Transcript

The Regular Meeting meeting scheduled for 2022-07-12 at Pier 69

  • THIS IS COMMISSION PRESIDENT RYAN CALKINS CONVENING THE REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 12, 2022
  • THE TIME IS 10:30 A.M.
  • WE'RE MEETING IN PERSON TODAY
  • TODAY AT THE PORT OF SEATTLE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING HERE AT PIER 69 IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBERS AND VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS PRESENT WITH ME TODAY ARE COMMISSIONER CHO, FELLEMAN, HASEGAWA AND MOHAMED, WHO ARE CURRENTLY GATHERED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ROOM AWAITING THE OPENING OF THE PUBLIC MEETING
  • WE'LL NOW RECESS INTO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS TWO ITEMS REGARDING LITIGATION OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION OR LEGAL RISK FOR RCW 42.30.110.1 (i) FOR APPROXIMATELY 55 MINUTES, AND WE'LL RECONVENE INTO PUBLIC SESSION AT NOON
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU
  • WE ARE IN RECESS
  • ALL RIGHT, THIS IS COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT RYAN CALKINS RECONVENING THE REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 12, 2022
  • THE TIME IS 1212
  • AFTER A LITTLE BIT OF A TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY GETTING STARTED THIS AFTERNOON, WE'RE MEETING IN PERSON TODAY AT THE PORT OF SEATTLE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING AND VIRTUALLY THROUGH MICROSOFT TEAMS CLARK, CAN YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL OF ALL COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE? THANK YOU, MR COMMISSIONER
  • PRESIDENT BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • PRESENT
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN PRESENT
  • IS JOINING US VIA TEAMS THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • PRESENT
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • PRESENT
  • THANK YOU
  • AND COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • PRESENT
  • THANK YOU
  • YOU DO HAVE A FULL COMMISSIONER HERE TODAY
  • DUE TO THE CONTINUED VIRTUAL COMPONENT OF PARTICIPATION FOR OUR MEETINGS, WE HAVE STAFF, EXTERNAL PARTNERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO MAY BE PARTICIPATING ON THEIR PERSONAL DEVICES OR FROM THEIR PHONES TODAY
  • WE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE THIS VIRTUAL FORMAT
  • LATER, WE'LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTICIPATING BY TEAMS, AS WELL AS FROM THOSE IN PERSON WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK
  • FOR ANYONE PARTICIPATING ON MICROSOFT TEAMS PLEASE MUTED YOUR SPEAKERS WHEN NOT ACTIVELY SPEAKING OR PRESENTING
  • PLEASE KEEP YOUR CAMERAS OFF UNLESS YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSIONER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY, OR YOU ARE A MEMBER OF STAFF IN A PRESENTATION AND ARE ACTIVELY ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION
  • MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ADDRESSING THE COMMISSIONER MAY TURN ON THEIR CAMERAS WHEN THEIR NAME IS CALLED TO SPEAK
  • FOR ANYONE AT THE DIOCESE HERE TODAY, PLEASE TURN OFF THE SPEAKERS ON ANY COMPUTERS AND SILENCE YOUR DEVICES
  • WHEN YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO SPEAK, YOU WILL PRESS THE BUTTON FOR YOUR MICROPHONE TO BE AUDIBLE AND WILL PRESS IT AGAIN TO SILENCE IT WHEN NOT ACTIVELY SPEAKING
  • ALL OF THE ITEMS NOTED HERE WILL ENSURE A SMOOTHER MEETING
  • WE THANK YOU FOR THAT
  • ALL VOTES TODAY WILL BE TAKEN BY THE ROLL CALL METHOD SINCE THERE IS A VIRTUAL COMPONENT TO THE MEETING, SO IT IS CLEAR FOR ANYONE PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY HOW VOTES ARE CAST
  • COMMISSIONERS WILL SAY I OR NAYS WHEN THEIR NAME IS CALLED TO BE EQUITABLE
  • I ASK THAT ALL COMMISSIONERS WAIT TO BE RECOGNIZED BEFORE SPEAKING
  • WE ARE MEETING ON THE ANCESTRAL LANDS AND WATERS OF THE COAST SALISH, PEOPLE WITH WHOM WE SHARE A COMMITMENT TO STEWARD THESE NATURAL RESOURCES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
  • THIS MEETING IS BEING DIGITALLY RECORDED AND MAY BE VIEWED OR HEARD AT ANY TIME ON THE PORT'S WEBSITE AND MAY BE REBROADCAST BY KING COUNTY TELEVISION
  • PLEASE STAND OR JOIN US FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
  • PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAT
  • THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS TODAY IS APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
  • ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS TO REARRANGE THE ORDERS OF THE DAY OR ANY ITEMS TO REMOVE FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR SEPARATE DISCUSSION? YES, GO AHEAD
  • I MOVE TO REARRANGE THE ORDER OF THE DAY BY MOVING ITEM FOUR A TO NEW BUSINESS TO BE TAKEN UP PRIOR TO ITEM TEN A
  • I'M MAKING THIS MOTION TO KEEP THE SUBJECT MATTERS TOGETHER IN DISCUSSION
  • IS THERE A SECOND? 2ND
  • ALL RIGHT
  • BARRING ANY OBJECTIONS, THAT AGENDA, WE DON'T NEED TO VOTE ON THAT
  • ANY OTHER IS THAT CORRECT, CLARK? NO OBJECTION
  • NO OBJECTION
  • IF THERE WAS NO OBJECTION, THEN YOU CAN MOVE ON
  • YEAH
  • ALL RIGHT
  • ANY OTHER MOTIONS TO MOVE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA OR REMOVE? ANYTHING OKAY WITH THAT? COMMISSIONER, THE QUESTION IS NOW ON APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
  • IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SECOND
  • ALL RIGHT
  • THE MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED
  • IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO APPROVE OF THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED OR AS AMENDED? HEARING NONE
  • THE AGENDA IS APPROVED AS AMENDED
  • SO NOW WE SKIP TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT
  • IS THAT CORRECT, MICHELLE? THANK YOU
  • ALL RIGHT
  • HOW ARE YOU? EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CALKINS
  • GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS
  • FIRST OFF, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN VOICING THE PORT OF SEATTLE SUPPORT FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
  • I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONSIDERATION OF PROCLAMATION TODAY SUPPORTING COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
  • IT'S IMPORTANT TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW WHERE WE STAND AT A TIME WHEN THESE RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK IN SO MANY STATES
  • LATER IN YOUR AGENDA, HE WILL ALSO CONSIDER AN ORDER THAT WILL FURTHER PROTECT THOSE RIGHTS
  • AN ACTION IN LINE WITH A RECENT ORDER BY GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE
  • THE PROPOSED ORDER WILL REPORT, PLEASE FROM PROVIDING COOPERATION OF ASSISTANCE TO ANY FEDERAL OR OUT OF STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR PERSONS ON MATTERS RELATED TO ABORTION OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE FERRIES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN WASHINGTON STATE
  • I SUPPORT THIS ORDER
  • TURNING TO NEWS AT THE PORT
  • THE PORT'S ABILITY TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN CRITICAL AVIATION AND MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE ABSOLUTELY DEPENDS ON BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A STRONG FINANCIAL FOUNDATION
  • THAT IS WHY I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE QUARTER HAS RECEIVED VERY STRONG RATINGS FROM ALL MAJOR RATING AGENCIES FOR UPCOMING REVENUE BOND ISSUE, INCLUDING AN UPGRADE FROM STANDARD AND POOR'S
  • FROM STANDARD AND POOR'S
  • THIS GOES FROM STRONG TO EXCELLENT
  • THIS MEANS WE'LL GET VERY FAVORABLE RATES WHEN WE BORROW FUNDS FOR THESE INVESTMENTS
  • THESE RATINGS REFLECT EXTREMELY STRONG MARKET POSITION STRONG MARKET POSITION OF SEATTLE TACOMA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS WELL AS THE DUAL HUB FOR ALASKA AND DELTA AIRLINES
  • OUR FINANCIAL POSITION ALSO WAS STRENGTHENED BY OUR DIVERSE REVENUE SOURCES INCLUDING THE NORTHWEST SEAPORT ALLIANCE OUR LAST BUSINESS IN THE PORT TAX LEVY
  • WE ARE ALSO PRAISED FOR OUR PRUDENT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC
  • WE EXERCISE CAREFUL COST CUTTING ALONG WITH EFFECTIVE USE OF FEDERAL GRANTS TO MAINTAIN A STRONG BALANCE SHEET
  • THESE REPORTS NOTE THAT THERE ARE RISKS GOING FORWARD, BUT WITH OUR LARGE CAPITAL PROGRAM, SUCH AS THE POTENTIAL COST ESCALATIONS
  • BUT THE ANALYSTS EXPECT THE PORT TO MANAGE THESE RISKS CAREFULLY
  • CREDIT GOES TO OUR ENTIRE PORT TEAM, INCLUDING OUR FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL DIVISIONS WHO STEWARD OUR FUNDS SO CAREFULLY
  • TALKING ABOUT SEATAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LAST WEEK WE CELEBRATED THE 73RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING DAY FOR SEATTLE TACOMA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
  • THAT DAY IN 1949 WAS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD FOR THE ENTIRE REGION TOWARDS BUILDING A STRONG DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL AIR HUB
  • THE REGION'S WISDOM WAS PROVEN AS THE AIRPORT WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE A POWERFUL ENGINE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE AND AROUND THE STATE
  • OUR CONTINUING RESPONSIBILITY IS TO WORK TO THE WORK STARTED IN 1949 TO PRESERVE AND IMPROVE THIS VITAL REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
  • TO THAT POINT, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE AIRPORT HAS BEEN AWARDED A $10 MILLION COMPETITIVE GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LEGISLATION
  • THAT MONEY IS EARMARKED FOR A CONCOURSES B, C AND D RESTROOM MODERNIZATION PROJECT
  • CLEARLY A VERY IMPORTANT CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONSIBILITY
  • THIS SATURDAY MARKS AN IMPORTANT PORT MILESTONE AS WE WILL WELCOME THE PUBLIC TO THE DUWAMISH PEOPLE'S PARK, OUR LARGEST DUWAMISH RIVER HABITAT AND PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
  • THE PROJECT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 15 YEARS IN THE MAKING, BUT I THINK THAT EVERYONE WILL AGREE IT'S WORTH THE WAIT
  • THE PROJECT REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT A COMMUNITY LONG IMPACTED BY INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY
