RIDGEFIELD — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will move in June 2017 from its Vancouver location to an $8 million newly constructed building on a Port of Ridgefield-owned site at South 11 Street.
According to Guy Norman, regional director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the agency will lease 31,400 square feet from the Port of Ridgefield plus 8,000 square feet of outdoors covered, secure storage.
The office will serve as regional headquarters for wildlife, fish, habitat and enforcement programs, customer service staff and Columbia River fishery management.
The building will have 154 office spaces.
The department has 103 permanent employees plus up to 80 seasonal workers at the peak of the fall salmon return, he said.
The 3.8-acre site includes 100 parking spaces for employees and the public, and another 50 spaces in a secured area for government vehicles.
The building includes a 10,000 foot indoor garage for large vessels and other field equipment as well as a laboratory to conduct fishery research.
There will be a large conference room to conduct agency meetings such as the Columbia River Compact hearings and fish and wildlife advisory groups. The conference room will be available for use by public organizations.
Norman said five office spaces are reserved for employees of the Seattle district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who current are located with the department.
“Ridgefield is an ideal location for the region headquarters with quick access to the freeway and it’s closer to the majority of our field work than our current location in Vancouver,’’ Norman said. “This site will enable us to conduct our field operations more efficiently and also provide convenient access for our customers.’’
The Ridgefield location remains reasonably close to Portland, where department staff works with federal and tribal Columbia River co-managers, he added.
“It’s a plus to have port boat ramp to the Columbia and a national wildlife areas just down the road,’’ Norman said.
The current department office is at 2108 Grand Blvd. in Vancouver in a building that once was the home and garden portion of Fred Meyer’s Fourth Plain store.
The agency manages its operations in Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Skamania, Lewis and Klickitat counties, plus Columbia River fisheries, from its regional office.
