Port moves forward with bottler lease despite public pushback

Posted

The Port of Olympia commission unanimously approved a 75-year lease contract with Swire, a Coca-Cola bottler, despite appeals from the public to postpone the vote during a meeting held on Monday, December 12.

The lease is for a 95-acre airport property in Tumwater, which Swire plans to use for manufacturing and storage.

Several people requested to postpone the vote at the meeting because they wanted more time to learn about the agreement. Residents like Carla Wulfsberg asked why the Port did not schedule a public hearing, especially since the lease was the biggest Port transaction in history, according to Port real estate director Allyn Roe.

Port commissioner Joe Downing denied that the Port was rushing to approve the lease as the agreement was “standard business” for the Port.

“It's a piece of land we've been trying to lease,” Downing said. “We've got other pieces of land we're trying to lease. Some were successful, some were not.”

“This one falls, I think, right in the Port's wheelhouse,” remarked Downing.

Water concerns

Port commissioner Amy Evans Harding also supported the agreement, saying that she trusts that Tumwater would be able to accommodate the new site.

“I've spoken with council members on the city of Tumwater council who encouraged the Port to allow Tumwater to do its job of balancing the needs of its whole community,” Evans Harding said, going on to say, “I believe [Tumwater] will be fair in their application of land use regulations to balance the needs of the broader community and continue to hear the concerns of the public.”

Tumwater city administrator John Doan was present at the meeting and assured that Tumwater has enough water to supply Swire’s needs.

“We have finished a water capital plan in 2021,” Doan said. “It actually projects out to 2038 and includes at least one major water customer of this magnitude. We have no question that we could provide this amount of water within our portfolio to this user.”

“Of our total portfolio, we use about two-thirds of it right now. Swire would use about a third of that remaining third,” Doan continued.

Mike Bernier, Swire sustainability director, added that their company is committed to conserving water resources.

“Our usage of water has reduced by 20% over the last ten years, and we have plans to reduce it 20% more by 2030,” remarked Bernier.

“We give back to the communities in which we operate,” Bernier added. “We have a goal of replenishing back to nature 100% of the water produced in our manufacturing plants… Last year, we have achieved 265% of the water that we use.”

Plastic pollution, job creation

The public also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the bottler as a plastic-producing entity.

“The Port is committed to sustainably managing the natural resources we care for and impact,” said resident Sharon Koontz. “Nothing says sustainable better than, I don't know, a whole bunch more plastic islands floating in the ocean and killing our sea life.”

Bernier later explained that six of their manufacturing plants in Washington State have a 96% recycling rate. Commissioner Downing said he was convinced that Swire was committed to reducing plastic pollution.

“I'm convinced that Swire, through some of the things they said and saying on their website, that they're committed to reducing and recycling and reusing plastic,” Downing said.

Another concern was whether the new site could create 600 new jobs, as claimed by both Port staff and Swire. Several people during public comments said that other Swire factories in Washington State only have around 140 employees on average.

Jennifer Freeman, Swire’s director of public relations and government affairs, admitted that they don’t have the exact number as to how many of the 600 jobs are new.

“I know folks want a specific and direct answer,” Freeman said. “We can't give specific answers to those questions unless we do the job scoping.”

Steven Segall, vice president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council, added that Swire was a difficult employer to work with, according to various teamsters he has spoken with.
“I've spoken with representatives of various teamsters that have contracts with the Swire bottling plants,” he said. “They have stated that Swire is a difficult employer to work with, so much so that there have been a number of National Labor Relations Board complaints filed.”

While several people rejected the lease agreement, Thurston Economic Development Council representatives and the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce supported Swire.

Lease agreement

Swire would initially pay $0.041 per square foot per year to secure approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and complete a habitat conservation plan.

The lease rate would increase to $0.48 per square foot after Swire starts occupying the property — subject to the approval of Tumwater — or 24 months after Swire approves their habitat conservation plan, whichever occurs first.

Once the habitat conservation plan is approved, the Port will help Swire pay mitigation fees Roe estimated would cost $5.7 million.

Roe said that the Port expects to profit $2 million yearly once the rent starts.

Comments

9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • C K

    More proof that those in government don't give a rat's a** about us.

    Wednesday, December 14, 2022 Report this

  • AugieH

    I'd prefer it was a Pepsi bottler.

    Thursday, December 15, 2022 Report this

  • Southsoundguy

    Abolish the Port.

    Thursday, December 15, 2022 Report this

  • JJmama

    It's all (bad) business as usual for the Port of Olympia....

