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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2019)
A6 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019 Port of Toledo: Operates boatyard as a sort of coworking space Continued from Page A1 Shoemake, a former harbormaster in Newport and manager for Fred Wahl, saw an opportunity to fi ll the void amid a dwindling number of haulouts for the region’s fi shing boats. Toledo studied the feasibility of restarting the boatyard and in 2010 secured more than $1.7 million in state fi nancing and grants from the gov- ernor’s strategic reserve and brownfi eld funds to buy the boatyard, reopening it in 2011. Toledo operates the boatyard as a sort of coworking space. Port staff haul out vessels, sandblast and paint to ensure envi- ronmental compliance. But Toledo invites private contractors, who pay the port an hourly fee, to do other work on boats. Toledo’s 2013 strategic business plan, vetted in public for local support, recog- nized the boatyard as a primary opportu- nity for economic development and job growth. The state awarded Toledo a $4.7 million ConnectOregon infrastructure grant as part of a $6.2 million buildout to add a set of piers so boats could park and be pulled out by a new 660-ton mobile lift. The boatyard recently began founda- tion work on a new $2.9 million, 94-foot- tall building , two-thirds of it funded by yet another ConnectOregon grant. “This is because of our strategic plan, Shoemake said of the state’s investment . He credits the boatyard with taking the port’s staff from three to more than 40, including sandblasting, painting and welding crews, while supporting indepen- dent contractors. The boatyard saw more than 240 boats last year for everything from a pressure wash to large projects like the expansion of the Pegasus. In addition to the fi shing fl eet, the boat- yard has become a favored location for servicing research boats and buoys for “It really is an, ‘If you build it, they will come,’ story,” he said. In a nod to his hometown’s new devel- opment, Johnson changed the homeport written on the back of the Pegasus, based in Newport, to Toledo. ‘Gold standard’ Edward Stratton/The Astorian Ben White, a boatyard employee for the Port of Toledo, hops into the water to remove the straps from the hull of the fi shing vessel Pegasus before its launch. the nearby fl eets of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oregon State University and other agencies. Shoemake has lamented the lack of local marine industrial professionals to work on boats. Toledo recently turned that market defi ciency into a $261,285 grant from the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion to train welders from Oregon Coast Community College and Lincoln County School District at the boatyard. There are only a couple of lifts on the Oregon Coast that could handle a boat of the Pegasus’ new width, said co-cap- tain Justin Johnson. Having the expansion done in his backyard was the icing on the cake for the Toledo native. “Toledo is the gold standard,” Dave Harlan, the ports manager for Business Oregon, said of the boatyard. “Others have done well pursuing their plans, but Bud has used his plan and planning pro- cess to demonstrate consensus and cred- ibility and successfully attracted millions to create one of the most capable and envi- ronmentally friendly yards on the West Coast.” The Port of Astoria hopes to fi nish its strategic plan, required for more state support, in September after a tumultuous recent run that included the resignation of Jim Knight, its embattled former exec- utive director. The plan also comes after an early exit from the industrial docks at North Tongue Point, once seen as the Port’s best option for a boatyard similar to Toledo’s. “For the next (two to four) years, the Port’s strategic focus is on returning the Port to fi nancial sustainability, the repair and maintenance of the Port’s infrastruc- ture, and regaining community and public trust,” the most recent draft of the strate- gic plan states. Will Isom, the Port’s fi nance direc- tor, who was appointed interim executive director after Knight’s departure, said the agency needs to get its internal processes in order, liquidate assets it doesn’t make sense to own and leverage the money in state or private partnerships to repair the most critical infrastructure needs. A priority is Pier 2, where fi sh proces- sors can employ hundreds. The pier has secured nearly $2 million in ConnectOre- gon grants for past improvements, but is still in grave need of repair. “Toledo’s obviously ahead of us in tim- ing,” Isom said. “We have some critical needs to take care of, then we can take a look at how to expand.” Marine cluster The Port’s strategic plan in 2001 envi- sioned a marine cluster centered around a modern boatyard like Toledo’s with a large travel lift on Pier 3. The plan enticed com- panies like Englund Marine & Industrial Supply, Columbia Pacifi c Marine Works and Bornstein Seafoods to move near the Port’s Pier 3 boatyard, but the marine clus- ter concept has eroded since log exports from the Port restarted in 2010. The Port in 2017 ended its lease at North Tongue Point early to allow boat- builder Hyak Maritime to buy the prop- erty and begin developing a boatbuild- ing and repair center similar to Toledo’s and Fred Wahl in Reedsport. The project recently secured around $300,000 from the governor’s strategic reserve fund to strengthen a boat ramp used to tow ves- sels out of the water. The state economic development agency is pushing for a marine services niche along the Oregon Coast to ser- vice vessels from throughout the Pacifi c Northwest, Harlan said. Even with Fred Wahl, the Port of Toledo and Hyak Mari- time, people in the ports world agree there is demand for more facilities if the Port decides to expand in that direction. The Port’s draft strategic plan references pos- sible modest improvements to expand its boatyard. “It would be good if Astoria would do their thing, too,” Shoemake said. “We’d support them in that. There’s enough work for everybody.” The Port of Toledo’s shipyard provides a workspace for fi shing and research vessels from the nearby Port of Newport. ® Google average rating 4.8 READ THE REVIEWS Don’t just take our word for it. 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