PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles commissioners voted to renew Executive Director Bob McChesney’s contract, adding a cost-of-living raise at their Monday meeting.
The commissioners also heard from McChesney about the proposal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C., to bring its research fleet to Port Angeles.
The commissioners included a 2.8 percent salary increase to his $120,000-per-year salary as a contract amendment.
McChesney’s contract is renewed annually, and this year he received the same salary increase as all other port employees — the same cost of living adjustment percentage as last year.
The salary adjustment was the only amendment to his contract.
Both the amendment and the contract passed unanimously.
“I just want to express my confidence in your ability to lead the port through exciting times and tremendous opportunities,” port commission President John Calhoun said.
McChesney was selected in July 2004 to replace longtime executive director Clyde Boddy.
McChesney was the former director of properties and development for the Port of Everett.
The Seattle-based fleet includes six of 11 NOAA vessels, which are located on Lake Union in Seattle.
NOAA’s Lake Union lease is up in 2011, and the agency is considering moving to a new location in 2012, said Capt. Michelle Bullock.
Relocating the vessels — which conduct research on climate change, ecosystems, the health of fisheries and hydrographic surveying — would bring about 180 jobs to Port Angeles, port officials have said.
The Port of Bellingham, Port of Seattle and the Port of Newport, Ore., have also shown interest in attracting NOAA.
McChesney hand-delivered the proposal to Washington, D.C., and said he hoped to keep the in-person touch throughout the wooing process.
“We can go with the bootstrap method and say that we can do it ourselves, or we can consider a lobbyist,” he said.
Calhoun suggested speaking with other interested parties such as Clallam County and the city of Port Angeles before deciding and added that he was not opposed to either idea.
“If everyone feels that it would enhance our chances of getting this, I don’t see why we should discount hiring a lobbyist,” Calhoun said.
No action was taken on the NOAA proposal or whether to hire a lobbyist.
McChesney said it would be two or three weeks before the port would hear back from a technical adviser.
“If there are any problems then we have five days to fix those,” he said.
“But I fully expect that we should make it to the negotiating round.”
McChesney said there were few details on how the negotiations would unfold, but that it would involve a lot of “salesmanship of the region.”
In other business, the port commissioners voted to put off a replacement of Tumwater Creek Bridge.
The bridge, which is on port property on the waterfront, was estimated to cost $400,000, and the bids came in at about $800,000.
McChesney also said that the type of bridge built could be significantly affected by whether or not the port was awarded the contract with NOAA, because the agency would require a different type of bridge from what a company using heavy industrial equipment might need.
__________
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
