li>Along with five other ports, we formed <a href="/petrichor">Petrichor Broadband</a>, a publicly owned LLC dedicated to solving broadband issues across Washington State. Our other members include Port of Kalama, Port of Ridgefield, Port of Skagit County and Port of Pasco.</li><li>We signed an IRU agreement with Ziply Fiber to expand broadband access to Rosalia, Tekoa, Oakesdale, Garfield and Palouse. As of December 2020, the cities of Rosalia and Palouse have been designed and are in the permitting processes, and the other three towns are on track to have completed designs by the end of the month. The <a href="/press-releases/ziply-fiber-and-port-partner-to-bring-fiber-to-the-home-in-whitman-county">Ziply Fiber partnership</a>&nbsp;allows the Port to save about $1.5 million toward the fiber-to-the-home network. These savings will be redirected to fiber extensions in the rural areas around Tekoa, Lamont, Oakesdale, Garfield, Farmington and Plaza in 2021.</li><li>We welcomed a new tenant to Pullman Industrial Park, Veterinary Medical Research &amp; Development. VMRD is working on innovative solutions in the fight against COVID-19, including a new testing approach to safely keep businesses open.</li><li>We completed improvements to Port of Whitman Business Air Center, Pullman Industrial Park-West, Boyer Park &amp; Marina and Port of Central Ferry.</li><li>Individual Commissioners and the Port as an agency participated in a <a href="/press-releases/port-of-whitman-county-encourages-public-comment-of-river-system">public comment period</a>&nbsp;determining the fate of the lower Snake River dams. Along with many of the cities and towns across Whitman County, we submitted comments on the Columbia-Snake River System Draft Environmental Impact Statement. We also encouraged others to do so, and thanks to robust participation, welcomed the federal agencies’ decision to keep these critical dams in operation.</li><li>We redesigned our <a href="/port-planning">Port plans</a>&nbsp;– the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements – to better convey our strategic goals. We also published our first-ever report card to assess our progress toward meeting these objectives.</li><li>We published this <a href="/press-releases/port-of-whitman-county-launches-modernized-website">new website</a>&nbsp;and blog to keep you better informed of the Port’s work in real time – outside of our regular meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month.</li></ul>It’s difficult to condense a year like 2020. If you’d like to read more about what we accomplished this year, please explore our <a href="https://portwhitman-web.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/2016-2020%20Comprehensive%20Plan%20Report%20Card.pdf">2016-2020 Comprehensive Plan Report Card</a>.&nbsp;About the Author: Kristine Meyer is the District 2 Commissioner of the Port of Whitman County.&nbsp;

From our first-ever virtual Port Commission meeting to the retirement of our longstanding Commissioner John Love, 2020 has been full of defining changes. 

2020 Year in Review - Port of Whitman County

The Port of Whitman County recently finalized its 63rd annual budget. In the spirit of the budgeting season, here are five facts about the Port’s approach to financial responsibility and use of the tax levy:1. 100% of property tax revenues are invested back into Whitman County communities, funding local job creation and economic development. Tax dollars are not used to fund general Port operations. In 2020, the property tax levy was used for capital projects such as:<ul><li>Ongoing work on a fiber-to-the-home network in Rosalia, Tekoa, Oakesdale, Garfield and Palouse with fiber extensions in the rural areas around Tekoa, Lamont, Oakesdale, Garfield, Farmington and Plaza.</li><li>Improvements at Port of Whitman Business Air Center – one of only two airports in Whitman County – related to road access and drainage.</li><li>Repairs to the railroad at the Port of Central Ferry.</li></ul>In 2021, the property tax levy will fund:<ul><li>Completion of a fiber-to-the-home network in Rosalia, Tekoa, Oakesdale, Garfield and Palouse with fiber extensions in the rural areas around Tekoa, Lamont, Oakesdale, Garfield, Farmington and Plaza.</li><li>A bid package to rehabilitate and replace the original docks at Boyer Park &amp; Marina – the only public marina in Whitman County.&nbsp;</li><li>Rehabilitation of Wilma Road at the Port of Wilma, the largest and busiest of the Port of Whitman County’s on-water port sites.</li></ul>Other examples of past Port projects funded by property tax levies include:<ul><li>Development of Pullman Industrial Park, which is now home to some of the region’s top employers.</li><li>Construction of over 135 miles of middle-mile fiber optic infrastructure, spanning from Spokane to Clarkston, Washington.</li><li>Expansion of Boyer Park &amp; Marina to include four new cabins, 13 new RV hook up sites, a new drain field, sprinkler system and playground. &nbsp;</li></ul>2. In 2020, of the $34.5 million that Whitman County levied in regular property taxes, just 3.79% percent went to the Port of Whitman County.3. The tax dollars you give the Port every year are probably less than the cost of an oil change. In 2020, the median homeowner in Whitman County paid about $53.72 to the Port in property taxes for a home assessed at $182,500.4. The Port provides over a 600% rate of return on your investment. Every $1 of taxpayer investment creates $6.18 in local tax revenue.&nbsp;5. Even still, we’re working to minimize our reliance on local tax revenue. The assessed valuation for the county has increased by 22% from 2016 to 2020 while the Port has decreased its levy per $1,000 by $0.05 during the same time frame.&nbsp;For more, explore the Port’s <a href="/port-planning">2021 budget</a> or learn about the Port’s <a href="/economic-impacts">economic impacts</a> on Whitman County.About the Author: Brenda Stav is the Finance Director of the Port of Whitman County.

