County’s Three Ports Drive a Burgeoning Water-Based Economy
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In addition to traditional transportation modes such as Interstate 5, bustling railways, regional airstrips and nearby Portland International Airport, Cowlitz County boasts another logistical plus – the Columbia River and three busy ports to take advantage of access to the Pacific Ocean. Now a good thing’s getting even better.
The Cowlitz County ports of Longview, Kalama and Woodland have joined forces with Vancouver and Portland ports to deepen the Columbia River’s navigation channel from 40 to 43 feet. Those three feet “mean thousands of tons of cargo,” says Ken O’Hollaren, Port of Longview executive director.
“This will allow vessels to more fully load cargo. To the extent they become more efficient, those savings are realized by the shippers and all the consumers of products that they handle, and it makes the river system competitive. That’s really the key here,” O’Hallaren says.
The dredging project, handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is more than halfway complete.
The Port of Woodland is garnering an additional advantage from the dredging: hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand. Erica Rainford, the port’s executive director, says the sand is being deposited on two port properties to be sold for profit.
Located near the Clark County line, the Port of Woodland offers easy access to the interstate and owns a rail spur, two benefits that are luring industry. Its Down River Industrial Park is full, with nine tenants. Now open for business is the new Schurman Way Industrial Park, while Guild Industrial Parks I and II are in the design phase.
The Port of Longview is adjacent to Weyerhaeuser, one of Cowlitz County’s largest employers, as well as operations for industrial giants such as North American Pipe and Steel and Brown-Strauss Steel. O’Hollaren says the port’s people are one reason why its industrial park is nearly full and customers return again and again.
“We have a highly efficient and productive labor force, both in terms of our cargo-handling crew as well as our maintenance and construction workforce. They have a reputation throughout the West Coast for productivity and efficiency,” O’Hollaren says.
During 2008, the port will complete its eighth marine terminal, this one dedicated to grain exports.
With three marine terminals, the Port of Kalama has shovel-ready sites available in the Kalama River Industrial Park. One 30,000-square-foot building is ready for occupancy, and another 40,000-square-foot facility will be complete by fall 2008. Mindi Linquist, the port’s marketing and government relations manager, says 945 people already are employed by the port’s tenants. More jobs are being created by Cameron Family Glass Packaging, which broke ground in 2007 for its $109 million facility.
Plans are under way for an expansion that will accommodate recreational amenities and additional business development at the Port of Kalama.
“We’ve just acquired land on the east side of I-5, and we’re looking to start developing that within the year,” Linquist adds. The site will be developed to include “a very high-end” business park, she says. The Kalama Fairgrounds and some Little League fields will be relocated there, as well.
The Port of Kalama prides itself on its recreational opportunities and operates a 222-slip marina. A new park was dedicated in early summer 2008, with sand volleyball courts, basketball and tennis courts, picnic shelters and horseshoe pits.
“We have beach access to the Columbia River,” Linquist says. “It’s open to the public, anyone can come, and there’s no charge.”
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Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
Photo by Todd Bennett