    ~A sea of plastic pollution;

    ~PFAS now in Tumwater's water (who will be paying to clean THAT up?);

    ~No telling how much of our water will be lost to the bottling of a completely non-nutritive poison sold to a public already swimming in Diabetes and chronic illness from sugary drinks, fake sweeteners, toxic food coloring and additives;

    ~Poor working conditions and corporate practices, lies about job numbers and wages. Swire is coming to the South Sound now, moving their enterprises, because WE are the new, cheap depository for 'bad business as usual' and giveaway sweetheart corporate deals. The POO reputation now famous for that;

    ~Lawsuits all across the land upon Swire/Coca Cola for their poor practices and water theft;

    ~95 acres of identified precious and rare prairie habitat LOST, and $9.5M spending on fake 'mitigation' with no solid evidence backing ANY mitigation strategy for the highly selective Mazama Pocket Gopher....so, $9.5M lost $$, OUR tax $$....all for naught.

    Our Port is out of control.

    Thursday, December 15, 2022 Report this

  • FirstOtter

    The Port of Olympia has lost any shred of integrity it may have had. It needs to be abolished. Our property taxes fund the Port. It needs to STOP. Defund the Port of Olympia and send the the staff packing.

    How is it that the Port of Olympia has managed to accumulate so much land? What part of PORT means land grabs?

    Their ""Mitigation" plan is probably recycling the same mitigation site that other arms of government have used.

    By the way, Rutledge Farm attempted to lease 60 acres of Port owned land adjacent to the farm to expand their agricultural business.

    The Port of Olympia, refused. So much of Downing's claim that they're "trying to lease" land. I know why they said no to Rutledge. Because all Rutledge wants to do is GROW FOOD on the land. It didn't make money for the Port.

    The Port of Olympia needs to be abolished. They've demonstrated a lack of integrity, a refusal to accept that the taxpayers in this county don't want what they have planned, and instead of being upfront, gas light us all.

    Abolish the Port of Olympia!

    Friday, December 16, 2022 Report this

  • JamesBishop

    I believe the Port deciders need to make appointments at a hearing aide provider and have their ear plugs removed in hopes they could be installed some place other than their ears. Decisions of this nature should be made by the vote of the tax payers that are paying a tax to support a port operation that should be disbanded. SOON we will be blessed with two more DECIDERS who were voted in by the voters. WHO were these voters that voted to empty my wallet ?

    JB

    Saturday, December 17, 2022 Report this

  • MikePelly

    After attending a Port meeting where every public comment was against this 75 year corporate welfare give away of our prescious aquifer water it is now more than ever that the Port of Olympia is a tool used by the Chamber of Commerce and corporate interests to liquidate all the natural resources of Thurston county they can get their hands on and get us tax paying dupes to fund their devastation. The Port Commissioners and planners simply have no shame.

    Saturday, December 17, 2022 Report this

  • Old-fisherman-6951

    Really! Are we questioning the Port again? Look at the integrity and politics of those that oppose. Can we move FORWARD? Mission vs Margin?

    Saturday, December 17, 2022 Report this

  • KimDobson

    After doing an extensive Google search on Swire's Coca Cola holdings around the world it appears they have purchased Coca Cola's bottling franchise offerings throughout the Western USA and Pacific Rim . Now holding all Coca Cola franchises in Vietnam, Cambodia , China ,Hong Kong and Taiwan operating in 32 Countries . The have bricked all the Google searches with top listing in nearly 3 separate pages of google search responses massive public relation campaign . Trying to hide Coca Colas terrible history of aquifer depletion , Labor organizing suppression , violence against Unions, and ignoring local environmental concerns about air and Water pollution ,destruction of habitat .Besides these issues, War on Want's Alternative Report on Coca-Cola also details how Coca-Cola is having a devastating impact of water resources elsewhere. In El Salvador, the company has been accused of exhausting water resources over a 25-year period. In Chiapas, Coca-Cola is positioning itself to take control of the water resources. The Mexican government under Vicente Fox - himself a former President of Coca-Cola Mexico - has given the company concessions to exploit community water resources. The Port Commissioners and City of Tumwater's water resource managers should be ashamed of the decision to approve this lease clearly did no homework on Swire Coca Cola operations in the US and around the world . And to that the destruction 95 acres of publicly owned Prairie habitat home to and an endangered species the Mazama Pocket Gopher that the Port promised Swire they would will raise 9 million dollars in Thurston County taxpayers property taxes to "mitigate " to buy land elsewhere to "Move Pocket Gopher Habitat to a new location. Which environmental studies have shown does not work . This is another case of graft and corruption allowing the Chamber of Commerce to decide what is profitable for Corporations and creates Corporate welfare on the backs of Thurston County taxpayers !

    Saturday, January 21, 2023 Report this