Leaders are taking the port in the right direction

Port of Camas-Washougal leaders have been making many important, strategic and smart decisions during the past few years, and recently agencies beyond the borders of Camas and Washougal have taken notice.

It was announced last week that the Port of C-W had been named “Port of the Year” by the Washington Public Ports Association, which consists of 76 port districts across the state.The award, voted on by the six-member WPPA executive committee, was presented during the organization’s annual meeting in Seattle. It recognizes the C-W Port’s strategic planning, acquisition and development milestones.

Examples of some of these milestones include the purchase of 13.25 acres in shoreline property at the former Hambleton Lumber Company site, the work of the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association, ground breaking on the Steigerwald Commerce Center property, and design work on new industrial park space.

“We expect dynamic and very positive changes in the year to come, following our most recent property purchase of the former Hambleton Lumber Co. site and the Steigerwald Commerce Center development now moving ahead,” said Executive Director David Ripp is a news release today. “It’s shaping up to be a very exciting year for the port, particularly with some of the projects that have only been on the drawing board and are now becoming a reality.”

Some of the efforts being completed now by Port Commissioners Mark Lampton, Bill Ward and Bill Macrae-Smith and Ripp, however, will still take years to come to fruition. When finally complete, the faces on the commission may be different but it is this group today that has set the stage for future success. And success, in this situation, has multiple definitions that involve creating opportunities for economic development, community recreation and public river access, as well as bringing much needed jobs to the area.

This group of leaders has made great strides on behalf of the port in recent years, and if all goes as planned the beneficiaries of this work will ultimately be the current and future citizens of Camas and Washougal.