PORT OF ILWACO – Business at the Port of Ilwaco just keeps getting better. Financial Director Mary DeLong announced at the port commission’s April 5 meeting that, as of March 26, 82 percent of the 824 moorage slips at the marina are booked for annual moorages.

“Staff are now deferring requests for new annual moorages to a waiting list,” DeLong said. “As slips become available due to cancellations, those requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

DeLong said about 113 recreational and 36 commercial slips are available for seasonal transient visitors. She recommended that staff members be available at the boat ramp and hoist area during the Buoy 10 season “to help move usage along and minimize the wait.

“Again this year,” she said, “as the marina reaches capacity, efforts will be made to contact annual moorage holders with vacant slips to help accommodate more transient moorage. If the current interest in moorage at the Port of Ilwaco continues, we should have our busiest year in recent history.”

In other port news, new business owners Don Nisbett and Jenna Austin were welcomed by commissioners. The couple has opened Paint N the Town Red at the port and also at the old River City School building in downtown Ilwaco. The gallery at the port, Harbor Hole, will be selling Nisbett’s art work, treasures and examples of their murals, Austin said.

The Battle Ground couple is selling their gallery there. Austin will be doing residential and commercial interior decorating from the Ilwaco store.

“My specialty is marketing makeover magic,” she said. “I’ll help businessesdevelop ‘curb appeal’ and atmosphere to help attract customers.”

She also will be doing decorating and mosaic classes.

Nisbett’s art has been shown all over the country, and he was a vendor at the Saturday Market at the port last year. Austin said his work is “very versatile, wildlife, whimsical, golf.” The port gallery is now open on weekends and the Ilwaco store should be open by May 1.

“They’re the first ‘graduates’ of the Saturday Market to move to a space at the port permanently,” Port Manager Mack Funk said during the meeting.

“When we came for the Saturday Market last year, we fell in love,” Nisbett said. “We enjoyed the community. We saw the vacant shop next to the (Time Enough) book store and the River City shop, closed our places in Battle Ground and are considering living here. There’s something very special here. We’re glad to be part of it.”

Another building at the port has a new occupant. Trow Winterrowd has leased the Jones Building, next to the port office, but was unable to attend the April 5 meeting.

Funk reported that he’s applied for a grant to pave the runway at the airport. In 1999, he said, the state surveyed the runway and found 91 percent to be in the “poor” category. Trees at the east end of the runway may be cut to improve the approach and for safety. Improving the runway would “potentially bring more people to the airport,” he said. But there are concerns that neighboring residents would object. A public meeting to discuss increased noise and activity will be announced.