PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of a new loader for the log yard and a contract for replacing a taxi lane at William R. Fairchild International Airport.
They also adopted three of four resolutions on Monday addressing the departure of staff who had been authorized to conduct financial transactions on behalf of the port.
A $449,000 Develon, formerly known as Doosan, DX380LL-5 log loader with a reconditioned 44-foot boom from Cascade Trader was the lowest of the four quotes the port received from vendors. With state sales tax and a $20,000 trade-in credit for the port’s current 2007 Doosan 225, the new log loader will cost $467,181.
Commissioner Connie Beauvais said she had concerns about the quality and reliability of a used boom, and she asked if it would be wiser for the port to purchase a slightly more expensive machine with a new boom.
Chris Hartman, the port’s director of engineering, said the refurbished boom was not an inferior piece of equipment, and it wouldn’t be a limiting factor in the log loader’s use. It was likely the boom would last longer than the lower half of the machine, he said.
The new loader will get daily use in the log yard and take the place of other smaller port equipment, Hartman said.
“We will be able to do more in less time,” he said. “It is a critical piece for our operations.”
The airport paving project will involve replacing 20,000 square feet of deteriorated asphalt on the taxi lane between the Life Flight base and the 600 and 700 hangars.
Lakeside Industries’ bid of $107,266 was the only one the port received. Including a 15 percent contingency, the total cost is projected to be $123,356.
Hartman said the higher-than-usual contingency allocation for the project is due to it being unknown what lay beneath the asphalt; previous projects at the airport unearthed significant amounts of debris that took contractors time to remove that added to the overall cost.
The repaving project will be paid for with funds allocated for that purpose in the 2024 capital budget; it did not qualify for Federal Aviation Administration funding, Hartman said.
The recent departure of John Nutter, the former director of finance and administration, and the need to update documentation stating which port employees can carry out transactions with financial institutions prompted four resolutions on the agenda.
The first removed Nutter, former Executive Director Geoff James and former Deputy Auditor Amy Miller as designated signatories on the port’s bank accounts and replaced them with current Executive Director Paul Jarkiewicz, Director of Economic Development Caleb McMahon and Hartman.
The second authorized Jarkiewicz and interim Director of Finance and Operations Jennifer Baker to make deposits and withdrawals with the Local Government Investment Pool, and removed authorization for Nutter, Miller and former Executive Director Karen Goschen.
After returning from executive session, commissioners approved the appointment of Goschen as port auditor and Baker as deputy auditor.
A fourth resolution that would have appointed Baker as treasurer and Commissioner Steve Burke as deputy treasurer was tabled until the next port meeting on Aug. 27.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
