Port Commissioners discuss property sale

CCPT plans to purchase the port building it leases.

DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on December 10, 2025, in the port office conference room. All Commissioners were present in the Port conference room: Mike Spring, Johnny Watts, and Chair Seth Bryan. Also present was the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson.

There was no public comment during the first public comment period.

The commissioners began by approving several routine administrative items.

Dickinson briefly discussed Columbia County Public Transit’s plan to purchase the building it leases from the Port of Columbia. She said it must be purchased at the appraised value.

Dickinson also said she has applied for $250,000 in CERB (Community Economic Revitalization Board) funds to support the construction of RV pull-through sites at Lyon’s Ferry Marina. This grant, in addition to the $137,000 from the Port of Columbia and $200,000 from the concessionaire, totals $587,000 in match.

The draft lease for Mainstem Malt at Blue Mountain Station was discussed by the Port’s legal representative, the commissioners, and Dickinson. Dickinson expects to sign the lease before the end of the year, and the commissioners will meet, if and when the lease is ready for signature, to approve it at a public meeting.

Dickinson then updated the commissioners on the status of the lease negotiations with the railroad, noting that there are many details to work out.

Dickinson next gave a synopsis of the CEDS meeting held the previous week.

The meeting adjourned for a 45-minute executive session to evaluate a public employee. The regular meeting resumed afterwards with no action taken.

Another public comment period was offered during which Watts thanked Bryan, whose term expires next month, for his service on the commission. Watts told Bryan that he thinks his heart is in the right place and that he tried his best to do what he thought was best, sticking to his values about what the Port and the Commission should be doing. Bryan said it was an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity and said he had enjoyed it very much.

The next meeting of the Port Commissioners is 5 p.m., January 14, 2026, at the port office conference room and on Zoom.