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For Immediate Release

VANCOUVER PORT COMMISSION AUTHORIZES LAND EXCHANGE, EMINENT DOMIAN

October 23, 2007 -- VANCOUVER, Wash.-At its regular meeting today, the Vancouver Port Commission voted to authorize staff to move forward with two recommendations.

The Commission first authorized Executive Director Larry Paulson to execute a land exchange agreement with the City of Vancouver. The exchange allows the port to assist the city in its goal to exchange land with the Humane Society of Southwest Washington so the Humane Society can build a larger facility in East Vancouver.

By completing the exchange, the port released a reversionary clause that was written into the sale agreement with the Humane Society in the 1980s, when the non-profit animal shelter was given a portion of its current property from the port.

“The port worked with the city to facilitate the exchange of property with the Humane Society,” said the port’s Director of Facilities Curtis Shuck. “By doing so, that allowed the Humane Society to relocate its facility to a larger, modern and more-strategic location.”

The port released its reversionary interest in approximately 0.401 acres located in the northerly portion of 2121 St. Francis Lane in Vancouver, in exchange for approximately 0.966 acres located adjacent to current port tenants TriMac Panel Products and Tesoro Fuel. The residual acreage of approximately 0.565 acres has an assessed land value of $61,527.50. The port will pay the city for the residual balance at the completion of the transaction.

“The parcel that will transfer to the port currently has rail lines on it that serve TriMac and Tesoro, and should be placed in the port’s ownership in order to continue to provide rail service to those port facilities,” Shuck said.

Eminent Domain

The commission also authorized a declaration of the need to acquire real property by means of eminent domain. While the port is in negotiation to purchase property from the Lafarge Northwest cement facility on West Fifth Street in Vancouver, staff needed authorization from the commission to use eminent domain in a worst-case scenario.

The property is needed by the port to be used as right of way and a 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. While the port needs to be legally prepared, its preference is to negotiate a settlement in every case.

Government entities, if they do use eminent domain, are required by law to pay fair market value for property acquired through the process.

“The port’s West Vancouver Freight Access project will provide new rail into the port that provides not only increased service for existing port customers, but supports the ability for the port to attract new business prospects – both marine and industrial,” Shuck said. “Additionally, the project significantly reduces the numbers of rail delays in the Vancouver area, and allows for more capacity to the entire passenger and freight rail systems across the region.”

Shuck added that the WVFA project helps facilitate the city’s waterfront development at the site of the old Boise Cascade plant.

In order to achieve the goals of the WVFA project, the port needs to acquire the Lafarge property to obtain the rail corridor that is required. The port is preparing to move forward with segments of the West Vancouver Freight Access project that require the acquisition of this property take place in accordance with Washington Department of Transportation requirements.