FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn Casey
December 10, 2004 Port of Bellingham
(360) 676-2500
COMMISSION TO VOTE ON GP ACQUISITION IN
JANUARY
Community Can Review All Agreements During Next
Several Weeks
[Bellingham, Wash.]
The Port of Bellingham’s Board of Commissioners
announced today that on December 14 they intend to direct staff to complete the
final documentation for the proposed Port acquisition of the Georgia Pacific
property. This final documentation includes the Purchase and Sale Agreement as
well as the insurance policy contracts.
At
the same meeting, the Commission will be considering two essential interlocal
agreements with the City of Bellingham
that must be in place before the project can move forward. The City Council is
scheduled to consider these interlocal agreements at their meeting Monday,
December 13.
The
Commission will make all of the key documents available for public review as
soon as they are completed. The Commission will take public comment on the completed
documents prior to taking final action on the transaction in mid to late
January to give the community the opportunity for input on the decision.
“This represents a huge undertaking for the
Port and, an amazing opportunity for the community,” said Commission President
Scott Walker. “It is multimillion dollar, more than 20-year project, so the
Commission wants to make sure everyone has time to
understand the transactions. At our
public hearings we have heard that more time is needed and we certainly want to
give people more time to review this.”
The
proposed Port/City interlocal agreements will be posted on the Port of Bellingham’s website www.portofbellingham.com by the end
of the day today. The Port will make the Purchase and Sale Agreement and the
insurance agreement available for public review as soon as they are completed.
“It is important to understand that the
Commission decision in January will be whether to accept or reject these
agreements,” said Port Executive Director Jim Darling.
The
Port will continue to update its website as more information becomes available.
