# Port of Chehalis

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.

## 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". In addition to a fire at a wood shingle mill in 1953, 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). 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.
Goodyear Tire showed interest in the new park but required a rail line to connect the area to the local railroad hubs. 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. Funds to construct the spur were raised by Chehalis residents, individually purchasing the 1,600 area-logged rail ties for $4 each. The $1.0 million Goodyear Tire plant opened in August 1957 and became the first tenant.
The commission ran the park as a private port, undertaking responsibilities for purchasing additional land, managing the grounds, and recruiting businesses. An attempt to created a port district in the county failed in a public vote in 1960. A proposal was introduced in August 1976 to the commissioners of Lewis County outlining a county port district that would have connected to four other adjacent counties. Although there were positive estimations in regards to an increase in new jobs, and various statements of economic growth and regional cooperation and efficiency, the measure was considered dubious due to burdensome tax laws and zoning issues. Despite some approval from county department leaders, the commissioner board saw the need of a port as a "local issue".
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. The Port of Chehalis was officially established in September 1986; it was one of the last ports created in the state.
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.

## 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.
The agency oversees the Chehalis Industrial Park and the port is part of the South Puget Sound Foreign Trade Zone. 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 and land in the industrial zone is leased to corporations and businesses.
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.

## 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.

### Chehalis Industrial Park

The industrial park is located south of the city district near Interstate 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. The site was recorded as encompassing 700 acres (280 ha) and was home to 30 businesses in 2008.
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).

## 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.