  • DUWAMISH PEOPLE'S PARK, FORMERLY TERMINAL 117 FEATURES 14 ACRES OF IMPROVED SHORELINE HABITAT AND NEW FACILITIES TO BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TO THE RIVER
  • THESE AMENITIES INCLUDE A VIEWPOINT PIER, ACCESSIBLE PATHWAYS AND TRAILS, SEATING, SIGNAGE, PUBLIC ART, AND A HAND CARRY BOLT LAUNCH
  • THIS PROJECT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION AND THE SUSTAINED EFFORTS BY MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE PORT IN THE COMMUNITY OVER MANY YEARS
  • THIS INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT, AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS, AS WELL AS MANY DEDICATED LEADERS IN THE DUWAMISH RIVER COMMUNITY
  • WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK THAT HAS MADE THIS PROJECT COME TO FRUITION
  • WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS PROJECT AND WE INVITE THE PUBLIC TO COME DOWN AND SEE THEIR NEWEST PARK THIS WEEKEND
  • ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW THE BOARD IS WORKING HARD TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IS OUR PRIORITY HIRE PROGRAM, WHICH TARGETS JOBS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FOR RESIDENTS OF ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS OF THE COUNTY
  • THE WHITE HOUSE RECENTLY HIGHLIGHTED KING COUNTY'S PRIORITY HIRE PROGRAM IS A LEADING EXAMPLE OF HOW DATA AND EVIDENCE CAN SHAPE GOOD POLICY DECISIONS
  • THE PORT PROGRAM IS OPERATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KING COUNTY AND OTHER REGIONAL AGENCIES, AND OTHERS PRODUCE SOLID RETURNS FROM THE COMMUNITY
  • LAST YEAR, THE PORT HAD EIGHT PROJECTS WITH PRIORITY HIRE REQUIREMENTS
  • WE PUT 99 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO WORK ON THOSE PROJECTS
  • ON AVERAGE, ABOUT 25% OF WORKERS ON EACH PROJECT WERE FROM THE DISTRESSED ZIP CODES
  • EXPANDING THE POOL OF WORKERS IS ESPECIALLY CRITICAL AT THIS TIME OF LABOR SHORTAGES
  • IN OTHER NEWS, THE COVID-19 TEAM VIRUS REMAINS PERSISTENT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE STATE, AND THE NATION
  • THERE'S A NEW, HIGHLY TRANSMISSIBLE SUB VARIANT OF COVID-19 CIRCULATING THROUGHOUT WASHINGTON AND ITS COMMUNITIES
  • THE SUB VARIANT, BA-5FROM THE OMICRON FAMILY IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE VARIANT MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RISE OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE US
  • AS WELL AS WASHINGTON
  • BA FIVE IS MORE TRANSMISSIBLE AND CAN CAUSE INFECTIONS EVEN IN THOSE WITH IMMUNITY OR CURRENT VACCINES
  • THIS MEANS THAT A PERSON CAN EASILY GET ANOTHER COVID-19 INFECTION
  • PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT ALL ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN RECEIVE A BOOSTER SHOULD DO SO
  • BEING FULLY VACCINATED AND BOOSTED IS STILL OUR STRATEGY TO REDUCE SEVERITY OF ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATIONS, AND DEATH FROM BA FIVE
  • YOU CAN ALSO PROTECT YOURSELF BY WEARING A WELL FITTING MASK IN CROWDED SPACES AND STAYING HOME IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS TURNING TO TODAY'S AGENDA, I'M VERY HAPPY TO BRING FORWARD FOR YOUR AUTHORIZATION OUR PLAN
  • DES MOINES CREEK
  • WEST DEVELOPMENT
  • OUR DEVELOPER IS PANTALONI DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, ONE OF THE REGION'S LEADING FIRMS AND OUR PARTNER IN THE EARLIER DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK IN THE NORTHEAST REDEVELOPMENT AREA PROJECTS IN BURIEN
  • THESE PROJECTS REPRESENT A CONTINUATION OF OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF DES MOINES THAT DATES BACK MANY YEARS
  • DEVELOPING THIS PROPERTY WILL GENERATE 3.4 MILLION IN REVENUE FOR THE PORT, CREATE NEW JOBS, AND HELP REVITALIZE THE DES MOINES DOWNTOWN
  • IT ALSO ADVANCES OUR WORKFORCE EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY GOALS BY IMPROVING A COMMUNITY TRAIL, PROTECTING WETLANDS, AND GOING BEYOND CITY REQUIREMENTS FOR TREE REPLACEMENT
  • YOU'LL ALSO BE ASKED TO SUPPORT A UNIQUE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP WITH SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
  • THIS NEW COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTOR INITIATIVE PROVIDES EXTRA OUTREACH AND ASSISTANCE TO OUR ETHNIC BUSINESSES AT A TIME WHEN SMALL BUSINESSES ARE STILL STRUGGLING AS WE CONTINUE TO RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC
  • I'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS INITIATIVE DEVELOPMENT UNFOLD OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE READY TO LAUNCH THIS NEWEST INITIATIVE
  • MARITIME BLUE WILL ALSO GIVE YOU AN ANNUAL UPDATE ON ITS ACTIVITIES AND INITIATIVES
  • I'M PLEASED TO SEE HOW THIS ORGANIZATION HAS GROWN AND BLOSSOMS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS
  • THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADVANCE OUR MARITIME INNOVATION ACCELERATOR PROGRAM AS WELL AS OTHER PRIORITY PROJECTS FOR THE PORT
  • TO CONCLUDE, I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TODAY'S PRESENTATION ON OUR CONTINUED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY TO PORT PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES
  • THIS BRIEFING WILL FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY TO THE PORT WEBSITE AND COMMISSION MEETING PAGES
  • THIS IS AN IMPRESSIVE AND IMPORTANT PROGRAM TO CONNECT THE COMMUNITY WITH THE PORT
  • SO, COMMISSIONER, THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT FOR TODAY
  • THANK YOU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • WE ARE NOW AT COMMITTEE REPORTS
  • ERICA CHONG, PLEASE PROCEED
  • THANK YOU
  • GOOD AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT CALKINS AND COMMISSIONER
  • THERE ARE NO COMMITTEE REPORTS TODAY
  • THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS THE WATERFRONT AND INDUSTRIAL LANDS COMMITTEE AND THE PORT FORT WIDE ARTS BOARD ARE SCHEDULED TO MEET TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, JULY 13
  • EQUITY AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, JULY 15
  • AND THE AVIATION COMMITTEE AND THE SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE COMMITTEE IS SCHEDULED TO MEET NEXT TUESDAY, JULY 19
  • THIS CONCLUDES MY UPDATE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER
  • ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMITTEE REPORTS OR LACK THEREOF? ALL RIGHT
  • WITH THAT, WE WILL NOW MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT
  • WE WILL NOW ACCEPT GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THOSE WHO'VE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS RELATED TO THE PORT
  • WRITTEN MATERIALS PROVIDED TO THE CLERK WILL BE INCLUDED IN TODAY'S MEETING RECORD
  • THE CLERK HAS A LIST OF THOSE PREPARED TO SPEAK
  • WE ARE TAKING COMMENTS FROM ANYONE WHO HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK VIRTUALLY AS WELL AS FROM ANYONE WHO HAS JOINED US IN THE CHAMBERS AS THE CLERK CALLS YOUR NAME
  • IF YOU ARE JOINING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF
  • THEN PLEASE REPEAT YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD
  • IF YOU'RE ON THE TEAM'S MEETING AND ARE ALSO STREAMING AND MEETING THE MEETING ON THE WEBSITE PLEASE MUTE THE WEBSITE STREAM TO AVOID FEEDBACK
  • COMMENT TIME WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES PER PERSON
  • THE TIMER WILL SHOW ON THE SCREEN FOR YOUR VIEWING AND WILL CHIME TWICE AT THE END OF THE TWO MINUTE PERIOD AT WHICH TIME I'LL ASK SPEAKERS TO CONCLUDE THEIR REMARKS SO THAT WE MAY HEAR FROM OUR NEXT SPEAKER
  • CLARK, GO AHEAD AND CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER
  • THANK YOU, MR COMMISSIONER
  • PRESIDENT
  • OUR FIRST SPEAKER TODAY IS IRIS ANTMAN
  • IRIS, IF YOU'RE ON THE TELEPHONE AT STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YEAH
  • CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN, YEAH
  • GREAT
  • GOOD AFTERNOON
  • MY NAME IS IRIS ANTMAN, AND I'M A MEMBER OF SEATTLE CRUISE CONTROL
  • I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THE PORT THAT CRUISE IN SEATTLE PLAYS IN THE LARGER CONTEXT OF GLOBAL WARMING
  • CRUISING IS AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DRIVER IN SEATTLE
  • I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S NOT A SMALL THING FOR YOU TO LOOK AT THE HARM IT CAUSES AND I APPLAUD YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS SUCH AS SHORE POWER SCRUBBERS SOLAR PANELS ON BUILDING ROOFS TO ADDRESS ADVERSE EFFECTS
  • MOST RECENTLY, YOU'VE EMBARKED ON THE GREEN CORRIDOR PROJECT
  • IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS WE'RE FACING AND THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THEM
  • AND I APPLAUD YOU FOR THESE IMPORTANT EFFORTS
  • AND AT THE SAME TIME, I FEEL IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR YOU TO GO FURTHER AND CONSIDER A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF CRUISES ALTOGETHER
  • WE KNOW THE PRESENT AND POTENTIAL FUTURE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING ARE DEVASTATING AND WILL MAKE LARGE AREAS OF THE PLANET UNINHABITABLE
  • I DON'T NEED TO REMIND YOU OF WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND THE KIND OF WORLD THEY'RE LIKELY TO BE LIVING IN
  • I BELIEVE THE LEVEL OF DECREASE IN FOSSIL FUELS NEEDED REQUIRES A REDUCTION AND A PHASING OUT OF CRUISING IN ITS CURRENT FORM
  • ANALYSES OF THE BIPOC REPORTS ARE CLEAR THAT FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES ASIDE, SUCH AS CARBON CAPTURE AND CLEAN HYDROGEN FUEL NOT AVAILABLE AT SCALE FOR DECADES, IF EVER, ARE NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR ENDING FOSSIL FUEL USE
  • NOW, WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO EMIT MORE GREENHOUSE GASES AND BELIEVE THAT IN 20 OR 30 YEARS WE'LL BE ABLE TO HALT THE DAMAGE WE'RE DOING NOW
  • THAT WILL BE IRREVERSIBLE
  • I'M ASKING YOU TO HOLD YOUR LOVED ONES IN MIND WHILE YOU CONTEMPLATE OUR WARMING PLANET
  • I'M ASKING YOU TO DECREASE CRUISING USING YOUR LEASES AND BIRTHING AGREEMENTS AS YOU'VE SUGGESTED
  • I BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER WAYS THE PORT CAN DO BUSINESS BESIDES CRUISING
  • AND I BELIEVE THAT ONCE YOU'RE READY TO FACE A CURRENT REALITY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND ITS MAIN CAUSE, YOU CAN COME UP WITH BRILLIANT IDEAS TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE
