Port of Mattawa makes legislative headway

MATTAWA — Port of Mattawa officials discussed Monday efforts made by the port during the 2024 legislative session, including a scope change for Washington State Department of Commerce funding and a piece of legislation that may bear fruit in the future. 

Business Development and Public Affairs Consultant for the port Patrick Boss introduced the scope change, which modified language for appropriations funding the port received in 2021. The project being funded was changed from a wastewater infrastructure project to just a water infrastructure project.

“We did that to broaden the language, because of the situation with the wastewater system right now,” Boss said. “That money was from four years ago; we weren't sure how applicable it would be given some of the things that are going on, so we went ahead and just changed it to ‘water project,’ which allows us to use (the funding) for other stuff, and we had to do that through the capital budget committee.”

The original appropriation was more than $600,000 for the port’s wastewater treatment plant, but the treatment plant is in need of repairs, which forced the port to shut off discharge from its last remaining user. During the regular February port meeting, the commissioners approved staff to move forward with the sale of the facility. 

During the December regular port meeting, Executive Director Gil Alvarado said the funds needed to be used soon and could potentially go to improving water systems at the port’s industrial park, specifically the reservoir and booster pumps for the system. He commented on it again during Monday’s meeting.

“In essence, that move preserves our…$600,000, which is a big deal for us,” Alvarado said. “Again, we need to really improve that water system out there. We've got future users out there. There’s just a lot of stuff that we need to do and so that's going to be extremely important to us.

Boss also discussed legislation that he and Alvarado helped draft that would help ports in small cities foster industrial development outside the city’s urban growth area. Small cities like Mattawa may not have the resources to extend the urban growth area. 

“Like a lot of these things, in the first time through they don't get passed, but this senate bill did garner quite a bit of interest,” Alvarado said. “There were a handful of others, that feel this kind of legislation shouldn’t move forward.”

Alvarado said special interest group Futurewise testified against the bill but was willing to work with the port and lawmakers on modifying the legislation.  

“We kind of hit on a bigger issue here,” Boss said. “This is happening in a lot of rural areas where small towns or small ports don't have much industrial ground and there's kind of a gap in the law. So it's not just Mattawa, but there's probably a dozen other towns like this, probably more than that, that are in the same situation. So, we think we can get more traction, and we think next year, obviously we bring back the bill.”

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. 

    Port of Mattawa officials and commissioners met Monday at the port’s offices, pictured, to discuss port business, including an update on the port’s Washington State Department of Commerce appropriations funding and legislation the port helped draft.