Plans outlined for pear trees to be planted around port and cityPORT OF ILWACO – The Port of Ilwaco Commission said farewell to Commissioner Jim Stiebritz Monday during his last commission meeting. Stiebritz, a commissioner since 1998, resigned to move to Arizona but said he’ll be back during the summers for fishing season.

Although commissioners met Monday afternoon to interview candidates for Stiebritz’s spot on the board, no decision was reached. Whoever is chosen will serve for a year, then will be required to run for re-election.

“The community will miss Jim’s insight,” Ilwaco City Councilman and port businessman Mike Cassinelli said during the meeting Monday. “He built bridges and opened lines of communication. He had foresight. The community will miss him.”

Coho Charters owner and former Ilwaco councilman Butch Smith thanked Stiebritz for his years of service to the port and wished him luck.

Commissioners Frank Unfred and Dick Watrous approved a commendation expressing the port’s “deep appreciation” of Stiebritz’s devotion to the port. “It will be hard to fill his seat,” Unfred said.

In other business discussed during the meeting, Port Manager Mack Funk introduced Beverly Arnoldy, who will act as a consultant in updating the port’s master plan, which was approved in 1999. Arnoldy said she and her husband, Kelly Rupp, have a total of 50 years experience in business.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this project,” she said. “I’ll be helping to update the master plan to 2005 and beyond. I’m happy to be a part of the next six years. The port is on a roll and I’m glad to be part of the momentum.”

Arnoldy, who moved to the Peninsula about four years ago after vacationing here for many years, said she will gather ideas from the community, then synthesize them into the plan to be used to secure funding.

Kathleen Sayce and Bob Bogar presented their plan for a “street tree” project to commissioners, including a map outlining placement of the proposed tree-planting effort. The city of Ilwaco’s tree board has decided to plant Callery pear trees, also known as Carolina pear, along First and Howerton streets. ShoreBank has agreed to purchase eight of the trees and Sayce encouraged port business owners to purchase others.

“The trees would act as a corridor leading people to the Port of Ilwaco,” Bogar said at an Ilwaco City Council meeting last month. Volunteers have stepped up to maintain the trees, including the Ilwaco Merchants Association and the Ilwaco Volunteer Fire Department.

The trees “are an artistic way of drawing people between the port and the city,” business owner Donna Kinman said.

The trees will eventually grow to about 30 feet with a 15-foot branch span. They produce white blossoms during the spring and colorful leaves during the fall season. The leaves are small and should blow away with seasonal winds, so shouldn’t create a problem with storm drains clogging. Bogar said the same trees have been planted at the Mill Pond development in Astoria.

The port’s finance director, Mary DeLong, reported that revenue is “holding strong” and is up over last year with a net cash gain.

Commissioners approved beginning proceedings on the owners of two boats who haven’t paid outstanding bills.

Funk reported bids will be let next month on a paving project at the airport and commissioners approved a lease of port-owned property at the west end of Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Co. The seafood processing company is expected to build a quick-freeze plant on the site that will employ about 20 people.

“It will keep jobs here instead of sending them out of the community,” Stiebritz said.