Port of Camas-Washougal secures funding for industrial facility

The state of Washington is helping kick-start the building of a 50,000-square-foot industrial building at the Port of Camas-Washougal.

The port announced it received a $300,000 grant and $1.7 million in funding, in the form of a low-interest loan, from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board on Tuesday. The money will go toward a building slated for the Steigerwald Commerce Center. Last month, the port announced it had received a $2.9 million federal grant.

Construction is expected to start next summer.

Port CEO David Ripp said it’s an exciting time for the port, which has been at capacity for the past several years.

“When potential clients call looking for space, we have to turn them away,” he said. “It’s great we are 100 percent full, but I don’t want to turn away clients. This will allow us to have inventory on hand.”

Ripp said the employment opportunities the grant will create are crucial to the port’s mission.

“Our goal is, by the time it’s leased out, to have 70 or more jobs in that building,” he said.

The revitalization board funds were matched by a $2.87 million economic development administration grant and $875,000 from the port, according to a news release.

The port boasts a 400-acre industrial park, a 77-hangar general aviation airport and a 350-slip boat marina.

The industrial park has more than 40 businesses and a payroll of $8.9 million, according to information from the port.

The port’s mission is to “make strategic investments and develop effective partnerships that enhance the community’s quality of life by bringing jobs, infrastructure, and recreational opportunities to East Clark County.”