  • WE NEED YOU
  • AND I'M ASKING YOU TO ACT BRAVELY AND DO THE RIGHT THING
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU, MS HAMMOND
  • NEXT SPEAKER? OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX ZIMMERMAN
  • THANK YOU, MY NAME IS ALEX ZIMMERMAN
  • I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT SOMETHING WHAT DOES MAKE ME ABSOLUTELY HAPPY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S ABOUT DAMN NAZI PSYCHOPATH ABORTION PROPAGANDA
  • YEAH, I SUPPORT WOMEN FOR ABORTION AND I SUPPORT COURT DECISION TOO
  • BUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN SEATTLE, IN STATE WASHINGTON IS VERY UNIQUE
  • THIS CAN COME ONLY FROM THEM NAZI FREAKING IDIOT
  • A PSYCHOPATH ONE GOVERNOR, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? DECIDE NO LAW, A FUEHRER EXECUTIVE
  • I NEED A COUPLE OF MILLION DOLLARS FOR PUPIL FOR WOMEN FROM OUTSIDE
  • SO THIS OKAY WITH ME
  • YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEAN? WHY IS THIS PROPAGANDA? GO FOR WHO THIS GO? PROBABLY FOR 50 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN BEFORE 40 IN SEATTLE WHO MENTALLY SICK
  • YEAH, FOR THIS IS IDIOT ELECT
  • THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENED
  • FOR THIS WE HAVE A COLLAPSE
  • BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE BORN LIKE AN IDIOT, YOU WILL BE IDIOT FOREVER
  • NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED
  • AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENED
  • SO I SPEAK RIGHT NOW TO EVERYBODY WHO NOT 100%
  • YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS? STAND UP, GUYS
  • WE NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING
  • WE HAVE SMART PEOPLE AROUND, INTELLECTUAL, PROFESSIONAL
  • WHY WE ELECT A PIECE OF GARBAGE
  • YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS? WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY DO YOU KNOW WHAT DOES MEAN? BUSINESS
  • LOOK THIS FROM LEFT SIDE, A PROFESSIONAL WHO KNOW ABOUT BUSINESS PROBABLY 100%
  • FROM RIGHT SIDE, VERY LOW PROFESSIONAL CLASS COMMISSIONER WHO DO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PROBABLY NEVER MAKE A PENNY WITH THEIR HAND FOR BUSINESS
  • SO THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED RIGHT NOW
  • I TRY AND UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK RIGHT NOW TO THIS PROFESSIONAL STAND UP, WE NEED CLEANSE DIRTY CHAMBER FROM ADDITIONAL IDIOT
  • THANK YOU VERY MUCH
  • THANK YOU, MR ZIMMERMAN
  • NEXT SPEAKER? YES
  • OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS YVETTE MAGENA
  • YVETTE, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? OKAY
  • AND WE'LL MOVE TO TAMMY CANAVAN
  • HELLO? YES, WHO IS SPEAKING? THIS IS YVETTE
  • OH, HI YVETTE
  • THANK YOU
  • GO AHEAD, PLEASE
  • PERFECT
  • HI, COMMISSIONERS
  • MY NAME IS YVETTE MAGANIA
  • I'M THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MANAGER FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ALLIANCE ADVOCATES IN WASHINGTON
  • AND I'M HERE TO TESTIFY IN FAVOR OF THE PORT PROCLAMATION IN SUPPORT OF ACCESS TO ABORTION
  • THIS RESOLUTION AFFIRMS OUR CITY'S COMMITMENT TO EQUAL RIGHTS AND ABORTION ACCESS AND RECOGNIZES THE IMMENSE BENEFITS THAT EQUITABLE ABORTION ACCESS HAS FOR ALL PEOPLE WHO CAN BECOME PREGNANT
  • WHEN THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED ROE V
  • WADE AND ENDED THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO ABORTION, IT IMMEDIATELY UPENDED PATIENT'S ABILITY TO ACCESS ABORTION CARE
  • ELEVEN STATES CURRENTLY HAVE BANNED IN EFFECT, WITH MANY MORE POINTS TO BAN AVIATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE
  • IN IDAHO, A TRIGGER BAN THAT COULD BAN ALMOST ALL ABORTIONS IS CURRENTLY MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE STATE SUPREME COURT AS THE STATE'S LARGEST REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
  • EVERY DAY WE SEE FIRSTHAND THE DEVASTATING IMPACT THIS DECISION IS HAVING ON OUR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES
  • HERE IN WASHINGTON, WE ARE ALREADY CARING FOR PATIENTS FROM TEXAS AND OTHER STATES WITH ABORTION RESTRICTIONS THAT FORCE PATIENTS TO TRAVEL OUT OF STATE TO ACCESS THE CARE THEY NEED
  • FOLLOWING THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION OVERTURNING ROE V
  • WADE, OUR CALL CENTERS HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CALLS FROM PATIENTS WHO ARE TERRIFIED THAT THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE CARE THEY NEED
  • AS MORE STATES MOVE TO BAN ABORTION, WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE EVEN MORE PATIENTS FROM OUT OF STATE COME TO WASHINGTON TO SEEK CARE
  • TO ENSURE THAT ALL PATIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS CAN GET THE CARE THEY NEED, PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE WORKING TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE SYSTEMS AND FUNDING IN PLACE TO HELP PATIENTS ACCESS AVIATION CARE, INCLUDING SUPPORTING PATIENTS TRAVELING FROM OUT OF STATE
  • HELLO
  • YOU CAN WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS, MS MEGANA
  • OH, PERFECT
  • NOW, MORE THAN EVER, IT IS CRITICAL FOR OUR CITY AND OUR STATE TO STAND UP AND AFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FOR PEOPLE, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY
  • THIS RESOLUTION AFFIRMS OUR CITY'S LONG HELD SUPPORT FOR ABORTION ACCESS AND ALSO CALLS ON FEDERAL LAWMAKERS TO DO MORE TO ENSURE THAT PATIENTS RIGHT TO ACCESS BASIC HEALTHCARE DOESN'T DEPEND ON THEIR ZIP CODE
  • THANK YOU SO MUCH, PORT OF SEATTLE, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT, AND I PLANNED PARENTHOOD, SUPPORTS THIS PROCLAMATION
  • THANK YOU, MS MEGAN
  • NEXT SPEAKER? YES
  • OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TAMMY CANAVAN
  • GOOD AFTERNOON
  • I AM TAMMY CANAVAN
  • I'M THE NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO OF VISIT SEATTLE, AND AS I CROSS THE TWO MONTH THRESHOLD ON MY TENURE, I WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF CRUISE
  • IT IS SUCH A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF OUR TOURISM ECONOMY
  • THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY HAS BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND THIS IS CERTAINLY SEEN WITHIN THE CRUISE INDUSTRY ITSELF
  • BUT OUR INDUSTRY, LARGELY MADE UP OF SMALL BUSINESSES, INCLUDING RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS, RETAIL, MUSEUMS, ATTRACTIONS, THEY'VE ALL SUFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY
  • SO WE'RE FINALLY SEEING A RELIABLE TREND OF RECOVERY IN 2022, PARTICULARLY THIS LATE SPRING AND SUMMER
  • AND THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT CRUISE HAS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SPRING
  • THAT RECOVERY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS
  • OUR DOWNTOWN HOTELS ARE EXCEEDING 80% OCCUPANCY, AND VISITOR VOLUMES THIS SUMMER ARE APPROACHING PREPANDENIC LEVELS
  • THIS IMPACT IS FELT AT EVERY LEVEL, BUT ESPECIALLY AMONGST OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, WHETHER IT'S THE ARTISANS AT PIPE PLACE MARKET, OR COFFEE SHOP OWNERS IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT, OR BREWERY AND BALLARD
  • AND IT COMES AT A TIME WHEN THEY REALLY NEED IT
  • SO I WANT TO APPLAUD THE PORT OF SEATTLE FOR NOT ONLY CREATING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH CRUISE, BUT ALSO FOR SERVING AS ONE OF THE SAFEST CRUISE HOME PORTS IN THE WORLD THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, AND FOR GROWING CRUISE IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WAY, ENSURING THIS BUSINESS REMAINS SUSTAINABLE FOR A REGION FOR DECADES TO COME
  • SO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, FOR YOUR ROLE IN DRIVING ECONOMIC IMPACT ACROSS THE REGION
  • VISIT SEATTLE, OUR 700 PLUS PARTNER BUSINESSES IN TRAVEL, TOURISM, AND HOSPITALITY DEPEND ON IT, AND WE DON'T TAKE YOU FOR GRANTED
  • THANKS
  • THANK YOU, MS CANNON
  • AND WELCOME
  • THANK YOU
  • NEXT SPEAKER? YES
  • OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MATT VENTOZA
  • COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU
  • HI, MATT VENTOSA
  • I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHORE WAREHOUSE UNION HERE IN SEATTLE, AND I WANT TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THIS TIME TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOU
  • I HAVE A STATEMENT
  • I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE CRUISE SHIPS IN SEATTLE SINCE THEY'RE CALLING OVER 20 YEARS AGO
  • THE ILW WORKS THESE VESSELS FROM LOADING SHIPS STORES AND PASSENGERS LUGGAGE TO LOADING SHIPS GEAR FOR THEIR INTERNAL NEEDS
  • NOT ONLY DOES THE ILW WORK THESE VESSELS, WE WELCOME THEM AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE LOCAL ECONOMIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
  • THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS A LEADER IN ATTRACTING THIS BUSINESS, AND WE WELCOME ANY AND ALL, NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT AT THE COST OF LOSING ANY CONTAINER TERMINAL SPACE
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU, MR VENTOSA
  • NEXT SPEAKER? YES, OUR FINAL SIGN UP TODAY IS FROM ISLA SCOTT
  • OKAY
  • HI, COMMISSIONERS
  • MY NAME IS ILA SCOTT AND I AM A UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDENT STUDYING THE ENVIRONMENT
  • I'M CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE DEFENDERS OF NORTH SEATAC TECH PARK, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE CONCERNS WE HAVE FOR NORTH SEATAC PARK
  • THIS PARK WAS CREATED TO COMPENSATE AREA RESIDENTS FOR AIRPORT IMPACTS
  • BUT WITHIN THE PORT OF SEATTLE SUSTAINABLE AIRPORT MASTER PLAN AND THE PORT REAL ESTATE STRATEGIC PLAN, THE PORT IS NOW PROPOSING TO COMMERCIALLY DEVELOP ON 31.5 ACRES INSIDE NORTH SEATAC PARK AND OVER AN ESTIMATED 70 ACRES IN NEIGHBORHOODS ALL AROUND IT IN ORDER TO EXPAND SEATAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OPERATIONS
  • BUT CONVERSELY, THE PUBLIC HEALTH OF SEATTLE AND KING COUNTY HAS ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED AN INCREASE IN GREEN SPACES AND TREE COVERAGE NEAR THE PORT TO REDUCE HUMAN EXPOSURE TO DEADLY AIRPORT POLLUTANTS
