Our Port District has four business operations. Three of them can be self-sustaining -- Marina/Boatworks, Airport, and Read Estate.
The fourth business operation is the Marine Terminal. It generates the most income and the most losses. It cannot be self-sustaining because it is economically obsolete. The reason is its location -- naturally shallow water, far from trading partners, with little land, etc.. In short, it lacks all the attributes one looks for in a marine shipping terminal location.
So why is it even here? History. Before I-5, most of the goods needed by residents of Thurston county and even neighboring counties came by water through Olympia, the southernmost point in Puget Sound. Our Marine Terminal was needed and could command fees needed to sustain it. But I-5 created a viable alternative. The Marine Terminal is kept alive with expensive subsidies from Thurston County taxpayers. The deficits/subsidies have totaled many millions, and will continue because Olympia can't compete with better-located marine terminals.
It is way past time to face up to this and close the Marine Terminal.
Bob Jacobs
Please explain the inappropriate content below.
