Press Release

Blue Mountain Station Site Plans-in-Progress Unveiled

January 21, 2010

DAYTON, WASH – the public is invited to a presentation on site plans-in-progress for Blue Mountain Station, the natural and organic eco-food processing park to be located on newly acquired Port of Columbia property at the west end of Dayton.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 pm Thursday, February 4th at the Seneca Activity Center.

While public approval is not required at this point in the planning process, the Port wishes to provide a project update to interested businesses and citizens. In addition to site planning progress, a marketing and business development progress report will also be shared.

The presentation will include feedback from the recently attended Fancy Food Show, drawings for the business development/market center, LEED certification considerations, architecture and engineering ideas, and building and infrastructure placement.

The Port, working with local architecture and engineering firm USKH, has been refining the site plan in order to gain development approval and complete construction plans and bid documents for the first phase of infrastructure.

“It doesn’t make sense to install infrastructure until we have a solid site plan,” stated Jennie Dickinson, Manager of the Port of Columbia. “We have found, especially when striving for LEED certification, that significant planning must be done before any ground is disturbed in order to make sensible building placement, road placement, and storm water management decisions.”

Site plans are still in the development stage.

“This is the perfect time to share them with the public. They are far enough along that we can reasonably share our vision, but not too far along to make changes to the plan to incorporate new ideas,” stated Dickinson.

To download the press release click here.

 

Updated Site Design in Progress

Click on image above to enlarge.

Jennie's Gems

By Jennie Dickinson, Manager, Port of Columbia

More detailed site planning for Blue Mountain Station is currently the focus of our project. The executive committee is working with USKH on design with an emphasis on sustainability and LEED certification requirements.

Why the environmental focus? A recent planning session that dealt primarily with LEED certification considerations brought the need for early site planning clearly into focus. LEED certification is based on earning “points,” and significant contributors to earning those points are items like building orientation, parking layout, and storm water management systems. These important decisions need to be made before ground is broken; therefore more detailed site planning is necessary prior to creating construction and bid documents for the first phase of infrastructure. We certainly don’t want to put a parking lot in a place we’ll later regret!

In the meantime, business development contacts continue to be made and ideas for pulling the park together fleshed out. Cost per square foot for processing space must be determined so a prospectus for potential business clients can be finalized. The possibility of local incentives in addition to Washington State’s Rural Tax incentives is being considered as well.

In my last newsletter piece, I promised that the public would be included as our planning process progressed, so I’m staying true to my word: Consider yourself invited and encouraged to attend a presentation on marketing and site planning progress Thursday, February 4th beginning at 6:30 pm at the Seneca Activity Center in Dayton. An approximately hour-long presentation will be made followed by an opportunity to ask questions and give input.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 4th!

Side Tracks

By Gary A. White

Click on image above to enlarge.

Waving the Blue Mountain Station Flag in San Francisco

Dennis Miller (President, Artmil) and I again attended the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, January 17 - 19, 2010. Although we didn’t experience the wonderful Spring like weather of last year’s Show, but rather torrential rains and nasty winds, overall it was more productive. The 2009 Show was clouded with uncertainty because of a down economy and a new presidential administration. The 2010 Show attracted seventeen thousand buyers and 1,400 exhibitors. I was told by a spokesperson for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT…..producers of the Show) the exhibitor numbers were slightly down, but attendee numbers were up approximately 2,000. Those we met with were upbeat about the industry, their particular business, looking to introduce new products and receptive to expansion opportunities.

Questions were asked this year that were not asked last year; “what is the cost per square foot?” “what is the procedure to participate?” and “what incentives are available?”. Two companies asked me to get back to them after the show. These are all good signs. We must remember that Blue Mountain Station is a new concept in the food processing industry. It will take time for the industry to fully understand the concept and its various income streams. As the editor of a major food trade magazine told me, “I believe the Blue Mountain Station concept is the food processing model of the future”. Yep, I agree with him (surprise, surprise).

One of the many wonderful experiences in attending trade shows is seeing old friends and making new ones. It was great to see Vaughn Sharp, now with DPI Specialty Foods and one of our Advisory Team members. Vaughn introduced me to Carl Bangle and Bob Newman, owners of Excel Brokerage. Great guys and very excited about Blue Mountain Station. Excel has offices in Seattle, Portland and Spokane. They are interested in working with us to develop opportunities for Blue Mountain Station tenants and the Blue Mountain Station brand. I met with Jan Fialkow, Managing Editor of Cheese Connoisseur and DeliBusiness magazines. Jan really likes the concept, especially the culinary tourism aspect. I also met with Richard Turcsik, Executive Editor, Grocery Headquarters magazine. Richard is another believer and would like to write an article in the near future. That would be great! It was good to see Pam Montgomery and her Chukar Cherries’ crew. Chukar Cherries, out of Prosser, WA, is one of the premier specialty food processors in the Pacific Northwest, maybe the planet! Plus, they are really nice people.

Another Winter Fancy Food Show come and gone. Although our feet were throbbing and our legs were tight and sore by the end of each day, our arms never wearied in waving the Blue Mountain Station flag.