  • AND AS A PERSON PURSUING ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AS A CAREER, I CANNOT URGE YOU ENOUGH TO HONOR THIS RECOMMENDATION AND DEFEND NORTH SEA TYPE PARK
  • I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AT MY TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON INTO THE EFFECTS OF AIRPORTS AND AIRCRAFT AND ON THE COMMUNITY THAT SURROUND THEM
  • THE CLOSER PERSON IS TO AN AIRPORT, THE HIGHER CHANCES OF DECREASED LUNG AND CARDIAC FUNCTION, THE HIGHER CHANCES OF CHRONIC RESPIRATORY AND HEART DISEASE, LUNG CANCER, BRONCHITIS, ASTHMATIC ATTACKS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN, THE LIST, IT GOES ON
  • HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT GREEN SPACES AND TREE CAN COVER CAN LARGELY MITIGATE THESE IMPACTS
  • AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THEY CAN ALSO REDUCE CRIME, CONTRIBUTE TO ENERGY CONSERVATION, PROMOTE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, AND COOL DOWN NEIGHBORHOODS
  • AND I HAVE NOT EVEN BEGUN TO TOUCH ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND JUST HOW IMPORTANT TREES ARE TO MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE
  • SO THIS IS A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, AND AS SHOWN BY THE US CENSUS BUREAU, IT'S ALSO A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUE
  • SO I COME HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE DEFEND THE PARK IN THE COMMUNITY THAT SURROUNDS IT, AND TREES CAN SAVE LIVES
  • BEFORE THIS MEETING, I EMAILED YOU ALL OF MY SOURCES FOR SOME OF THE INFORMATION I JUST SAID AND ALSO THE DEFENDERS OF NORTH PARK CONSENSUS TO SIGN AND DEFEND THE PARK
  • SO PLEASE READ THROUGH THEM
  • AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY AND FOR LISTENING
  • HAVE A GOOD DAY
  • THANK YOU, MS SCOTT
  • THAT CONCLUDES OUR SIGN UPS TODAY
  • IS THERE ANYONE ELSE PRESENT OR ON THE TEAM'S CALL WHO DIDN'T SIGN UP, BUT WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION? OKAY, I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS POINT
  • I'LL ASK THE COMMISSION COMMISSIONER, YES, HAVING SERVED ON THE COMMISSIONER FOR SIX YEARS AND I JUST WANT TO HAVE A PERSONAL NOTE, IS ONE OF THE FEW JEWS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION THAT I FIND IT'S AN OBSCENE GESTURE TO BE GIVEN A NAZI SALUTE AND TO BE REFERRED TO AS SUPPORTIVE OF NAZIS
  • AND WE'RE REFERRED TO AS BEING A PART OF THAT AND JUST WANT TO HAVE, ON BEHALF OF FOLKS WITH MY RELIGION THAT I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BEING THE CASE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • REALLY APPRECIATE THAT
  • OKAY, MR COMMISSIONER, PRESIDENT, BEFORE YOU CONTINUE, CAN YOU CALL FROM ANYONE FROM THE ROOM WHO MIGHT WANT TO SPEAK? IS THERE ANYONE IN THE ROOM WHO WOULD LIKE TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT WHO HAS NOT HAD THE CHANCE? OKAY
  • AT THIS TIME, I'LL ASK THE CLERK TO PLEASE GIVE A SYNOPSIS OF THE WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED
  • THANK YOU
  • MR COMMISSIONER, PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, WE'VE RECEIVED TWO WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR TODAY'S MEETING
  • ANNE MILLER RIGHTS REGARDING THE PROTECTION OF NORTH SEATAC PARK AND ASK THE PORT TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY FOREST CONSENSUS TO DEFEND PEOPLE LIVING IN THE SURROUNDING AIRPORT COMMUNITIES FROM NEGATIVE HEALTH AND CLIMATE IMPACTS CAUSED BY DEFORESTATION
  • AND THEN ILA SCOTT SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS SUPPORTING HER SPOKEN COMMENTS HERE TODAY
  • AND THAT CONCLUDES THE WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED
  • THANK YOU, CLARK
  • HEARING NO FURTHER PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL MOVE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA
  • ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED ROUTINE AND WILL BE ADOPTED BY ONE MOTION
  • ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY IMMEDIATELY AFTER ADOPTION OF THE REMAINING CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS AT THIS POINT WE'VE HEARD OF NO ITEMS TO BE PULLED TODAY
  • AT THIS TIME, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA COVERING ITEMS EIGHT A, EIGHT B, EIGHT C
  • MOTION WAS MADE AND SECONDED
  • COMMISSIONER, PLEASE SAY I OR NAYS WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • AND COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • FIVE AYES ZERO NAYS FOR THIS ITEM
  • AND WITH THAT, THE MOTION PASSES
  • MOVING ON IN THE AGENDA TODAY TO NEW BUSINESS
  • WE HAVE FOUR NEW BUSINESS ITEMS AND WE ARE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THE ITEM THAT WAS MOVED IN THE AGENDA
  • SO, CLARK, CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE FIRST ITEM INTO THE RECORD AND THEN WE'LL HAVE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK INTRODUCE IT
  • YES, THIS IS AGENDA ITEM FOR A PROCLAMATION IN SUPPORT OF CODIFYING COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION AND MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN WASHINGTON STATE, IN THE WASHINGTON STATE CONSTITUTION AND FEDERAL LAW
  • AND ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE I AM INTRODUCING THE SPEAKERS TODAY
  • WE'LL BE HEARING FROM PORT EMPLOYEES
  • MELANIE O'KAINE FROM ACCOUNTING, FINANCIAL REPORTING RECORDS AND ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
  • PENNY SOM, PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER
  • AND LACRETIA CLAYTON, FINANCIAL ANALYST FOR MARITIME
  • AND THEY WILL BE READING THE PROCLAMATION FOR US TODAY
  • MELANIE, I BELIEVE YOU'LL BEGIN
  • WHEREAS IN 1970, WASHINGTON STATE VOTERS APPROVED REFERENDUM 20, WHICH LEGALIZED ABORTION IN WASHINGTON STATE
  • AND WHEREAS ON JANUARY 22, 1973, THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT RULED SEVEN TO TWO IN ROE V
  • WADE THAT UNDULY RESTRICTIVE STATE REGULATION OF ABORTION IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
  • THE COURT HELD THAT A SET OF TEXAS STATUTES CRIMINALIZING ABORTION IN MOST INSTANCES VIOLATED A WOMAN'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF PRIVACY, WHICH IT FOUND TO BE IMPLICIT IN THE LIBERTY GUARANTEE OF THE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT
  • NOR SHALL ANY STATE DEPRIVE ANY PERSON OF LIFE, LIBERTY OR PROPERTY WITHOUT DUE PROCESS OF LAW
  • AND WHEREAS IN 1991, WASHINGTON STATE VOTERS APPROVED INITIATIVE 120, WHICH DECLARED A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE PHYSICIAN, PERFORMED ABORTION PRIOR TO FETAL VIABILITY AND FURTHER EXPANDED AND PROTECTED ACCESS TO ABORTION IN THE STATE IF ROE V
  • WADE WAS OVERTURNED
  • AND WHEREAS COMPREHENSIVE ABORTION CARE IS INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION IN 2020
  • AND WHEREAS, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, LACK OF ACCESS TO SAFE, AFFORDABLE, TIMELY AND RESPECTFUL ABORTION CARE AND THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH ABORTION POSE RISKS TO WOMEN'S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING THROUGHOUT THE LIFE COURSE
  • INACCESSIBILITY OF QUALITY ABORTION CARE RISKS VIOLATING A RANGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO LIFE, THE RIGHT TO THE HIGHEST ATTAINABLE STANDARD OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, THE RIGHT TO BENEFIT FROM SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS AND ITS REALIZATION, THE RIGHT TO DECIDE FREELY AND RESPONSIBLY ON THE NUMBER, SPACING AND
  • TIMING OF CHILDREN AND THE RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM TORTURE, CRUEL, INHUMAN, AND DEGRADING TREATMENT AND PUNISHMENT
  • AND WHEREAS, ON JUNE 24, 2022, THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES USED THEIR DECISION IN DOBBS VERSUS JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO STRIKE DOWN ROE V
  • WADE, RULING THAT THE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE AND EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT DO NOT APPLY TO AN INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTIONS
  • AND WHEREAS, US
  • SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V
  • WADE EFFECTIVELY REMOVES BODILY AUTONOMY FROM WOMEN, GIRLS, TRANSGENDER, AND GENDER NONCONFORMING PEOPLE WITH UTERUS NATIONWIDE WHO CAN NO LONGER SEEK ABORTION CARE, A VITAL FORM OF HEALTH CARE, AND CREATES RISK FOR FUTURE JUDICIAL INTERPRETATIONS THAT ERODE PROTECTIONS FOR CONTRACEPTION AND MARRIAGE EQUALITY
  • AND WHEREAS THIS DECISION UNILATERALLY TARGETS PEOPLE WHO CANNOT GET PREGNANT, PEOPLE WHO CAN GET PREGNANT WILL DISPARATELY CREATE BARRIERS TO LIVING, THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AS ACCESS TO ABORTION CARE DIRECTLY IMPACTS THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND HEALTH OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE
  • AND WHEREAS THE LONG STANDING HARM, INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM, AND BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS HAVE ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WILL EXASPERATE INEQUALITIES IMPACTING RACIAL MINORITIES AND UNDOCUMENTED INDIVIDUALS SEEKING ABORTION CARE
  • AND WHEREAS, THE MISSION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE REGION BY ADVANCING TRADE, TRAVEL, COMMERCE AND JOB CREATION IN AN EQUITABLE, ACCOUNTABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MANNER
  • [inaudible 00:37:01] , HOW ABOUT NOW? WE CAN HEAR YOU
  • VERY GOOD
  • WHEREAS WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE OFFICIALLY STAGES A SUPPORT FOR AN AMENDMENT TO PROTECT AN INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO SAFETY AND LEGAL ABORTIONS IN WASHINGTON STATE CONSTITUTION
  • NOW, THEREFORE, THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION HEREBY ADOPTS THIS PROCLAMATION TO EXPRESS THIS OFFICIAL POSITION IN SUPPORT OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE WASHINGTON STATE CONSTITUTION AND PASSAGE OF A FEDERAL LAW TO BOTH CODIFY AN INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO COMPREHENSIVE, SAFE, AND ACCESSIBLE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTIONS, AS WELL AS MARRIAGE EQUALITY
  • THANK YOU ALL FOR THE READING OF THE PROCLAMATION
  • THANK YOU, MELANIE
  • THANK YOU, LUCRETIA
  • AND THANK YOU, PENNY
  • AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO ASK COMMISSIONER CHO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS, AND WE WILL BEGIN WITH COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • THANK YOU, MELANIE, LACRETIA AND PENNY, FOR THAT POWERFUL READING
  • THROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY, WOMEN HAVE BEEN RELEGATED TO FAMILY ROLES WITHOUT ACCESS TO ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CAPITAL
  • EVERY ADVANCEMENT MADE IN LAW AND SOCIETY SINCE THIS COUNTRY'S CONCEPTION HAS FALLEN WOEFULLY SHORT OF PARITY
  • ON JUNE 24, THE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT CONFER A RIGHT TO ABORTION
  • AND IN THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL FORM, DECISION MAKING POWER OVER OWN BODIES AND FUTURE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM PEOPLE WHO CAN GET PREGNANT
  • THIS IS SEVERE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR THE POPULATION BEING REGULATED, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE SERIOUSNESS THAT'S AT HAND
  • BECAUSE WASHINGTON STATE IS A WELCOMING STATE THAT WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL MEDICAL ABORTION CARE
  • PREGNANT PEOPLE IN NEED WILL COME HERE
  • AS WE HEARD IN PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, PLANNED PARENTHOOD REPORTS THAT PEOPLE ALREADY ARE
  • THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS A TRANSPORTATION HUB AND A POINT OF ENTRY FOR PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND RECOGNIZING THE MOBILITY IMPLICATIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT DECISION
  • THIS PROCLAMATION IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MODEL PEOPLE CENTERED POLICY
  • WE EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FACILITATE SAFETY AND FOSTER A CULTURE OF INCLUSION
  • I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTIONS, FOR EMBRACING THIS PROCLAMATION
  • I'D LIKE TO THANK CITY OF KENMORE DEPUTY MAYOR MELANIE O'CAIN, WHO'S ALSO A PORT OF SEATTLE EMPLOYEE, FOR YOUR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ON THIS PROCLAMATION
  • AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND COMMISSIONER STAFF FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS
  • AND TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOCAL SUPPORT
  • THE PORT OF SEATTLE WILL NOT STAND BY AND COMPLACENT OBSERVATION OF OPPRESSION, AND I'M PROUD TO INTRODUCE THIS PROCLAMATION TODAY ON BEHALF OF THE INSTITUTION
  • COMMISSIONER MOHAMED, THANK YOU
  • WELL, I JUST WANT TO BEGIN BY EXPRESSING MY GRATITUDE TO COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA AND ALL OF THE STAFF MEMBERS THAT BROUGHT THIS PROCLAMATION FORWARD TODAY
  • I ALSO WANT TO THANK PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S LEADERSHIP FOR YOUR COMMENTS TODAY
  • AGAIN, THE DECISION TO OVERTURN ROY V
  • WADE CREATES A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS
  • I THINK THAT IS VERY MUCH UNDENIABLE
  • HALF OF ALL THE STATES ARE ANTICIPATED TO BAN ABORTIONS
  • WE ARE ANTICIPATING AN INCREASE IN TRAVEL THROUGH AIRPORTS NATIONWIDE AND EVEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY TO UNDERGO PROCEDURES AND ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
  • AGAIN, THIS DECISION WILL NOT STOP ABORTIONS
  • IT WILL ONLY PUT AMERICAN FAMILIES LIVES IN DANGER
  • THE SEATTLE TIMES JUST PUT OUT AN ARTICLE, I THINK SOMETIME THIS WEEK, AND REPORTED THAT THE CDC REPORTS THAT IN 2019, 5% OF ALL ABORTIONS IN WASHINGTON STATE ARE FROM OUT OF THE STATE OF STATE RESIDENCE
  • AND SIMILAR TO WHAT COMMISSIONER HAS A GOAL STATED, AND WE'RE EXPECTING THOSE NUMBERS TO GO UP
  • WASHINGTON STATE IS EXPECTED TO SEE A 385% INCREASE IN TRAVELERS SEEKING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE DUE TO THE OVERTURNING OF ROY V
  • WADE
  • THIS IS ALSO AN EQUITY ISSUE
  • THERE'S AN EQUITY COMPONENT TO THIS RULING
  • I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH MY MOTHER THIS PAST WEEK, AND SHE'S A PERSON OF VERY STRONG FAITH AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHE SAID TO ME WSDOT ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT PRIORITIZE PROTECTING LIVING CHILDREN
  • SHE SAID, HOW ABOUT THEY PRIORITIZE PROTECTING CHILDREN IN CLASSROOMS? HOW ABOUT THEY PRIORITIZE THE WELL BEING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS? IN ANY GIVEN DAY, THERE ARE NEARLY 400,000 CHILDREN IN OUR FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY
  • IN 2019, OVER 600,000 CHILDREN SPENT TIME IN A US
  • FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
  • BLACK WOMEN ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM PREGNANCY RELATED CAUSES THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS
  • THAT'S IT
  • WITH THAT, THERE ARE OB-GYN SHORTAGES ACROSS THIS NATION THAT IS ALREADY A THREAT TO SO MANY WOMEN AND BIRTHING PARENTS
  • REPRODUCTIVE CARE THE DATA SHOWS LIMITING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE CARE HAS MANY CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING INCREASING POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT, PREGNANCY RELATED DEATHS
  • THIS IS ABOUT HEALTH CARE
  • IT'S ABOUT EQUITY, IT'S ABOUT ECONOMIC SECURITY
  • ALL OF THE THINGS THAT US
  • COMMISSIONER GOT ELECTED TO FIGHT FOR AND TO PROTECT IN OUR COMMUNITY
  • I BELIEVE EVERYONE DESERVES ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, ESPECIALLY IN ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
  • HERE AT HOME, I BELIEVE THAT THE 15,000 PLUS PEOPLE WHO WORK ON OUR PORT FACILITIES DESERVE ACCESS TO BASIC HEALTH CARE AND WELLNESS
  • AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, AS A WOMAN, AS A HUMAN BEING, I SUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE CARE, CLINIC ACCESS, HEALTH CARE REFORM, IMPLEMENTATION, ABORTION RIGHTS, AND ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVES
  • I'M COMMITTED TO STANDING UP FOR ALL OF OUR PORT EMPLOYEES IN WASHINGTONIANS
  • IT'S SIMPLY JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO
  • AGAIN, I THINK COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA'S LEADERSHIP AND TO ALL OF THE PORT STAFF MEMBERS WHO BROUGHT THIS PROCLAMATION FORWARD TODAY, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHO
  • YEAH, I'LL MAKE MY COMMENTS BRIEF
  • BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS HOW GRATEFUL AND HONORED I AM TO SHARE THE STATUS WITH COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA AND COMMISSIONER MOHAMED, TWO VERY STRONG WOMEN WHO HAVE REALLY LED ON SO MANY ISSUES THAT SINCE THEY'VE JOINED US
  • BUT IN PARTICULAR, I THINK YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE SPACE IS DEEPLY APPRECIATED AND MUCH NEEDED AT THIS TIME
  • AND I'M PERSONALLY VERY HONORED AND PROUD TO SUPPORT THIS PROCLAMATION THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT FORWARD
  • AND IN PARTICULAR, I WANT TO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA, FOR BEING FRONT AND CENTER ON THIS ISSUE, BUT ALSO OPENING YOURSELF UP AND BEING VULNERABLE WITH YOUR PERSONAL STORY TO THE PUBLIC
  • DESPITE HOW WE MAY TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN GENERALITIES, THIS IS NEVER AN EASY THING TO DO
  • AND I CAN NEVER KNOW AS A MAN WHAT IT'S LIKE
  • BUT THESE DECISIONS ARE NEVER EASY
  • AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING VULNERABLE
  • THE ONLY OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY IS THAT WITHOUT GETTING TOO POLITICAL ON THE ISSUE OR ISSUES, IS THAT WITH HOW THE SUPREME COURT IS TRENDING, MY EXPECTATION IS FOR THIS TO BE THE FIRST OF MANY BATTLES
  • TODAY IT'S ABOUT ABORTION, BUT TOMORROW IT COULD BE ABOUT MARRIAGE EQUALITY OR WHO KNOWS HOW FAR THIS COURT WILL GO
  • BUT ONE THING I WANTED TO MAKE CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE PEOPLE AT THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS THAT THIS COMMISSION STANDS READY TO FIGHT EACH OF THOSE BATTLES, THAT AS A COMMISSION, WE ARE ALL UNITED AND UNIFYING IN OUR VOICE AND ADVOCATING FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON'S RIGHTS
  • AND SO, AGAIN, VERY HONORED TO BE SUPPORTING THIS PROCLAMATION, TO BE STANDING IN SOLIDARITY
  • AND ALL I SHARE WITH BOTH OF YOU AND ALL THE WOMEN WHO ARE CURRENTLY FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHTS, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN, THANK YOU
  • AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD, AS I DID MAKE MY STATEMENTS
  • CLERK HART, THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING
  • I STAND WITH YOU ALL, AND IT IS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH THIS COMMISSION
  • AND WHAT YOU BRING TO THIS DISCUSSION IS INVALUABLE
  • I WILL NOT BELABOR THIS FURTHER, BUT THIS IS TRULY SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO BAND TOGETHER, NOT JUST AS A COMMISSION, BUT AS A SOCIETY
  • AND I'M COMMITTED TO DOING THAT
  • AND WHATEVER THE PORT CAN DO TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT END, I STAND WITH YOU
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • I WILL CONCLUDE THIS COMMISSIONER COMMENT SECTION WITH JUST A FEW THOUGHTS ON MY OWN
  • THE FIRST IS A REMINDER THAT EVEN IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY, HUMAN RIGHTS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THE WILL OF THE MAJORITY
  • THEY ARE INALIENABLE
  • THEY AREN'T SUBJECT TO THE MAJORITY OF THE SUPREME COURT, OF A CONGRESS, OR EVEN TO THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE
  • AND WHILE IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE WE MAY HAVE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WITH US, IT, IN FACT DOES NOT MATTER
  • HUMAN RIGHTS ARE INALIENABLE
  • NO COURT SHOULD BE ABLE TO CIRCUMSCRIBE THEM
  • AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO GIVE BERTH
  • NO ONE
  • IT'S UNFORTUNATE
  • WE'RE IN A STATE NOW, IN A MOMENT NOW WHERE EACH STATE HAS BEEN GIVEN THE AUTHORITY BY THE SUPREME COURT TO DETERMINE ITS OWN LAWS GOING FORWARD
  • WHAT THAT MEANS FOR WASHINGTON STATE AND FOR OUR JURISDICTION WITHIN THAT IS THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MODEL WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO HONOR LIFE
  • AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE TODAY
