It is the mission of the Port of Garfield to pursue Economic and Community Development, to promote Tourism, and to improve the District for Garfield County and its citizens.
Mission
Our Goals
Purpose of Comprehensive Plan
The purpose of this Comprehensive Plan is to provide general guidance for the orderly development of lands owned and being developed by the Port of Garfield. This is a revised plan of development for the Port of Garfield. An attempt has been made to ensure that this revised plan is concise, meaningful and easy to implement.
Although this plan is intended to be the guidelines of the future, it is certainly not intended to be inflexible, but rather one that could be adapted to meet real progress, needs and unforeseen conditions. The Growth Management Plan (GMP) for Garfield County must be used as a final directional device and in coordination with the Port's Comprehensive Plan.
It is the policy and intent of the Port of Garfield to observe and comply with the provisions of the Equal Opportunity laws and practices of the Federal Government and the State of Washington in the purchase of services, labor or contractual agreements of all kinds.
The preparation and filing of this plan is to comply with state law (RCW 36.70) to inform the
public of the nature and extent of the Port of Garfield projects under consideration, and among other things, to assist and encourage the public to participate in the planning for development and further development of Port land, recreational projects, river port and industrial tracts.
In summary, Port Districts have a growing responsibility as the primary and, sometimes only, public economic development advocate in a city and county area with comprehensive planning that results in real industrial and recreation development.
Our History
On November 4, 1958, the citizens of Garfield County held an election to determine if a Port District was to be established. The voters of Garfield County approved the formation of the entire county into a port district and subsequently, elected commissioners to serve. The following is the meeting minutes from the first meeting held at the Garfield County Courthouse on January 5, 1959.
January 5, 1959
The first meeting of the Garfield County Port Commissioners was an informal meeting held in part, in the auditor’s office in the Garfield County Court House between 11:30 a.m. and noon, and in the offices of McCabe & McCabe attorneys for the Port Commission between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
At the Court house the three elected Commissioners were sworn in, in due form, and a one dollar filing fee was paid. An election was held at which time the following were elected: Don Johnson of Dist. No. 2 became the first President, Chris Wolf of Dist. No. 3 became the first Vice-President and Larry Brown of Dist. No. 1 was elected Secretary.
Time was taken for lunch with the meeting to resume at the office of Pat McCabe at 1:30 p.m. Several points were discussed, and it was found that instead of the commissioners being elected for terms of 1, 2 & 3 years in Dists. No 3, 2 & 1 as the ballot had stated, the terms of office, by law, are to be; for Dist No. 3, 2 years; for Dist. No. 2, 4 years; and for Dist No. 1, 6 years.
It was also decided that the Port Commissioners, with their legal counsel, should make every effort to attend the meeting January 26, 1959 of the McNary Pool Association in Pasco.
Being no further discussion the meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
Larry Brown
Secretary
The Port of Garfield is governed by a three-member port commission board. The commissioners are elected by county voters. Each serves a 6-year term, staggering the elections of each term every 2 years. The commission meets twice a month to approve bills, set policies and make decisions about economic development. It also sets policy and delegates authority for day-to-day operations to the Port manager.
Location
The Port of Garfield encompasses the entire county of Garfield, which occupies some 714 square miles (457,000 acres) of land in southeastern Washington. Garfield County offers obvious opportunities for agricultural or forest product related industries, in addition to providing an attractive alternative for industries desiring to locate in a rural environment.
The northern third of Garfield County is composed of level to moderately-rolling terrain, frequently bisected by deep drainage courses. This land is generally fertile and well-suited to the seed. This Palouse Hills plateau is considered to be the most productive wheat-growing area in the world. The Blue Mountains, the southern third of the county, are a second major topographic region with the Snake River Canyon on the north as the third major feature.
State Route 12 crosses the county from east to west, linking the county seat of Pomeroy to the Lewiston-Clarkston area to the east, and Dayton-Walla Walla-Tri-Cities to the west. Access from the north is provided by State Highway 127, which crosses the Snake River via the Elmer C. Huntley Bridge at Central Ferry, linking Garfield and Whitman counties.
The Port District has three major sites: The DSP Site (the former Dye Seed Plant), the U. S. Forest Service administration facility and the Central Ferry Site. The Port office is located at 141 West High Drive.
A Brief History of Washington Ports
In 1911, growing public dissatisfaction with restricted waterfront access fueled a grassroots push for reform. Advocates traveled to Olympia to urge lawmakers to grant communities greater control over waterfront development. Their efforts led to the passage of the Port District Act, which authorized communities to establish port districts governed by elected commissioners. Later that year, the Port of Seattle was formed, becoming the nation’s first autonomous municipal corporation focused on port terminal operations and commerce development. The Port of Grays Harbor was established soon afterward. Since that time, Washington has grown to include 75 port districts serving communities across the state—not only along rivers and deep-water harbors. Ports now support a wide range of facilities, from airports and agricultural transportation hubs to industrial parks. While each port is unique, all play a vital role in sustaining Washington’s strong and diverse trade economy.
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