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Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.
C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.
John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.
Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.
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A scaled-down proposal by the Port of Tacoma for a rail yard in South Thurston County received criticism and questioning from the public and Olympia port officials, The Olympian reports today.
The Tacoma port has ditched its proposal for a full scale logistics center on property it owns in Maytown and is instead focusing on a smaller rail operation.
But, according to The Olympian story, there's still a lot more questions than answers on this project.
Here's their report:
A scaled-down proposal for a rail yard on Port of Tacoma-owned property in south Thurston County was criticized Monday by residents, and faced pointed questions from Port of Olympia commissioners.
f the agreement is not approved later this month, the Port of Tacoma would sell the property, according to information presented at the Port of Olympia meeting.
In order to evaluate rail-yard plans for the Maytown property, the Port of Tacoma seeks to extend an agreement it has with the Port of Olympia.
No action was taken on the agreement Monday, but Olympia commissioners will vote June 23 on whether to extend it.
The agreement, which was first signed in July 2006 and extended November 2007, expires June 30. The agreement allows the Port of Tacoma to buy and explore development of land outside of its jurisdiction in Pierce County.
The project proposal came under fire at a Port of Olympia Commission meeting, which was scheduled at Comfort Inn in Tumwater to accommodate an audience of about 100 people.
About 20 residents testified against the project, and Port of Olympia Commissioners George Barner and Bill McGregor asked pointed questions about it.
At issue is a 745-acre parcel in Maytown that the Port of Tacoma purchased for $22 million in 2006 for use as a possible site for a South Sound Logistics Center, where cargo would have been transferred from trains to trucks.
Partly because of public opposition to the proposal, Port of Tacoma officials have scaled back their plans to focus on a proposal to develop part of the land for a rail yard. The remaining land could be set aside for conservation or mining or be sold.
Port of Tacoma Deputy Executive Director John Wolfe, who testified at Monday's meeting, presented data that the rail yard is needed because state rail volumes are projected to double within the next 20 to 25 years.
But commissioner Barner raised questions about the volume of rail traffic, the cost and the environmental effects of such a yard, while McGregor asked nine questions of his own.
Wolfe didn't have many answers for their questions.
"That's a level of detail we need to explore," Wolfe said.
Port of Olympia Executive Director Ed Galligan read a statement from commissioner Paul Telford, who was absent for medical reasons.
"I am not inclined to support extending the interlocal agreement with the Port of Tacoma," Telford wrote in his statement. "However, I believe there is an opportunity here for a win-win solution. This would require the Port of Tacoma and interested groups and agencies to come up with a new plan."
In his statement, Telford added that such a plan might include land for a park and recreation.
Many residents still are opposed to industrial development of the property.
Chris Houdlette, who lives near Maytown, said she believes a rail yard would be loud and polluting.
"I don't want that in the middle of my neighborhood," Houdlette said.
Stephanie Coontz, a member of the activist group Friends of Rocky Prairie, said the Port of Tacoma erred when it first bought the property.
"You made a big, $22 million mistake," Coontz said.
Rolf Boone is a business reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.