  • WE'RE SAYING THAT IN SPITE OF WHAT THE SUPREME COURT MAY HAVE RULED, WE WILL BE THAT WELCOMING PLACE
  • WE WILL ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTRAVENTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
  • ONE OF THE HARDEST DECISIONS A PERSON MIGHT EVER MAKE IS THIS VERY DECISION
  • AND ONLY THAT PERSON, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, IS IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT DECISION
  • AND SO I SUPPORT THIS PROCLAMATION AND THE ORDER THAT WE WILL CONSIDER NEXT
  • ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE TO VOTE? ALL RIGHT, WE DO NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE PROCLAMATION
  • MR PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE PROCLAMATION AS PRESENTED
  • SECOND
  • CLARK, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL FOR THE VOTE? THANK YOU
  • FOR THE VOTE
  • BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • AND COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • THERE ARE FIVE AYES AND ZERO NAYS FOR THIS ITEM
  • WITH THAT, THE MOTION PASSES
  • ALL RIGHT
  • AT THIS TIME, WE WILL CONSIDER ITEM TEN A ON OUR AGENDA
  • CLARK, CAN YOU READ IT INTO THE RECORD, PLEASE? THANK YOU
  • YES, THIS IS AGENDA ITEM TEN A, ORDER NUMBER 2022
  • EIGHT AND ORDER ALIGNING PORT OF SEATTLE PLACING POLICY WITH WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNOR J ENDS LOOSE DIRECTIVE 20 212, PROHIBITING COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE WITH PORT OF SEATTLE ABORTION AND OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE INVESTIGATIONS, PROSECUTIONS OR LEGAL ACTIONS
  • COMMISSIONER, AS YOU HAVE SO CLEARLY STATED IN YOUR PROCLAMATION, THE PORT STANDS BEHIND EVERYONE'S RIGHT TO COMPREHENSIVE, SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
  • THIS ORDER MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THE PORT WILL PROVIDE NO ASSISTANCE TO FEDERAL OR STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT OR OTHER AGENCIES MATTERS RELATED TO ABORTION OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN OUR STATE
  • THIS PARALLELS THE RECENT ORDER BY GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE
  • THIS ORDER DOES NOT APPLY TO THE GRANTING OF ASSISTANCE OR INFORMATION THAT IS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH WASHINGTON STATE OR FEDERAL LAW
  • I SUPPORT THIS ACTION
  • ALL RIGHT, PLEASE
  • PETE MILLS WILL BE GIVING THE INTRO FOR THIS AS WELL
  • PETER
  • OH, THERE, YOU'RE SURPRISED
  • GO AHEAD, PETE
  • GOOD AFTERNOON
  • I'M PETE MILLS, COMMISSION STRATEGIC ADVISOR
  • MR EXECUTIVE
  • MR PRESIDENT AND COMMISSIONER
  • HERE'S A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE ORDER THE SPECIFICS THE ORDER INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DIRECTION TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN IMPLEMENT POOR POLICY CONSISTENT WITH THE GOVERNOR'S DIRECTIVE 20 212 CONCERNING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE INVESTIGATIONS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION TO THE PORT OF SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO REFRAIN FROM PROVIDING COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE TO ENTITIES IF THE MATTER CONCERNS ABORTION OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN WASHINGTON
  • AND ESTABLISH A PROCESS CONSISTENT WITH WASHINGTON STATE
  • OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IMPORTS GENERAL COUNSEL TO SCRUTINIZE ALL REQUESTS FOR COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE RELATED TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE OR SERVICES AND REPORT ALL REQUESTS FOR COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE RELATED TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE OR SERVICES TO THE COMMISSION
  • PRESENT HERE TODAY TO INFORM, IF NEEDED IS INTERIM POLICE CHIEF VIA WITH THE PORT OF SEATTLE POLICE AND OUR GENERAL COUNSEL, PETE RAMBLES, AND OTHERS WHO CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS RELATED TO THIS ORDER
  • THANK YOU
  • ALL RIGHT
  • AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER MOHAMED, A SPONSOR OF THE ORDER
  • THANK YOU
  • I'M INTRODUCING THIS ORDER TODAY JUST TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO SAFEGUARD ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE CARE AT THE PORT OF SEATTLE, WHICH IS VERY MUCH CONSISTENT WITH WASHINGTON STATE LAW
  • THIS ORDER CLEARLY OUTLINES THAT THE PORT OF SEATTLE POLICE WON'T COOPERATE WITH OTHER STATES ABORTION INVESTIGATIONS
  • OUR PORT POLICE WON'T SHARE DATA OR USE PORT RESOURCES FOR ABORTION INVESTIGATION
  • THE PORT WILL CAREFULLY SCRUTINIZE ALL REQUESTS FOR COOPERATION RELATED TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE OR SERVICES FROM ANY PARTY IN ANY STATE WHERE ABORTION IS BANNED OR OTHERWISE RESTRICTED
  • OUR GOAL IS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH WASHINGTON STATE LAW
  • INDEED, ABORTION IS LEGAL IN OUR STATE, AND CITIZENS IN WASHINGTON STATE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE OR REFUSE TO HAVE AN ABORTION
  • IT IS YOUR CHOICE HERE AT HOME
  • THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS A WELCOMING PORT THAT IS COMMITTED TO THE SAFETY AND INCLUSION OF LOCAL RESIDENTS AND ALL VISITORS WHO INTERACT WITH OUR FACILITIES AND SERVICES
  • THE PORT HAS AN ESSENTIAL OBLIGATION TO FOSTER A CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR OUR REGION TO REMAIN A VIBRANT AND WELCOMING GLOBAL GATEWAY WHERE EVERYONE FEELS SAFE
  • AND AS A COMMISSIONER, I AM COMMITTED TO STANDING UP FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, BIRTHING PARENTS RIGHTS, AND OUR CONSTITUTION
  • AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MY COLLEAGUES SUPPORTING THIS ORDER TODAY
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED, ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER INTERESTED IN SPEAKING TO THIS MOTION? THANK YOU, MR PRESIDENT
  • I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THIS MOTION
  • AND FUNDAMENTALLY, WE MUST NOT CRIMINALIZE WOMEN FOR SEEKING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES
  • THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AND MEANINGFUL TANGIBLE STEP THAT THE PORT OF SEATTLE CAN TAKE
  • A FIRST STEP, AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN OUR LAST PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION MEETING, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS BARRIERS TO JUSTICE
  • THIS IS ALSO IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR PORT MISSION, AS COMMISSIONER MOHAMED APTLY POINTED OUT, TO CREATE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND PROMOTE THE QUALITY OF LIFE
  • I COMMEND THE PORT OF SEATTLE FOR USING THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO IT IN ITS TOOLBOX TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE JUSTICE
  • AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT THE PORT OF SEATTLE POLICE AND OUR CHIEF VIA FOR EXPRESSING THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS ACTION AS WELL
  • THE PORT OF SEATTLE, BY ORDER OF THIS MOTION, WILL NOT COMPLY WITH ANY INTERSTATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY IN CRIMINALIZING WOMEN FOR SEEKING THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED
  • SO I LOOK FORWARD TO VOTING IN SUPPORT OF THIS
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHO
  • YEAH, I THINK THIS IS A PERFECT FOLLOW UP TO THE PROCLAMATION THAT WE PASSED
  • AND IF THE PROCLAMATION IS A STATEMENT OF OUR VALUES, THIS MOTION IS PUTTING THOSE VALUES TO ACTION
  • SO THANK YOU BOTH FOR PUTTING THIS FORWARD
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HAMDI
  • AND I'M EXCITED TO BE SUPPORTING THIS AS WELL
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • AND AS SAID, HAPPY TO SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT FURTHERS OUR POLICY POSITION
  • AND PUTTING WORDS TO ACTION IS A GREAT WAY TO START
  • SO THANK YOU SO MUCH
  • ALL RIGHT, HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION FOR THIS ITEM
  • IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND? SO MOVED? SECONDED
  • ALL RIGHT, THE MOTION WAS MADE AND SECONDED
  • CLARK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL FOR THE VOTE
  • COMMISSIONER, PLEASE SAY I OR NAY WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED FOR THE VOTE, BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • AYEYOU
  • AND COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • FIVE AYES ZERO NAYS FOR THIS ITEM AND THE MOTION PASSES
  • THANK YOU, PETE
  • CLERK HART, YOU PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM INTO THE RECORD
  • WE'LL THEN HEAR FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK TO INTRODUCE THE ITEM
  • YES, THIS IS AGENDA ITEM TEN B
  • AUTHORIZATION FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE A GROUND LEASE WITH PDC SEATTLE LPIVBB/TH, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PANATTONI, TO ALLOW THEM TO DEVELOP APPROXIMATELY 399,337 SQUARE FOOT OF CLASS A, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, STATE OF THE ART LOGISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES, WHICH ARE AVIATION SUPPORTIVE, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL LOGISTICS FACILITIES IN THE CITY OF DES MOINES, WASHINGTON, WEST OF THE DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK
  • COMMISSIONERS, OUR NEXT ITEM CONCERNS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR DES MOINES CREEK WEST PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF DES MOINES
  • WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS TO DEVELOP OUR DES MOINES CREEK PROPERTIES
  • THESE EFFORTS HAVE CREATED JOBS FOR THE CITY, AND NEW ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ALSO HELPS THE CITY REVITALIZE ITS DOWNTOWN
  • WHEN DEVELOPED, THE PROJECT WILL ALSO IMPROVE ACCESS TO THE REGIONAL TRAIL NETWORK
  • OUR PRESENTERS TODAY ARE DAVE MCFADDEN, OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION CARE LEASE REAL ESTATE DIRECTOR, CITY OF DES MOINES MAYOR, THE HONORABLE MATT MAHONEY AND CITY OF DES MOINES DEPUTY MAYOR TRACY BUXTON
  • REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE PANTATONE COMPANY ARE AVAILABLE IN THE ROOM IF WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