In the spirit of the budgeting season, here are five facts about the Port’s approach to financial responsibility and use of the tax levy.

It's the (Budgeting) Season: Five Facts about the Port's Finances

My name is Karl Webber, and I was recently appointed to the Port of Whitman County’s District 1 Commissioner seat.Since joining the Port Commission in early October, my activities have included a lot of reading, learning and studying of the various Port properties and operations.I’ve had the opportunity to tour the Port of Whitman Business Air Center, Port of Central Ferry, Port of Almota, Port of Wilma, Boyer Park &amp; Marina and Pullman Industrial Park. Each one of these properties is very impressive. The history and development that has been made over the years is exciting to see. I’m hopeful that I can be a part of the future progress in Whitman County and help carry on economic development activities across the region.&nbsp;My background consists primarily of working as a consultant and manager of manufacturing companies across the state. I currently own and operate a consulting firm, KB2 Performance Management Systems, and a small business, Statera Fly Rods—both in Tekoa. To be honest, having worked in the private sector for 30 years, I was a little hesitant to venture into the public arena, but the level of professionalism, knowledge and skills that the Port staff and other Commissioners possess has been extremely helpful in this first month.&nbsp;In the next couple of months, I plan to spend time getting to know the business leaders in our community, the representatives of organizations that partner with the Port, the Whitman County Commissioners and the political leaders of each city and town of Whitman County. Meeting with people and listening to their ideas and concerns can only help me to be successful as a Port Commissioner.&nbsp; If you or someone you know would like to meet with me and discuss the future of the Port of Whitman County, please contact the Port by phone at 509-397-3791 or by <a href="emit:modal-form-contact-open">email</a>&nbsp;, and we will set something up. Thank you all for this opportunity, and wish me luck!About the Author: Karl Webber is the District 1 Commissioner of the Port of Whitman County.

New Port Commissioner Karl Webber introduces himself to the citizens of Whitman County.

Meet Your New Port Commissioner, Karl Webber

Port Commissioners Tom Kammerzell and Kristine Meyer joined in the ground breaking of the LaCrosse Rock Houses restoration project on Friday, September 18.Clenching golden shovels, the Commissioners, along with members of LaCrosse Community Pride,Whitman County Library, the Ice Age Floods Institute, McGregor Company and the Whitman County Commission, celebrated the impending restoration of three historic buildings in LaCrosse.In July, the Port Commission unanimously approved a $50,000 funding commitment for the first phase of LaCrosse Community Pride’s project. Plans for this phase include restoring two bunkhouses and the service station along the north side of Main Street in the small community of LaCrosse (population 324). A second planned phase includes restoring the remaining two bunkhouses on the south side of Main Street.LaCrosse’s rock houses trace their history back to the Great Depression. Local businessman Clint Dobson built the structures between 1934 and 1936 using basalt stones deposited by the Missoula Ice Age Floods. The stones, which Dobson gathered from surrounding fields, provided an affordable construction material for farm and railroad worker housing.Now, the rock houses are destined for a rebirth as overnight accommodations for tourists and a Heritage Museum and Ice Age Floods Visitor Center. Read more about LaCrosse Community Pride’s plans for these historic structures in the <a href="https://www.wcgazette.com/story/2020/09/24/news/ground-breaking-on-ice-age-flood-museum/33694.html">Whitman County Gazette</a>.About the Author: Sarah Highfield is the Communications Director of the Port of Whitman County.

Port Commissioners Tom Kammerzell and Kristine Meyer joined in the ground breaking of the LaCrosse Rock Houses restoration project on Friday, September 18.

Port Commissioners Celebrate Groundbreaking of LaCrosse Rock House Project

As you explore the Port of Whitman County’s new website, you’ll likely notice some significant changes. For one, we created this blog to give you another window into the Port’s latest efforts to drive economic growth and improve quality of life in Whitman County. This section will live alongside press releases and frequently asked questions to give you a complete view of “Our News.”We also added a new page exploring “Our Rivers.” This section shares facts about the Columbia-Snake River System and its immense value to our community and region. In addition, this is where you’ll find information about our annual Snake River Family Festival at Boyer Park &amp; Marina.Other changes to our website include a mobile-friendly design, improved navigation and updated graphics. Most importantly, we designed the website to better serve you. For instance, we retained the preferred features of the website, such as our real estate pages, while replacing the old static images with drone videography to give you a more complete, first-person point of view of our properties. You’ll also find a new page featuring our available commercial properties.We want you to know that we will keep striving for improvement. Every effort has been made to review and update content prior to the launch, however additional content editing and updating will continue on a regular basis. We encourage your input as we continue to enhance our website. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 509-397-3791 or share your comments by email to <a href="mailto:communications@portwhitman.com">communications@portwhitman.com</a>.&nbsp;About the Author: Sarah Highfield is the Communications Director of the Port of Whitman County.&nbsp;

As you explore the Port of Whitman County’s new website, you’ll likely notice some significant changes. For one, we created this blog to give you another window into the Port’s latest efforts to drive economic growth...

Welcome to the Port’s New Website: A Window Into Our World

Port / County at Port

The Port will hold its regular Commission meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

Regular Commission Meeting

Veterans' Day - The Port offices are closed.

Veterans' Day

The Port is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

New Year's Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The Port will hold a strategic planning Commission meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

Media Center

Port Calendar

Media Center

E-newsletter

Port Calendar