New Mattawa port director discusses challenges, port’s future

MATTAWA — Gil Alvarado, recently hired as the Port of Mattawa’s executive director, has been working with commissioners to overcome challenges facing the port, make changes, and implement new goals and focuses for the trade center’s future.

Alvarado had been working as a consultant with the port for about four years before being officially hired as executive director at the end of November.

“My role with the port was port planner, and that's kind of what I was helping them out with as far as some of their long-range planning,” he said.

Alvarado, who said his professional background is in land use planning, said finances and issues with wastewater facilities are the port’s immediate priorities.

“Those were the two main things: (one), get in a better financial position and two, deal with their wastewater facility and be realistic about our expectations,” he said. “We have problems, and we need to deal with it, and the board has been good to support me about that.”

The port originally contracted with two wine-crushing companies, J&S Crushing and Wahluke Wine Co., to discharge their waste to the port’s system, but J&S parted ways with the port and created its own system.

“That, in essence, cut that revenue stream in half,” Alvarado said. “So you have two revenue streams paying the debt service on that because the port took out a loan to build that facility … They've been paying back that debt service with revenues collected. Revenues are cut in half, then you have operation and maintenance issues.”

These technical issues have prevented the port from treating discharge from Wahluke Wine, meaning the revenue has been further diminished.

Alvarado discussed communicating more with the port commissioners about these types of issues.

“(It's) talking more about that with them, getting them comfortable with where they were,” he said. “I think they were kind of in a little bit of a lurch. They really hadn't heard where they were at with a couple of these things. I'm a little bit more hands-on, and I want to feed them as much as I can in terms of the port's position.”

The port has made progress since Alvarado began as director, he said. 

“At this point, we’re in a better financial position now, and we'll kind of continue to work on that,” Alvarado said. “Their expenditures exceeded their revenues and part of it was the wastewater facility was incurring costs and unforeseen costs, maintenance costs, substantial costs, and the revenues that were coming in weren't necessarily covering everything.”

A focus of Alvarados is laying out a framework for how the commissioners can approach certain challenges and how long solutions to those challenges may realistically take, he said.

Alvarado explained why he wanted the job to begin with despite living in Moses Lake.

“I think that Port of Manawa has a wonderful opportunity and assets to complement the city of Mattawa … I just think it's something that this area of Grant County is slightly neglected,” he said.
Alvarado talked about an initiative of his to start holding a retreat where port staff and city representatives can get together and discuss ongoing projects and issues. Mattawa held its first port and city retreat last year and will hold another in March. 

“If you've driven through town you can see it is a city that struggles. Eighty-five to 90% of the housing stock is manufactured housing. I think the opportunity to move them in a direction with growth is wonderful,” Alvarado said. “My motivation was how can the Port of Mattawa take it to the next level in terms of what they can do as a port entity, as a taxing district, and how can they capitalize on the opportunities with the city?”

Alvarado discussed the port’s role in growing the city.

“One of our charges, besides stimulating economic development, is to also deal with real estate. How do we facilitate some of our real estate assets into development to benefit the community? So we have a seven-acre parcel, right across from all this housing. We have our own water system down here,” Alvarado said. “I think our next real push is, how do we capitalize on these real estate assets that we have here?

Once the port can work through its current challenges, it can begin to focus more on the economic development side of things.

“I think really for me it's just, how do we move forward,” Alvarado said. “I just think it's a great opportunity for these folks down here. To me, it's kind of like a diamond in the rough.”

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.

    Exterior of the Port of Mattawa’s offices, located just west of Mattawa city limits. Port Commissioners and staff met Monday evening for the port’s regular monthly meeting.
  

    Port of Mattawa Maintenance Manager Daniel Martinez, left, Commissioner Glenn Leland, middle, and Executive Director Gil Alvarado, right, discuss port business during Monday’s regular meeting.
  

  

    The Port of Mattawa Executive Director Gil Alvarado discussed several ongoing projects the port is working on, including upgrading the Port of Mattawa Event Center, pictured, as well as establishing a new soccer field, working on real estate development and maintaining the port’s current facilities.