Port Wraps Up Infrastructure Projects at Airport

Oct. 11—WARRENTON — After completing two significant infrastructure projects at the Astoria Regional Airport, the Port of Astoria is eyeing more development.

The renovations included rehabilitation of the airport's ramp and replacement of the wastewater system. A new fishmeal processing plant has also broken ground at the Airport Industrial Park.

"As far as how the projects are going, I'm really pleased with the (wastewater) project, and the (ramp) project — phase two — I really don't know how that could have gone much better. It was just smooth sailing from the beginning through," said Matt McGrath, the Port's deputy director, who oversaw the projects. "There were a few little hiccups, but something just very, very minor. The (wastewater) project, there were some hiccups, just because of circumstances beyond everybody's control with COVID."

Both renovation projects, McGrath said, were necessary due to aging infrastructure at the airport that dates back to World War II.

Columbia Pacific Construction, of Woodland, Washington, replaced over 5 acres of the airport's ramp, which had a poor substructure, causing the concrete to degrade over time.

"You have these panels that are 20 (foot) by 20 (foot), and they were actually starting to rock under the weight of some of the heavier aircrafts," he said.

The $2 million project was funded by the Federal Aviation Administration.

While nothing is imminent, McGrath said, the Port has plans for additional ramp improvements in the coming years, along with taxiway and runway renovations.

As for the wastewater system replacement, cracks in the pipes and other issues with the older sewer infrastructure led to the intrusion of groundwater during heavy rains.

"Of course, in Astoria, and especially in Warrenton, which is primarily wetlands, there's just a huge possibility for groundwater intrusion," McGrath said.

The newer pressurized sanitary system, McGrath said, will be nearly impossible to infiltrate.

Big River Construction began implementing the $400,000 project back in May, which was partially funded by a state grant.

Scoular

As part of an agreement with Warrenton, the wastewater system replacement had to be completed prior to any significant development at the Airport Industrial Park. Since the project is complete, Scoular has made progress on the foundation of their fishmeal processing plant.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company hopes to open the plant by next summer. The plant will employ around 10 people to collect scraps from local seafood processors and turn them into pet and aquaculture food.

Scoular's project faced several hurdles. In addition to the wastewater issues, there were concerns that the operation would attract birds near the airport.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Life Flight Network expressed worries that birds could threaten aircraft, but Scoular assured the city that seafood scraps and the fishmeal would be sealed in a space with filtered air. The company also agreed to take steps to prevent roosting on the plant's roof.

The project also had permitting obstacles, McGrath said.

"We've got the city and the county to think about and then, of course, the environmental side, so a lot of boxes to check, but those are all checked," he said.

Future of Airport Industrial Park

Since the Airport Industrial Park's creation along the main approach to the airport over three decades ago, the 22 acres of pastures and wetlands has remained undeveloped. But as the Port works with Business Oregon and Clatsop County, that could change.

"We kind of look at Scoular as being the lead blocker for the development at the airport," McGrath said.

The Port has been in discussion with several businesses that are potentially interested in the industrial park, McGrath said, and the new infrastructure will make the process of adding tenants a lot smoother.

McGrath said the costs of overdue maintenance have plagued the airport. One of the Port's focuses is bringing in enough jobs and revenue to the industrial park to make the airport self-sustainable.

"This has been long overdue on the Port's side. I think that we've let the developable land out here — we've just let it languish," he said. "So now we're really ramping up and getting to a point where we have the ability, we have the support, we have the staff to really push these development projects ahead."

As a master plan for the next decade takes shape, the Port sees a lot of potential in the Airport Industrial Park.

"It's nice to see that there's not only push from the Port, but there's a tremendous amount of support that we're getting from the state and from the Legislature and from a lot of people around the community," McGrath said. " ... That's not always been the case, there's been a lot of turmoil at the Port previously.

"So it's nice to see these projects moving ahead and us slowly climbing the ladder out of the hole."

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