The ReflectorServing North Clark and South Cowlitz counties, Washington July 8, 2015TheReflector.com

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Find the Port of Ridgefield’s Summer Newsletter in THIS issue.

LOOK INSIDE!

W A S H I N G T O N

W A S H I N G T O N PORT

COMMISSION STAFF & ADVISORSCOMMISSIONERSJoe Melroy • ChairmanScott Hughes • TreasurerBruce Wiseman • Secretary

STAFF Brent Grening • CEO Nelson Holmberg • VP of InnovationLaurie Olin • VP of OperationsWonder Baldwin • Admin AssistantJeanette Ludka • Accounting MgrPat Kirby • MaintenanceKevin Oldham • Maintenance

ADVISORSBill Eling • Port CounselScott Fraser • Commercial Real EstateSusan Trabucco • Communications & Marketing

PORTwoRkS is published quarterly by the Port of Ridgefield. ©Copyright 2015

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111 West Division St, Ridgefield, WA 98642 360.887.3873 portridgefield.org

SUMMER 2015

INSIDE

WORKING FOR THE COMMUNITY, CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUILDING THE ECONOMY

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A COMMERCIAL VIEW

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VISION OPPORTUNITY LOCATION LIFESTYLE VISION OPPORTUNITY LOCATION LIFESTYLE

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RIDGEFIELD - A GREAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT

BIG REDS & BOLD VISION

To assist in its efforts to encourage quality development in the rapidly-growing Discovery Corridor, the Port recently created and filled a new position to boost those efforts.

Port representatives are pleased to announce they have tapped life-long Clark County resident Nelson Holmberg as Vice President of Innovation. Holmberg started with the Port on June 15. Port Chief Executive Officer Brent Grening said the timing – and the person – are right.

“The Port is seeking projects and opportunities that will transform the economy of the Discovery Corridor,” Grening said. “We believe Nelson has the unique capacity to develop and grow the Port partnerships that can drive and develop that new economy.”

Holmberg previously held posts

as Executive Director at the Port of Woodland and Communications Manager at the Port of Vancouver. Most recently he led BergerABAM’s public involvement practice in the firm’s Vancouver, Wash., office as

Senior Public Involvement Project Manager.

Holmberg’s duties at the Port of Ridgefield will be to identify and secure new opportunities and revenue streams for the Port.

“The Port Commission understands we need new, innovative ways of doing things, and the human resource with the time to move those ideas forward,” Grening said.

He also emphasized that Holmberg is passionate about the area, and possesses a shared vision of the opportunity and potential for Ridgefield.

“Nelson is an innovator. He’s a catalyst, and an important addition to our team. He sees opportunity, goes after it, and makes it happen,” said Grening. “He’s exactly what the Port needs.”

For folks who travel north and south on I-5, they see only a fraction of what comprises the vibrant, picturesque town of Ridgefield. Those who venture off the freeway will find that in Ridgefield, recently named the state’s “fastest-growing” city,

there’s more than meets the eye from the asphalt corridor vantage point.

The Ridgefield area, with a population of around 17,000, is loosely the 98642 area code. Known as the Discovery Corridor and comprising the Port of Ridgefield’s economic district, it stretches north on I-5 from the Clark County Event Center at 179th Street to the La Center Exit. Its western boundary is the Columbia River; to the east it’s approximately 50th Avenue.

The actual city of Ridgefield is smaller, with a population of just over 6,000; but as the census figures show, it’s growing fast and booming with new housing construction. Civic leaders know that businesses—and more residents and their infrastructure requirements—are on the way.

These days, Port of Ridgefield, City and school district leaders spend a great deal of time talking about how

to insure the growing community doesn’t lose the very qualities that make it attractive to longtime residents and its many newcomers.

To gain a better understanding of just what those qualities are – and how to preserve them – the City of Ridgefield recently launched a Sub Area Planning process to help

identify the unique characteristics of a specific, or “sub” area within the community.

In June, the Port sat down with City of Ridgefield Manager Steve Stuart, to ask him about the details of this important planning process.

City Manager Tells AllFrom his office in downtown

Ridgefield overlooking Pioneer Street, Stuart, who took the helm as City Manager just a little over a year ago, was quick to start the conversation by emphasizing that the Ridgefield City Council, Mayor and the Port Commission were the catalysts for this planning process.

As an example, he cited the Port’s waterfront clean-up and its earlier Millers’ Landing visioning process as

LOOKS TO THE FUTURE, PAGE 2

CITY PLANS FOR GROWTH THROUGH PUBLIC INPUT, INTEGRATED PLANNING

PORT ADDS HOLMBERG TO DRIVE ECONOMY & INNOVATION IN DISCOVERY CORRIDOR

PORT OF THE YEAR 2014 WASHINGTON STATE

2RIDGEFIELD LOOKS TO

THE FUTURE

HOLMBERG, PAGE 4Nelson Holmberg

Steve Stuart

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Annual event draws thousands of residents, visitorsJC Cortezfor The Reflector

RIDGEFIELD – Ridgefield's population swelled Saturday as a swarm of visitors descended on the town and braved blistering heat to partici-pate in the annual Independence Day festivities.

Visitors from all over the region made the trip to Ridgefield, which provided a full day of activ-ities and entertainment.

“It's kind of been our tradition to come up here to Ridgefield for the Fourth of July celebration,” Vancouver resident Denette Goe said, though she couldn't pin down exactly what first drew her to the town.

“Probably the small community and just people are friendly who are native to Ridgefield,” she said.

The seemingly town-wide party began early Satur-day with a pancake breakfast just after 7 a.m. at the Ridgefield Community Center and moved quickly into fun runs and a children's pre-parade before the morn-ing's main attraction began.

The theme of that attraction, Ridgefield's annual Fourth of July parade, was “American Landmarks,” but participants included everything from the Fort Vancou-ver Pipe Band to a swarm of brightly colored dancing insects and a mobile live band from the Opus School of Music.

A line of classic cars, local politicians, and Ford Mustangs filled in the ranks, and several massive old fire engines dazzled children enough to briefly pause their frantic candy-gathering.

Landmarks making an appearance in the parade included the likes of Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, regional star Mount St. Helens, and a stretch of Route 66.

The Hollywood sign made an appearance, but the Best Theme award went to Ridgefield Hardware's elab-orate “SPUDDERWOOD” float which included an en-tourage of film archetypes and pop culture references from Wonder Woman to Dumb and Dumber characters.

“It was awesome as always,” Ridgefield resident Jerome Warner said as his family cooled off between events.

“(Ridgefield is) the epitome of small town America,” his wife, Cara Warner continued. “It's perfect. It's small, it's a tight-knit community. It always has special events going on.”

Other events included hours of live music, a pie eat-ing contest, and a chicken and salmon barbecue.

After navigating food vendors, craft booths and chil-dren's activities scattered throughout Ridgefield Refuge

Overlook Park, the Warners planned to attend the day's grand finale: the fireworks display.

“It's a very good display for a small town,” Jerome Warner said. “It's very

impressive.”“It's gotten so big,”

Ridgefield centenarian and first-time parade

participant John Bur-row said of the events.

“It just absolutely went out of bounds, I think,” he said, laughing.

thIs week’s CoNteNts

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