Vancouver Port Commission sets Feb. 12 meeting

VANCOUVER, Wash.- Three action items are on the agenda for the Feb. 12 meeting of the Vancouver Port Commission.

Action items that will be considered by Port Commissioners Brian Wolfe, Nancy Baker and Jerry Oliver include:

Easement & Access

The Commission will be asked to approve a revised easement and access agreement so that the Port of Portland can install a noise monitoring system on the Port of Vancouver’s property.

On August 14, 2007, the commission approved an agreement with the Port of Portland for the system, which will assess the impacts of aircraft noise, and to help planners design measures to address the noise concerns.

Changes to the agreement were negotiated between the two ports when conflicts with a lease with Columbia Waterfront LLC were noticed, and the location for the Noise Monitoring System was moved to a location next to the Columbia Shores Executive Suites. The term of the Easement and Access Agreement is 10 years, unless both parties agree to extend, or to terminate, the easement. There is no income to the Port of Vancouver in this agreement.

Supplemental Savings Plan

In January of 2001, the Port of Vancouver established a Money Purchase Pension Plan and Trust, known as the Port of Vancouver 401(a) Supplemental Savings Plan. In order to keep the plan in compliance with recent tax law changes, the commission must approve an amendment that applies to the definition of wages paid after termination to include unused vacation, sick, or paid time off that would have been paid to employees had they still been employed.

This action item recommends that the commission approve Resolution No. 4-2008 to adopt amendment No. 5 to the Port of Vancouver 401(a) Supplemental Savings Plan.

Purchase of Crushed Concrete from Evergreen Aluminum Demolition

Port staff will ask commissioners to authorize Executive Director Larry Paulson to sign a purchase agreement to buy crushed concrete from the demolition at the Evergreen Aluminum facility at a unit price of $5.50 per ton. The total purchase amount would not exceed $714,120 including Washington State sales tax without further review and approval by the Board of Commissioners.

Through analysis done by the port, the following has been determined:

1. The material is durable and suitable for use as structural fill or surfacing. It has similar utility to crushed rock. Laboratory testing of the material was performed by Geotechnical Resources, Inc.
2. The $5.50 per ton unit price is reasonable and the offer is at or below the value expected on the free market.
3. This material is a valuable commodity to the Port of Vancouver and would allow surfacing of approximately 70 acres with an 8-inch thick layer of compacted material. This would allow construction of additional lay down space at the Alcoa/Evergreen site in the near term.
4. We contacted crushed rock suppliers and understand that the cost for an equivalent crushed rock product would be approximately $14 per ton, assuming delivery from the rock pit to the Evergreen/Alcoa site.

Additional agenda items

In addition to the action items the commissioners will also cover unfinished business including the commission’s monthly review of the Port Contracts Log, and a recommendation from staff regarding the VEBA account, which is a benefit for port employees.

Under new business, the commission is expected to assign Oliver to the Regional Transportation Council’s High Capacity Transit Task Force, filling a slot vacated by Arch Miller.

The Vancouver Port Commission meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., in the Commission Room at port headquarters on Lower River Road in Vancouver, and will be televised live on CVTV, and will be streamed live on www.cvtv.org.

At A Glance
Who: Vancouver Port Commission, Brian Wolfe, Nancy Baker, Jerry Oliver
What: Regular meeting of the Vancouver Port Commission
When: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Port of Vancouver USA Commission Room
Quick Facts: There are three action items on the agenda … An amendment to an Easement and Access Agreement with the Port of Portland is on the agenda ... the meeting will be televised live on CVTV Channel 21, and will be streaming live on www.cvtv.org

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The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

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