Compiled by Bill McCallum
Action Taken at January 9, 2024 Meeting
Shall the commissioners:
1. Amend administrative powers and duties delegated to the executive director or designees? The commission approved Resolution 1106-Z at the 1/10/2023 meeting, vote #10. This vote modifies, clarifies and adds administrative powers and duties to the executive director position. The powers and duties expire on 1/31/2025. Resolution 1106-Aa (13344/Consent Agenda C) Approved 3-0
2. Approve a lease with Northwest Insurance Solutions for Suite 106 in the Bellwether Building? The company will provide professional insurance and educational services. The lease is for 18 months and can be renewed yearly for four years. There is no rent for the first six months while the company performs tenant improvements. The rent for approximately 1,035 square feet is $19,375 and ends on 7/31/2025. (13345/Consent Agenda D) Approved 3-0
3. Authorize the executive director to sign an $80,000 settlement and hold-harmless agreement with Gloria Point? The Lummi Community Development Financial Institution is a port tenant. An employee, Gloria Point on 6/25/2019, slipped on hydraulic fluid that had leaked from a door at the Bayview Center building. She fell and sustained injuries. Through mediation, the port and Ms. Point reached a mutual settlement. Once paid, Ms. Point will erase the port from all future liabilities arising from the incident. (13346/Consent Agenda E) Approved 3-0
4. Renew a five-year lease with Green Truck General Partners for 921 Cornwall Avenue? Green Truck serves truckers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana to provide affordable loans for emission-compliant trucks. At the 10/3/2017 meeting, vote #131, the commission approved an initial five-year lease for 34,000 square feet at 921 Cornwall Avenue. At the 8/9/2022 meeting, vote 102, a two-year lease reduced the yard space to 20,000 square feet to accommodate construction activities at Corix Utility Systems. This renewal will return the space back to 34,000 square feet and monthly rent to $2,458. (13347/Consent Agenda F) Approved 3-0
5. Authorize the executive director to accept a $75,000 grant from Whatcom County to enlarge the Double Thunderbird display? At the 12/10/2019 meeting, vote #169, the commission authorized a $30,000 contract with Lummi Nation carver Jewell James for a native artwork display located at the Bellwether public plaza and called Double Thunder. This county grant will expand the native artwork to illustrate how long Coast Salish people have lived in northern Puget Sound. Anyone can apply to create the enhanced display — it will be located within the leased premises of the Whatcom Educational Credit Union. (13349/Action Item 1) Approved 3-0
6. Authorize the executive director to sign an $11,525 personal services agreement (amendment #2) with Distinctive Voice Consulting of Bellingham? The previous agreement for $13,900 was approved by the commission at the 6/20/2023 meeting, vote #51. This agreement is for diversity, equity and inclusion training of port staff conducted in December 2023. The total amended amount is $37,425. (13351/Consent Agenda B) Approved 3-0
7. Authorize the executive director to sign an agreement with Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) of San Rafael, California? SEI maintains a fellowship program to help implement climate change resiliency projects. At the 9/19/2023 meeting, vote #82, the commission adopted a Climate Action Strategy. As part of the strategy, a building and infrastructure management program was implemented to ensure compliance with the state Clean Building Act and meet greenhouse gas reductions. An SEI Fellow will join the building and infrastructure management program. The port will pay SEI $13,650 to cover 25 percent of the Fellow’s salary for 10 months. Puget Sound Energy is funding a number fellowship positions in the state — it will pay the remaining 75 percent of the salary and expenses of the Port of Bellingham Fellow. (13353/Consent Agenda G) Approved 3-0
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Action Taken at January 23, 2024 Meeting
Shall the commissioners:
8. Authorize the executive director to sign a $833,840 two-year contract with 5 Star Services of Sedro-Woolley for janitorial services? Five Star will provide janitorial services at 29 port facilities: all the port facilities except the airport. This contract has increased 26 percent over the prior year. A $60,000 contingency fee brings the total contract to $943,840: it expires on 1/31/2026. (13394/Consent Agenda C) Approved 3-0
9. Authorize the executive director to approve of a sublease between Fairhaven Industrial Marine Repair Facility and Sayak Logistics dba Northline Seafoods, an Alaskan company? The lease is for approximately 617,140 square feet of property at 200 and 201 Harris Avenue, Bellingham. The settlement agreement approved at the 12/12/2023 meeting, vote #112, required the sublease. Northline operates the Hannah, a platform with a storage capacity of over 14 million pounds that will buy, freeze, ship and store Bristol Bay salmon that will be processed in Western Washington. (13395/Consent Agenda D) Approved 3-0
10. Authorize the executive director to sign an agreement with municipal/county governments and airport sponsors in the state of Washington? The purpose of the agreement is to pursue legal action to compel the state Department of Revenue to comply with with federal law and stop allowing airports to divert aviation fuel revenue for non-airport uses. The state does not possess data on local sales/use tax collected on aviation fuel and says obtaining the data would be administrative burdensome. The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority is coordinating this effort, and the Port of Bellingham is contributing $7,500 to participate. The estimated cost of pre-litigation legal inquiry is $125,000. (13396/Consent Agenda E) Approved 3-0
11. Authorize emergency repairs at the Bellingham airport? On January 14, 2024, cold weather froze a fire suppression water line. The line broke and water fell into the terminal areas. Damage to tenant spaces were minor. ATI Disaster Restoration Services was contacted and performed temporary repairs. Electric/electronic systems associated with the revolving door at ticketing was damaged. The door is a proprietary design from Boone Edam. (13397/Consent Agenda F) Approved 3-0
12. Authorize the executive director to sign (amendment #3) with the state of Washington for Little Squalicum beach? At the 8/9/2021 meeting, vote #102, the port received a $1,500,000 state grant for Little Squalicum beach. The initial project was complete in 2022 with $174,368 remaining in the budget. This amendment will add design and construction of stormwater treatment, interpretive signage and reallocate budget tasks. The grant expiration date is extended to 6/30/2025. (13399/Consent Agenda H) Approved 3-0
13. Authorize the port’s legal counsel to sign contracts up to a total of $169,771 with Anchor QEA of Seattle (to support Chmelik Sitkin & Davis) and other consultants to provide technical expertise in support of legal work related to the environmental department? Since 1996, legal counsel, in conjunction with the port’s environmental department, has managed the claims process with AIG for the port’s cost cap insurance policy, cost recovery efforts involving former tenants and historical insurance, grant funding programs, and negotiations with the state of Washington concerning agreed orders and consent decrees for the port’s 20 state-listed Model Toxics Control Act sites. Anchor QEA has provided the bulk of technical-legal support for these legal efforts. The contract expires on 12/31/2023. (13402/Consent Agenda B) Approved 3-0
