COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          7a 
BRIEFING ITEM                            Date of Meeting      February 28, 2017 
DATE:     February 21, 2017 
TO:        Dave Soike, Interim Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Pearse Edwards, Government Affairs Director 
SUBJECT:  Airport Community Ecology Fund 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
As  part  of  Commission  engagement  related  to  the  Flight  Safety  Corridor  Program,
Commissioners directed the creation of a $1 million Airport Community Ecology Fund (ACE) on
November 22, 2016, to support projects and programs that improve ecological and
environmental attributes in the airport-area communities of SeaTac, Burien, and Des Moines. 
Staff from multiple departments is engaged with research and development of the ACE Fund. 
FUND DEVELOPMENT 
As part of the deliberation on how to structure, scope and develop criteria for the ACE Fund,
Port staff: 
Researched community fund models such as: participatory budgeting projects in the City
of Seattle, traditional environmental grants in King County, and hybrid funding models
such as the City of Seattle's Duwamish River Opportunity Fund. The focus of this
research was to assess lessons learned from other funds' community engagement
practices, stakeholder consultation opportunities, and outreach strategies to ensure the
community engagement best practices are included in the development of the ACE 
Fund. 
Explored environmental partnerships as a way to ensure high-impact ecological metrics.
This could include non-profit environmental organizations to help expand the program's
reach and ensure the ACE Fund reflects the Port's environmental commitment. 
Identified a precedent of internal processes and experiences related to mitigation grants
distributed to communities in South King County. 
Received community input at both the Flight Corridor Safety Program in SeaTac on
Wednesday, February 1 and through an online open house created for this program.
Comments and feedback on the ACE Fund fell into the following three categories: 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 7a                                  Page 2 of 3 
Meeting Date: February 28, 2017 
1)  Geographic diversity: capturing where many attendees "live, work and play" to
identify how and where community members spend their time. As anticipated,
participants demonstrated a diverse experience: most people lived, worked, and
played (terms were left for self-interpretation) across cities and political
boundaries in King County. 
2)  Vision for a green and healthy community: identifying attendees' values to
inform environmental improvements in their communities. 
3)  Project priorities: Collecting information on what kind of projects community
members would support. Data gleaned include desired scope and environmental
issue areas important to participating and online attendees. 
Process Model 
Staff-drafted process models took into consideration core principles that included a.) equity
across communities, b.) a metric-based structure and c.) community engagement/involvement.
Staff considered and reviewed a variety of participatory models that would inform, consult and
involve the population of the three communities. Our goal is to obtain community input on ACE
Fund alternatives, solutions and final decisions and to keep the communities informed and
engaged. This process includes: 
1.  Gathering information by collecting community input and partnering with stakeholders
to identify issues and projects relevant to the program's goals, projected timelines (ongoing
); 
2.  Consulting with the Port of Seattle Legal, Internal Audit and CPO departments to ensure
that the program includes Port standards (on-going); 
3.  Establishing decision criteria, process and timelines for the program; 
4.  Briefing  and  receiving  Commission  feedback  on  final   project  criteria,  process,
partnerships and timelines (by end-March); and, 
5.  Distributing and reviewing applications for final approval by an internal working group 
(Summer 2017). 
Community Partnerships 
As noted in the "Fund Development" section, staff has explored the option of partnering with
an environmental group to expand the program's reach and impact. A recommended approach
is a division of funding to create a robust partnership implemented between the Port and an
existing environmental network. 
Such a partnership would help the Port to realize two goals with airport-area communities: 
A.  Improve trust and relationships 
B.  Target high-impact environmental benefit 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 7a                                  Page 3 of 3 
Meeting Date: February 28, 2017 
Under this model, ACE funds could follow a split method of fund disbursement. For example, a
portion of the funding could be disbursed by the Port through a community engagement
process and the balance disbursed by a third-party group with environmental consultation and
decision-making expertise. Finally, we intend to consult with the Port of Seattle Internal Audit
team to ensure that the program includes auditable standards. 
Funding Model 
Staff recommends the fund be implemented over the remaining duration of the Flight Safety
Corridor Program (approximately two years) with twice-yearly disbursements. The longer
timeframe maintains an open dialogue with community members throughout the program. It
naturally also allows for more types of groups and community members to participate in the
fund and gain a better understanding of the Port's environmental commitment. The current
motion does not include a deadline for the fund to be completed. 
Staff will track and update project status and report back to the community and Commission on
a quarterly basis. 
Next Steps 
Identify key stakeholders 
Establish funding and project criteria with key stakeholders 
Finalize process 
Commission feedback and approval 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1) Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
November 22, 2016  The Commission approved the creation of the Airport Community
Ecology Fund to support projects and programs in Sea-Tac Airport-area communities to
improve ecological and environmental attributes in airport-area communities. A sum of
$1 million was allocated to the Fund. 
January 12, 2017  The Commission received a memo providing an update on the program's 
progress and requesting guidance on engagement model, third-party partnership(s), and
program length. 
January 13, 2017  The Commission amended the Airport Ecology Fund motion directing
staff to consult with the Commission concerning the scoping and criteria related to
project selection and outreach to the community. Staff will return to the Commission
no later than the first quarter of 2017 with goals, eligibility for the fund, and criteria for
selection of proposals. 


Template revised September 22, 2016.