By John Henderer, The Chronicle, 4/28/98
Hoping to rekindle the East Lewis County economy, county commissioners signed a 50-year property lease Monday aimed at developing a light-industrial park in Packwood.
The $5 annual lease will allow the East Lewis County Public Development Authority to build a 10,000-square-foot ''incubator'' building on county property just south of the Packwood Airport.
Although the property is in the 100-year floodplain, PDA chairman Marvin Norman said the land under the building and four others like it will be raised 4 feet.
''The rents will be reasonable, and we feel we can gain clients there real quickly,'' Norman said, noting he hopes some Seattle businesses will relocate there.
Officials hope the building can be constructed this year.
''It's been very frustrating in the last year, talking to the folks whose jobs have been disappearing,'' said Bill Lotto, Lewis County Economic Development Council executive director. ''While this is not the answer, it is one small piece of reversing the trend and getting some jobs back in the area.''
Lately, the economic news out of East Lewis County has been a steady succession of setbacks.
Pacific Lumber and Shipping has laid off more than 300 workers - about half its work force - at its Packwood, Morton and Randle mills since last fall, according to reports.
The PDA is working to secure loans and grants to pay the $900,000 cost of utilities extensions and building construction. Norman estimated the next four buildings could be built for less than $900,000.
The building could accommodate six to eight small businesses, said Norman.
In addition, the PDA hopes to build a fourplex office building.
Lewis County stores sand and gravel at the 17-acre site and keeps a solid-waste drop box there. In addition, the Packwood Water District draws water from a well at the site.
''We are making progress toward gaining some badly needed industrial diversification in east county,'' said Commissioner Glenn Aldrich, who represents East Lewis County, in a prepared statement.
''Let's hope it fosters a lot more jobs,'' Commission Chairman Russ Wigley said.
The PDA will use a huge pile of gravel sitting on the property as fill material. All 72,000 cubic yards of the rock were scoured from Butter Creek, a Cowlitz River tributary, as part of the controversial $2 million flood-repair project in 1996.
The county asked for bidders to crush and remove the rock, but none came forward.
''They're just going to leave it there, and fortunately we need it,'' Norman said.
Norman said the county's sand and crushed rock can remain at the site until this fall. The county has another property in the area for storage.
''They have another (property) which we want to take over too,'' Norman said, laughing.
The PDA is studying four other properties - comprising about 220 acres - in East Lewis County for future development.
In other business, commissioners:
- - Transferred $84,200 more funding for the newly created General Administration Department. The action transfers money from other county funds, costing roughly $6,000 in unexpected expenditures, said Bob Berg, department director. The action follows last month's $108,900 transfer to set up the department.
- - Approved a $4,500 contract for county crews to chip-seal the Randle Fire Station parking lot.
- - Approved a $7,200 contract to chip-seal three city streets in Winlock.
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