Port heading to Leavenworth for annual retreat

Goals, budget to be determined for coming year

MOSES LAKE — This weekend, the Port of Moses Lake is moseying to Leavenworth for its annual retreat.

Friday through Sunday, the Port's board of commissioners and staff management will set up at the Icicle Inn in Leavenworth to go over the agenda, goals and plan the budget for the upcoming year.

"It's kind of a planning thing — we get away from the office, where we can sit down and concentrate without the phones and interruptions and put together the strategic plan and the budget," Port manager Craig Baldwin said.

Board president Kent Jones said that he thought the retreat served two purposes: allowing more time to discuss some of the issues that come up in greater detail, and allowing the Port to use its budget as a planning tool for next year's activities.

The retreat can allow for what Jones called "strong debating," and he said that when people talk about things in terms of planning or a more philosophical mode, they tend to do it in a format that is a little more emotional.

"While we do get very serious about it, we don't take ourselves too serious," he said, noting that when the commissioners do decide where to go, they do it as a group.

Baldwin predicted that some of the biggest items on the agenda will include continued maintenance of the Grant County International Airport air field and building improvements, increasing passenger numbers and marketing.

"I think that marketing has got to be a big issue for us, because until just a few years ago, we didn't go into as much detail, nor did we put as much funding into marketing," Jones said.

The staff management will make presentations to the board of commissioners about what worked and didn't work last year, and goals for the coming year, Baldwin said.

"I always find it an interesting time, and one of the side benefits is that it gives the commissioners a better opportunity to get better acquainted with the staff," Jones said.

"We are looking at the best way that we can to operate the airport as cost-effectively as we can, keeping safety and security in mind and (the public's) well-being," Baldwin said. "We want people to feel safe when they fly and make sure that the facilities are up to standards, but also keep it cost-effective."