Port moves forward with funding applications for Lyons Ferry Upgrades and Mainstream Malt Building

DAYTON–The Port of Columbia Board will move forward with applications for Lyons Ferry and Mainstream Malt.

The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCO) application for funding to upgrade Lyons Ferry was turned in. There will be a chance for the Port to give a presentation for review to make their application stronger, before filing a final application. Director Jennie Dickinson stated that the concessionaires did a good job finding match funding for this project, and she feels good about the application she submitted. “I felt really good about it by the time I turned it in,” said Dickinson. “I turned over just about every rock.” She will have more to report after the technical review with the RCO.

Next week Director Dickinson and the owner of Mainstream Malt are working on a presentation they will give to Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) next week. Dickinson stated that it was most likely that the Board will make a decision at this presentation with a press release to immediately follow. She is confident that they will get approval for the funding.

In other business, a glass recycling program sponsored by the port was set to begin this past Saturday on May 11. This is a free service for Dayton and Waitsburg residents and will reoccur each month. For more information or a list of dates, contact the port office.

As the Port continues to work on their grain cluster project, they are getting feedback that both small batch distribution and packaging is needed in the area to support small businesses. The owners of Mountain Man Sourdough, a new business opening soon at the Blue Mountain Station, made a comment that they were currently trying to find solutions to this very problem. “The farms are easy to find, but then they don’t have milling resources and they don’t have packaging resources and they don’t have food hub network distribution, said owner Veronika Meiers. “If this grain cluster existed it would have been that easy.”

Jill Essency told commissioners the Port has received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the State of Washington Tourism for rural marketing and digital content. They will use this for tourism and marketing Columbia County.

The board held an executive session regarding RCW 42.30.110 (i) To discuss with legal counsel representing the agency matters relating to agency enforcement actions, or to discuss with legal counsel representing the agency litigation or potential litigation to which the agency, the governing body, or a member acting in an official capacity is, or is likely to become, a party, when public knowledge regarding the discussion is likely to result in an adverse legal or financial consequence to the agency. No action was taken after the session.