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For Immediate Release

VANCOUVER PORT COMMISSION TO CONSIDER TWO ACTIONS ITEMS ON TUESDAY

October 19, 2007 -- VANCOUVER, Wash.-The Vancouver Port Commission will take up two action items at its regular meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m., in the Commission Room at Port of Vancouver headquarters (3103 NW Lower River Road in Vancouver).

The meeting will also be televised live on CVTV, channel 21.

Land Exchange with the City of Vancouver

The commission is expected to authorize a land exchange with the City of Vancouver that will benefit the Humane Society of Southwest Washington, the city and the port. In the exchange, the Humane Society will get five acres of property in East Vancouver, while the city will get the industrial property near the port where the Humane Society is currently located. The port sold a portion of the current shelter property (.401 acres) to the Humane Society in the 1980s with a reversionary clause written into the sale agreement.

Port staff, under the direction of the commission, has been working with the city to facilitate the exchange, and the port has waived its reversionary clause. In exchange, the port will receive property currently owned by the city that provides rail access to port tenants TriMac Panel Products and Tesoro fuel.

LaFarge Corporation Property

The commission will be asked to approve a resolution that authorizes staff to acquire a segment of property at the LaFarge Cement facility on the Columbia River waterfront by eminent domain to be used as right of way and construction easement for the port’s West Vancouver Freight Access project. The property is located between the existing LaFarge facility and the Columbia River. The West Vancouver Freight Access project is related to public use and the public interest requires the acquisition of this property. The port will be negotiating with LaFarge to purchase the needed property, but the authorization to use eminent domain is a requirement for the acquisition of right of way. While the port needs to be legally prepared, its preference is to negotiate a settlement in every case.