HOOD RIVER — As the Port of Hood River board of commissioners met for the first time this year on Jan. 21, a driver crossing the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge collided with the bridge railing, causing minor damage to the bridge and major damage to the truck’s camper. The accident caused delays but no structural damage was reported by staff.
Commissioner Ben Sheppard led the meeting as Board President Kristi Chapman and Vice President Heather Gehring were not in attendance. Public comment was opened with some of the port’s own staff. In December, the port commission asked staff to look into shutting down the toll booth permanently (story to appear online and in an upcoming edition).
The board approved the consent agenda which contained the 2024 Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners. This report recognizes the accomplishments and major events during the 2024 calendar year. They authorized a contract with Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI) to not exceed $75,000 for help filling seasonal staffing positions. BBSI is a company from The Dalles, who is also currently contracted with cities of Hood River and The Dalles, as well as Wasco and Hood River counties.
Following a presentation from pFriem co-owner and CEO Rudy Kellner, the commission welcomed Kelley Wilson of SUM Design Studio to review their Master Services Agreement to conduct a Port Office and Maintenance Facility Relocation Study.
Wilson and his team interviewed full-time staff and took inventory of the square footage to get an idea of what staff needs from their next office location. Wilson said the offices will most likely remain in the same location during construction of the new bridge. Currently, the administration building is listed at 5,045-square-feet and the maintenance outpost is 3,980-square-feet. Wilson brought up the possibility of conducting future operations from separate locations.
If the administration and maintenance were to move to a new location together they would require the same amount of space and Wilson estimates costs would be lower. If admin and the maintenance departments were to operate on separate parcels of land, Wilson said it could be easier to acquire property.
Kelley recommended that the admin and maintenance “closely mirror the current buildings and site in terms of size and area.” Following a discussion about the criteria to consider for a new location, Greenwood said he would check in with the commissioners and get their thoughts on what they want from their next office location.
In other office news, Tom Bacci, the port’s real estate agent, said that there are two parties who are interested in redeveloping the 2.83-acre property that is currently Marina East (old chamber of commerce building) and West (DMV offices). He detailed their intentions to build a three to four story boutique hotel with coffee shop, outdoor pool and spa, downstairs restaurant and more. Bacci said the construction would cost in the range of $30-$50 million. The port would be responsible for the land lease, and the developers would build the hotel on their own dime. Bacci added that they would be looking for a 99-year land lease that would provide the port with $120,000-$160,000 in annual revenue. Commissioners said they were open to listening to ideas.
Wrapping up the executive director’s report, Greenwood said Airport Manager Jeff Renard met with contractors at the Lower Hanel Mill in Odell to discuss the possibility of building storage units to boost revenue.
The final agenda item was Resolution No. 2024-25-17, authorizing the closure of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge toll booth beginning April 1. Finance Director Debbie Smith-Wagar gave a short update to commissioners, who unanimously approved the resolution.
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