Port of Chehalis reports property sales, grant-funded site work and grain‑handling project

Lindsay Center, Port of Chehalis CEO, told the Chehalis City Council on Jan. 13, 2025, that the port completed its largest property sale to date and is advancing multiple grant‑funded real‑estate and infrastructure projects.

Center said the port sold a property for $2,750,000 to Cascade West Investors and has a purchase‑and‑sale agreement with a developer identified as CRG for a 34‑acre parcel listed at $9,300,000. She said all port buildings currently released for occupancy are at full capacity.

The update outlined several grant awards and follow‑up work. Center said the port received an Industrial Readiness Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for $208,000 used to complete site‑readiness tasks, including archaeology, wetland, geotechnical and topographic surveys, asbestos abatement and vegetation removal. She said the port also received $200,000 for preliminary design and survey work on a parcel the port refers to as Dawson Road (corner of Jackson and Rush roads) to advance future permitting and potential construction of structures and parking.

Center described completion of the Berwick Creek Habitat and Restoration project, funded through the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), involving installation of a waterway, woody debris and plantings to enhance fish and wetland habitat. She also said the port used its wetland mitigation bank during the year and has several USDA and other grant‑funded activities underway.

On a larger agricultural project, Center said the Southwest Washington Grama project has advanced through design. She summarized prior and committed funding as follows: a 2021 contribution of $1,750,000 intended as a match for a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant of $3,500,000; County funding the speaker described as totaling $1,000,000 from the Board of County Commissioners (described in the presentation as two separate awards that together total that amount); and an appropriation the presenter identified as coming from “Congresswoman Glusen Kemp Perez’s office” for $4,200,000. Center said the port completed the bid process, selected Tapanee Construction as the apparent low bidder, and planned to begin construction in early spring (March or April), subject to final contract negotiations and funding availability.

Center also reported on the Port of Chehalis Research and Business Development Park, noting Lewis County Transit’s hydrogen refueling station operates on port‑leased land at a community lease rate and that the port is not responsible for hydrogen operations. The speaker said eight acres of a 35‑acre parcel are leased to an anchor tenant and that the port has additional industrial‑readiness grant funding ($250,000) for brush removal, demolition of a dilapidated structure, and stormwater and grading engineering work for the remaining land.

Center said the port is partnering with Lewis County and city staff on a broader Flood Storage Investment Plan and that port operations manager Bill has led coordination. She described conducting a security survey of the industrial park after tenant reports of increased light theft and prowling; response rates to the survey were limited and the port plans to issue a letter to tenants summarizing findings and offer to revisit the issue if concerns increase.

The update closed with project‑specific notes and nontechnical remarks. Center’s presentation included photos of site work and a progress summary; she invited council questions after her remarks.