  • SO AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GOING TO TURN OVER DAVE MCFADDEN
  • DAVE? THANK YOU
  • GOOD AFTERNOON
  • COMMISSIONERS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • I AM VERY PLEASED TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT
  • AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND SHOW THE SLIDE DECK, PLEASE
  • SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • WE'RE ASKING FOR AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE A GROUND LEASE WITH PANATTONI DEVELOPMENT SO THEY CAN DEVELOP THIS PROJECT TO PROVIDE MULTIPLE BENEFITS TO US AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE
  • LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • JUST A PICTURE OF WHERE THE PROPERTY IS
  • IT SITS NEXT TO THE FAA REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN DES MOINES
  • AND ITS DEVELOPMENT REALLY REPRESENTS A LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF DES MOINES
  • AND YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT
  • WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS DEVELOPMENT FOR SOME TIME, SEVERAL YEARS NOW, AND I THINK OUR PATIENCE IN BRINGING THIS PROJECT FORWARD HAS HELPED US DO IT RIGHT ON MANY LEVELS
  • AND SO WITH THAT, I WANT TO INTRODUCE MY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, KIRA LEE'S
  • AND AGAIN SHE'LL BE FOLLOWED BY MAYOR MATT MAHONEY FROM THE CITY OF DES MOINES AND DEPUTY MAYOR TRACY BUCKSTON KARA
  • THANK YOU, DAVE
  • PRESIDENT, COMMISSIONERS, I'M PROUD TO BRING THIS PROJECT FORWARD FOR YOU TODAY
  • IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • THANK YOU
  • DAVE SAID WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT COLLECTIVELY WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE CITY OF DES MOINES, WHO YOU'LL HEAR FROM TO DEVELOP OUT THIS BUSINESS PARK AT DES MOINES WITH THIS REPRESENTATIVE PROJECT AT DES MOINES CREEK WEST UNDER A GROUND LEASE
  • WE ISSUED AN RFP TO BRING COMPETITORS TO THIS PROJECT AND ATTORNEY WAS IN A FIELD OF SEVEN WITH AN OUTSTANDING PROPOSAL WHICH I'M GOING TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY
  • THE PROJECT SUPPORTS REGIONAL AVIATION, LOGISTICS AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, WILL CREATE UP TO 550 NET NEW JOBS WITH A COMBINED ANNUAL EARNINGS OF ABOUT $16 MILLION
  • ABBOT CONSTRUCTION HAS COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING WITH THEIR LABOR COMPONENT OF PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT, WE BELIEVE ONE OF THE FIRST UNDER PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP GROUND LEAKS IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
  • THE COMPANY IS COMMITTED TO MBWE UTILIZATION GOALS
  • IT WILL GENERATE NEARLY $4 MILLION IN PORT REVENUE, COMBINING TAX REVENUES AND REVENUES FROM THE LEASE
  • WE'LL GET INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT IN A MOMENT
  • AND WE'LL TARGET A POTENTIAL LEAD OR SIMILAR SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS IN ITS CONSTRUCTION
  • AS DAVE ALLUDED TO, AND WE'LL HEAR IN MORE DETAIL LATER
  • THIS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ACTUALLY PRESERVES ADJACENT WETLANDS AND A SIGNIFICANT GREEN BUFFER
  • WE'LL GET INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT WITH OUR PARTNERS AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO RELOCATING AND IMPROVING A POPULAR WALKING TRAIL THAT CURRENTLY TRANSVERSES THE PROPERTY
  • THANK YOU
  • IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE
  • OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER IS PANATTONI SEATTLE, WHOSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE WITH US TODAY
  • BART PRINCETON PARTNER AND LENS IKE, OUR PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR THIS PROJECT
  • THEY ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST WELL THOUGHT OF AND SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPERS IN THE REGION AND HAS WORKED WITH US ON PREVIOUS PROJECTS BOTH IN THIS BUSINESS PARK AND BEYOND IN THE BURIEN AREA AS WELL ON VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WORKING FOR THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • AND AS DAVID SAID, THOSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE IN THE AUDIENCE TOO, IF YOU HAVE SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS FOR THEM
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THIS PROPERTY AND OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH IT
  • AND I WILL DEFER ON A LOT OF THE ECOLOGICAL DETAILS TO OUR PARTNERS IN DES MOINES WHO ARE STEWARDING THAT PROCESS
  • BUT PARCEL WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED WITH AIRPORT FAA FUNDS
  • WE ACTUALLY BOUGHT IT AS A POTENTIAL BORROWER FOR THIRD ONE WAY, WHICH WAS NEVER UTILIZED
  • SO THIS SITE HAS BEEN LARGELY VACANT AND NOT USED, REMAINED UNDEVELOPED SINCE THAT TIME
  • AS WE DEVELOPED OUR REAL ESTATE STRATEGIC PLAN IN 2016, WE IDENTIFIED AN ADJACENT PARCEL OF 14.3 ACRE PARCEL AND DIRECTLY ADJACENT THAT WAS AT THAT TIME POISED FOR SURPLUS OR HAD BEEN SURPLUSED BY WSDOT AS POTENTIAL THOROUGHFARE THAT WAS NEVER UTILIZED FOR THEIR 509 RIGHT AWAY PROJECT
  • SO WE NEGOTIATED AN AGREEMENT AND ACTUALLY PURCHASED THIS PROPERTY LAST JULY TO ENHANCE THE FOOTPRINT AND MAKE FOR A BETTER PROJECT
  • OVERALL THE PROPERTY, THIS DEPICTION HERE AND THE PHOTOGRAPH REPRESENTS A OVERVIEW OF IT AND IT INCLUDES BOTH THE WSDOT PARCEL AND THE ONE THAT WE HAD OWNED PREVIOUSLY
  • AS YOU SEE, A SIGNIFICANT GREEN BUFFER, MUCH OF WHICH WILL BE RETAINED
  • THE ACTUAL FOOTPRINT IS COVERED IN A MAJORITY OF RED ALDER AND OTHER HARDWOODS INDICATING THAT IT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISTURBED
  • IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S NO OLD GROWTH FOREST HERE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT
  • VERY LIMITED DEVELOPMENT OVER THE TIME THAT IT WAS PLATTED
  • THE GROUND COVER IS PREDOMINANTLY INVASIVE SPECIES
  • WETLANDS AND BUFFERS IMPACT GREAT DEAL OF THE SITE, MAKING IT NON DEVELOPABLE AND ACTUALLY SUPPORTING THE ECOLOGY OF THE SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT
  • AGAIN, WE'LL GET INTO DETAILS ON THAT LATER
  • SO THIS IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH
  • LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF BENEFITS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN OUR PLANNING WITH THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPERS, THE IMPROVED TRAIL ACCESS, AND I AM GOING TO BE FOLLOWING ON THE BUILDING DESIGN WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY TEAM HERE AT THE PORT
  • BUT WE'RE TARGETING POTENTIAL LEAD OR BETTER DEPENDING ON THE PARTICULARS OF THE PROJECT AS PRONE TO TONY DEVELOPS THEM AND THIS ONGOING EFFORT TO PRESERVE THE KEY WETLANDS AS PART OF DES MOINES PURVIEW AS WELL
  • SO A SUBSTANTIAL BUFFER ZONE WILL REMAIN, EVEN THOUGH THAT IS QUITE A SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING
  • SO NOW I THINK I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES FROM THE CITY OF DES MOINES, MAYOR MAHONEY AND TRACY BUXTON, DEPUTY MAYOR TO TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR THIS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING TOGETHER
  • THANK YOU
  • FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US BOTH DEPUTY MAYOR BUCKSTEAD AND MYSELF TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY
  • WE'VE COME IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT
  • A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT BENEFIT THE CITY IS WE'RE ALWAYS CHALLENGED WITH THE GROSS MANAGEMENT ACT, AND ADDING JOBS IS ONE OF THE BIG ONES THERE
  • THIS PROJECT NEARLY ADDS ANOTHER 6000 JOBS, AND THAT'S NOT EVEN INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION PIECE
  • GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPRENTICESHIP AND ETC THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT, AND NEARLY AN ANNUAL AMOUNT OF ABOUT $16 MILLION IN LIVING WAGES
  • SO THAT'S A BIG PLUS FOR US
  • WE DID A LOT OF WORK WITHIN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU IN PANATTONI ON THE 216TH AND THE 24TH STREET TO HAVE THE ABILITY FOR TRANSPORTATION, TO BE ABLE TO SHIP GOODS TO THE AIRPORT AND HAVE THAT MULTIMODAL FREIGHT TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION
  • AND THAT'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS INVESTMENT
  • SO WE'RE READY FOR IT
  • THE OTHER ONE THAT IT PROVIDES IS SAFETY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE TRAIL
  • IT'S NO SECRET THAT THIS AREA HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC
  • WE'VE HAD A LOT OF HOMELESS ISSUES, ENCAMPMENTS, WASTE DUMPS AND SO FORTH
  • AND IT'S REQUIRED A LOT OF RESPONSE FROM OUR POLICE
  • AND ALSO, I BELIEVE, THE PORT OF SEATTLE POLICE AS WELL
  • AND MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS HAVE OFTEN COMMENTED ABOUT THE TRASH, THE DIRTINESS, ET CETERA, AND THE FEELING OF BEING UNSAFE
  • AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT WILL PROVIDE A CLEAR, SAFE AND VASTLY IMPROVED TRAIL THAT CONNECTS DES MOINES CREEK TRAIL TO OUR BARNS CREEK TRAIL
  • SO IT'S A VITAL COMPONENT IN THAT
  • I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT THIS VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN A HIGHWAY 509
  • UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S GOING TO GO ANOTHER ROUTE THROUGH THE VERY NORTHEAST CORNER OF DES MOINES AND INTO SEATAC
  • BUT THIS IS A GREAT SOLUTION FOR THIS
  • THIS IS A FAR BETTER USE
  • AS WAS MENTIONED, IT WAS FARMLAND AND IT WAS 509
  • AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US ECONOMICALLY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND
  • AND THERE'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT WHICH I'M GOING TO TURN OVER TO DEPUTY MAYOR BOXON
  • THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, FOR HAVING US TODAY
  • SO I WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS, I THINK ONE OF THE BIG CONCERNS IS THE URBAN CANOPY SITUATION IN THE TREES
  • AND IF THERE WERE OBJECTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT TAKING OUT THE TREES
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • ALL RIGHT
  • OKAY
