Port of Douglas County News

Rock Island Waterfront Redevelopment and
Energy and Technology Innovation Campus

The Port received an additional $120,000 grant from the Department of Ecology to do further assessment on the potentially contaminated portions of the old silicon plant site. This work will help refine what the necessary clean up requirements will be.
On-going efforts include assisting the City of Rock Island with identifying funding sources for the public infrastructure needs in the Waterfront Area. In addition, we’re working to refine the funding and implementation strategy for the adaptive reuse of the silicon plant buildings into the Energy and Technology Innovation Campus.

Port Consolidation
On June 11, the Port of Douglas County and the Port of Chelan County entered into an Interlocal Agreement to create a functional consolidation of the two port districts.
 Beginning January 1, 2020, both Ports and the Pangborn Memorial Airport will begin operating as a single entity: the Chelan Douglas
Regional Port Authority. Both Port Districts will continue to exist; and their commissioners will continue to be elected by the people in each county. Each Port District will remain responsible for establishing their respective tax levy.
The new Regional Port Authority will be governed by the six port commissioners serving as the board of directors. All actions will require an affirmative vote by two commissioners from each Port District.
One of the primary benefits of the consolidation will be a more sustainable funding model for Pangborn Memorial Airport, including a projected annual operating savings of $500,000.
Douglas and Chelan counties may be separated by a river, but we are a single, regional economy. The two Ports will continue to work collaboratively to determine all of the policies, procedures and programs necessary to begin operations as a single organization, with one staff, in the new year. More details to come.

Wenatchi Landing
The Douglas County Sewer District received a $4 million grant from the State of Washington to fund a sewer extension project that will serve a large portion of the Wenatchi Landing development area through a main line in Empire Avenue.
 Douglas County Transportation has also completed a new road extension, 35th Street, that will provide an important transportation connection between Cascade Avenue and Empire Avenue.
 Douglas County, the Port District and our local government partners are continuing to work together to implement the job-creating commercial development envisioned in the Master Plan, and to conduct proactive business recruitment. For the next several months, these efforts will include direct property owner outreach by the Port District to offer assistance in bringing about positive commercial economic development to the area.

Happy Retirement, Doug
After more than 26 years with the Port, Doug Provo is retiring at the end of August to enjoy extra time with his family, especially his two grandkids. Doug has played many roles for the Port over  his knowledge of the Port’s history and assets, as well as his affinity for the County and the people we serve, will be greatly missed.
On behalf of the staff and commissioners of the Port of Douglas County, we want to wish Doug all the best and happy retirement. Thank you for all you’ve done for the Port and its constituents!

Salcido Enterprises
Data pioneer continues to grow and create opportunities for the region.
With five data centers throughout Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties, Salcido Enterprises is on the cutting edge of the data revolution and is helping create a regional tech center in the Valley. Headquartered at the Pangborn Airport Business Park, the company focuses on blockchain security, development and data processing.
 The company is a showcase for both a global vision and local roots.
Founder and CEO Malachi Salcido grew up in Wenatchee and was excited to bring his vision to life locally. “It’s a real blessing to be able to grow and develop and not have to leave my hometown,” he explained.
“There is a lot of talent here. Quality of life is a great recruiting tool.”
Currently The Salcido Group of Companies has around 50 full-time employees and works with another 50 or so local contractors. This allows the company to stay agile and quickly adapt to changes in a relentlessly volatile industry.
“We’re attracting cutting edge companies from around the world and bringing opportunities to the region.”
Salcido is confident more tech companies and jobs are coming. “I believe we can continue to attract technology companies to the region,” he said. “If we leverage our infrastructure—high speed networks and dense, reliable power—we can be a great option for companies that want a cost-effective alternative to a large, urban tech hub.”
Salcido Enterprises is not resting on its past successes. The company recently formed a strategic partnership with Canaan Creative, a Chinese company that is one of the largest server manufacturers in the world.  Together, Salcido and Canaan are designing the next generations of blockchain servers and associated software.

Save the Date
• The North Central Washington Fair August 22 – 25 Waterville. .ncwfair.org
• Port of Chelan’s Partner Breakfast September 26 7:30 – 9 a.m., Wenatchee Convention Center Grand Apple South. Please RSVP to cami@ccpd.com or 509-663-5159
• Port of Douglas Economic Leadership Roundtable October 17, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m., Wild Rivers Sports Bar and Grill Banquet Room