Program Chairman Nathan Twining introduced Rob Fix, Executive Director of the Port of Bellingham. Rob comes to his office with a background in Finance and Management. His venue of responsibility is wide and challenging. The functions of the Port of Bellingham Commission can be split into two sectors: Operations and Public Programs.
The operations sector includes Aviation, Marinas, Marine Terminals, and Real Estate. Perhaps overlooked, public marine travel enters the fray. One of my great travel memories was a wintertime voyage from Bellingham to Skagway, Alaska on the Alaskan Ferry system. I still recall our evening departure from the beautiful Bellingham Cruise Terminal. Little did I know that the Port Authority is a major Bellingham transportation and real estate agency.
Rob Fix filled us in on recent airline bookings, the trend is upward after the huge downslide during Covid. 2014 stands as the record year for airline boarding at Bellingham (BLI). Another factor in airport operations is the portion an airline fare designated for the cost of local operations. The cost per enplanement at BLI is less than $4.00 per passenger. By comparison, the airport’s cost portion of fare at Vancouver runs $30-35.00 per passenger.
We also learned that local aviation operations go beyond air carrier operations. Little did I know that Alpha Tech recently constructed a new hanger that can accommodate two Boeing 727s, one of my favorite airplanes.
Marine operations are a large portion of the Port of Bellingham’s responsibility. Many of you have rented boat slips from the Port of Bellingham. The Port docking area in Bellingham Bay includes 1,386 boat slips, Blaine is in the same system and has 629 slips. The Maritime trades in Whatcom County are considerable and represent 7% of the total county workforce. Little had I considered this: security can be a big challenge for Port operations.
The commercial Marine Terminals continue to expand at Bellingham. Shipping terminals are being upgraded, for example a $27 million improvement of the heavy lift area is underway. I was delighted to learn that the BSF Railway trackage is being expanded to facilitate serving joint rail/marine shipping terminals. That promotes modernized infrastructure and new business opportunities. This also means financial grants, new customers, and rail connections for local business.
My image of a port usually involves container ships, but Bellingham will never be a container port – too shallow.
Rob Fix enlightened us about the conversion of the old pulp mill to a multi-use public facility. Some of the former paper mill retains its industrial character. Other areas have been designated for dockage, housing, and recreational areas. The process of conversion includes extensive environmental cleanup which is heavily regulated and tightly controlled. An interesting tidbit involves the expansion of All American Marine to include a large ferry boat powered by hydrogen fuels. The regulatory agencies were challenged to ponder the handling of hydrogen.
The Port Authority has responsibility for managing real estate properties involved within the Waterfront District Plan. Agreements with potential lessors include binding legal agreements, default consequential policies, and of course compensation. Rob Fix’s financial background obviously serves the best interests of Whatcom citizens.
Our speaker was speaking to a highly receptive audience. Overall, this was a most pleasant and informative presentation.
