DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on June 14, 2023, at the Lyons Ferry Marina restaurant and on Zoom. The commissioners typically hold the June meeting at the marina, which is leased from the port. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson.

Dickinson reminded the commissioners that they had budgeted for a new staff position, an Economic Development Coordinator. At the time of the meeting, the port had received two applications, and applicants would be interviewed the following week.

Discussing the Rock Hill Industrial Park, Dickinson said the gravel on the roadways had been graded, and she hoped to have some areas of heavy traffic treated with lignin. Lignin is derived from plants and has been used to control dust and stabilize road gravel for over sixty years.

The Lyons Ferry managers reported renting out the cabins and Conestoga wagons almost daily.

The commissioners discussed plans to add ten pull-through RV sites at the campground, which are required as a KOA campground. Anderson Perry is working on the preliminary design and cost estimate. The sites will be constructed near the overflow parking area, between the existing campsites and the entrance.

The cost for the new sites, including new bathhouses, is estimated at one and a half million dollars for design, permitting, and construction. Dickenson said the port would investigate funding, including grants for the project.

Dickinson said many food vendors signed up for this year's FoodStock at Blue Mountain Station, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 15, 2023.

The construction of the community broadband project is fifty-eight percent complete and on target to be finished in September. A fiber lighting ceremony is scheduled for September 20, 2023, at Blue Mountain Station.

After the meeting was adjourned, the commissioners continued with their series of workshops in preparation for developing the Comprehensive Plan.