  • SO THE CITY OF DES MOINES ACTUALLY IN MAINTAINING OR WORKING TO MAINTAIN A SUSTAINABLE URBAN CANOPY, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A FEW OTHER CITIES IN A GREEN CITIES PARTNERSHIP WITH FORTERRA, WHICH ACTUALLY WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS PAID FOR AND OFFERED THROUGH THE POOL COURT TO THESE CITIES
  • AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE HAVE A MANUAL THAT WAS CREATED FOR US THAT CREATED AN INVENTORY OF OUR URBAN CANOPY AND THEN SUGGESTIONS AND A PLAN MOVING FORWARD TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE URBAN CANOPY
  • AND ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE INVENTORY TALKED ABOUT HOW MOST OF THE MATURE CANOPY IN THE CITY IS AGING TREES, EITHER INVASIVES OR AGING TREES THAT REALLY NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH A NEW YOUNG GROWING CANOPY TO BE IN ORDER TO BE SUSTAINABLE
  • AND SO PART OF THAT PLAN IS TAKING OUT SOME OF THESE AGING, DYING TREES WHICH REALLY COVER, I THINK THERE ARE TWO OR THREE MATURE CONIFERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE WOULD BE IN THE CATEGORY UNDER THIS FORTERRA INVENTORY OF TREES THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED AND REPLACED BY A MORE SUITABLE SUSTAINABLE CANOPY
  • SO, MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT AND THE PLAN, MY UNDERSTANDING JUST LEARNED TODAY THAT ACTUALLY THE DEVELOPERS PLAN IS TO INCLUDE MORE REPLACEMENT TREES EVEN THAN OUR FOR TERRA PLAN WOULD RECOMMEND
  • SO THIS IS A WAY THAT A DEVELOPER IS MOVING FORWARD TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY IN COMPLETING PART OF THIS PLAN THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE
  • SO IT'S KIND OF A WIN WIN FOR US IN REGARD TO THE SUSTAINABILITY AND PRESERVATION OF OUR URBAN CANOPY
  • SO IT'S KIND OF EXCITING, ACTUALLY
  • THANK YOU, HONEY
  • THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS
  • THANK YOU SO MUCH
  • SO, THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW WILL BE ENTIRELY CONDUCTED BY THE CITY OF DES MOINES AND IT'S PERMIT AND PLANNERS
  • WE ARE FOLLOWING THOSE DEVELOPMENTS
  • WE'LL FOLLOW WHATEVER REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT THEY'VE PLACED
  • I THINK THAT THE PANATTONI TEAM HAS ALREADY MET WITH THE CITY PLANNING TEAM AND HAVE BEEN GETTING PREPARED FOR THEIR APPLICATIONS
  • SO THEY WILL BE FITTING INTO THE EXISTING MASTER PLAN OR EXISTING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, THE FORTERRA PLAN WITH THE THREE TO ONE REPLACEMENT PARAMETERS AND WORKING TOWARDS A COMPLETED PROJECT
  • SO, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • SO USUALLY THIS IS THE LEAD ITEM
  • I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FINANCIAL RESULTS OF WHAT IS INTENDED HERE UNDER THIS GROUND LEASE
  • CURRENTLY WE'RE NOTING 19.8 IS THE DEVELOPABLE SITE AREA
  • AS YOU RECALL FROM MY PRESENTATION, THERE'S A CONSIDERABLE BUFFER
  • THIS SET OF PARCELS IS ACTUALLY 29 ACRES, BUT 19 IS WHAT WE HAD FORECASTED WHEN WE PUT THIS TOGETHER
  • THE FOOTPRINT MAY ACTUALLY BE A BIT BIGGER AS THEY FINALIZE THEIR DESIGN WITH A POTENTIAL BUILDING AREA OF ABOUT 400,000 SQFT AS IT STANDS TODAY
  • OUR RESULTS, THE PORT $4 MILLION ANNUALLY WITH CALCULATED NET PRESENT VALUE OF ABOUT $60 MILLION ACCORDING TO OUR FINANCE TEAM
  • THE COST BASIS, EXCLUDING THE INITIAL PURCHASE WITH FAA FUNDS, WE NOTE THE $1.5 MILLION INVESTMENT, PRE INVESTMENT THAT WE MADE IN THE STREET, IMPROVEMENTS THAT MAYOR MAHONEY ALLUDED TO, THAT WENT BACK TO 2018 BEFORE WE HAD ACQUIRED THE SR 59 PROPERTY
  • SO WE PURCHASED THAT, WE FUNDED THAT IN TUNE OF $1.5 MILLION IN 2018 AND THEN THE PARTIAL ACQUISITION LAST YEAR FOR $2.9
  • A LITTLE BIT OF PRE DEVELOPMENT WORK
  • SO, COST BASIS IS $4.6 MILLION
  • OUR YIELD WE CALCULATE AT 7.35 UNDER THE CURRENT PRO FORMA WITH A 75% YIELD AFTER THREE AFTER STABILIZED INCOME
  • IT'S QUITE A RAPID PAYBACK PERIOD
  • I GUESS I'VE DONE A LOT OF REAL
  • ESTATE DEALS IN MY CAREER
  • THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST ONE I'VE EVER DONE, BUT I CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR THAT
  • IT'S JUST HIGH VALUE AND HIGH INTEGRITY IN THIS PROCESS
  • SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT
  • YOU SHOULD EXPECT THE FINAL RESULT TO SHIFT A BIT AS WE TIGHTEN UP THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE RECORDING TODAY
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • JUST A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF THE SCHEDULE
  • AS I ALLUDED TO, WE ISSUED AN RFP TO FIND COMPETITORS FOR THIS GROUND LEASE IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2021 WITH YOUR APPROVAL TODAY, THIS SETS THE PANATTONI TEAM FREE TO WORK TOWARDS PERMITS AND A GROUNDBREAKING, WHICH THEY HOPE WILL CONCLUDE NEXT YEAR WITH THE HOPED FOR CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN 2024
  • THE PART OF THIS SCHEDULE THAT IS LIKELY TO SHIFT IS THAT PERMITTING AREA
  • SO IF YOU SEE ATTENUATION OF THIS TIMELINE, THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO FIND IT
  • WE'VE KEPT VERY MUCH ON PACE WITH OUR INITIAL SCHEDULE THAT WE PREVIEWED FOR THE RFP RELEASE
  • SO THIS IS THE HOPE FOR CONCLUSION WITH AT LEAST UP AND OCCUPANCY SOMETIME IN 2020 IF WE CAN GET THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS
  • SO I THINK WE GOT ONE MORE SLIDE
  • SO, JUST TO RECAP, WE ARE REQUESTING THE COMMISSION'S AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE THE GROUND LEASE TO ALLOW THE DES MOINES CREEK WEST DEVELOPMENT WITH PANATTONI TO PROCEED THROUGH PERMITS AND CONSTRUCTION
  • IT INCLUDES EXCELLENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS SUCH AS JOBS AND VARIOUS ECOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENTS, MWBE UTILIZATION PROJECT, LABOR AGREEMENT, AND SO FORTH, WITH $3.4 MILLION ANNUALLY IN REVENUES GENERATED DIRECTLY FROM THE LEASE THAT WILL SUPPORT AVIATION DIVISION AND CAPITAL PROJECTS WITH A HOPED FOR SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND NOW WE ARE UP FOR QUESTIONS
  • SO THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR TIME
  • THANK YOU, KIRA
  • THANK YOU, DAVE
  • AND I WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK THE HONORABLES MAHONEY AND BUXTON FOR COMING OUT TODAY
  • WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO COME DOWN AND SHARE YOUR OPINIONS ON IT AS WELL
  • WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONERS FOR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
  • ANY COMMISSIONER HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS? COMMISSIONER MOHAMED FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MAYOR MATT MAHONEY FOR BEING HERE TODAY, AND ALSO DEPUTY MAYOR TRACY BUCKSMAN
  • THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM
  • THE CITY OF DES MOINES IS A GREAT PLACE
  • I AM A SOUTH KING COUNTY RESIDENT, SO I MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIASED, BUT I LOVE VISITING THE MARINA AND BEING IN DES MOINES BEFORE THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • DES MOINES IS ALSO A VERY IMPORTANT PLACE BECAUSE IT IS VERY MUCH PART OF THE AIRPORT COMMUNITY
  • IT'S PART OF OUR AIRPORT COMMUNITY, AND WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND PROJECTS
  • AND THE PORT RECOGNIZES THAT NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES THAT EXPERIENCE MORE OF THE IMPACTS BY OUR AIRPORT OPERATIONS SHOULD ALSO EXPERIENCE MORE BENEFITS FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • AND I THINK THIS PROJECT IN PARTICULAR IS ONE OF THOSE WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THAT AND ELEVATE THAT COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
  • THAT SAID, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS
  • I WANTED TO HEAR JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT CONSIDERATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE REGARDING SMALL, MINORITY, AND LOCAL OWNED BUSINESSES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONS OF THIS PROJECT
  • AS KIRLIE'S MENTIONED, WE HAVE A WMBE UTILIZATION GOAL
  • WE HAVEN'T ESTABLISHED THE SPECIFICS
  • AS WE GET FURTHER INTO THE DESIGN AND SPECIFICS OF THE PROJECT, WE WILL ESTABLISH THAT, AND THAT REALLY IS THE WAY WE WILL DRIVE THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH SMALL WOMEN, MINORITY BUSINESSES SO THEY'LL HELP BUILD THE PROJECT
  • I CAN'T REALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT TENANCY, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO WORK WITH PENN ANTONIO AND TRY AND TARGET SMALL BUSINESSES AND BUSINESSES THAT MIGHT NEED THAT SPACE
  • OKAY, THANK YOU
  • THAT'S HELPFUL
  • AND THEN HOW WILL THIS PROJECT IMPACT THE ADJACENT TRAIL SYSTEM? I KNOW MAYOR MAHONEY SPOKE ABOUT THAT, BUT IF YOU GUYS COULD ELABORATE, THAT'D BE HELPFUL
  • SURE
  • AS WE MENTIONED, REALLY, THERE IS NO ACCESS OR NO REALLY IMPROVED ACCESS TO THE TRAIL
  • IT'S A ROUGH SPOT, AND BECAUSE IT'S NOT IMPROVED AND IT'S NOT WELL LIT, IT'S ACTUALLY A SOURCE OF CHALLENGES
  • OUR POLICE, THE CITY'S POLICE, HAVE BEEN CALLED IN THERE NUMEROUS TIMES TO ADDRESS SAFETY CHALLENGES, PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES
  • AND SO BY DEVELOPING THIS PARCEL, WE ACTUALLY PUT A WHOLE NEW ACCESS POINT TO THE TRAIL, A VASTLY IMPROVED, WELL LIT ACCESS
  • AND AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, THIS ACCESS POINT CONNECTS RIGHT BACK INTO THE REGIONAL TRAIL
  • I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR, BUT MAYBE A QUARTER MILE OR HALF A MILE AT MAX
  • IT'S VERY CLOSE
  • I HAVEN'T WALKED IT, SO I ADMIT THAT, BUT IT IS, AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD ASPECT OF THIS PROJECT
  • AND THAT RIGHT NOW, NO, IT'S NOT A GOOD ACCESS
  • IT'S NOT SAFE
  • AND NOW WITH THE PROJECT, IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH IMPROVED AND REALLY PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY OF BENEFIT
  • IS THE SAFETY PLANS GOING TO CHANGE? OBVIOUSLY, LIGHTING IT UP AND DEVELOPING IT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
  • BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR IF THERE'S OTHER SORT OF PLANS TO THE MAYOR ON THIS ONE
  • YEAH
  • SO AS FAR AS ACCESSIBILITY, I'LL ANSWER SEVERAL QUESTIONS YOU HAD
  • FIRST OF ALL, IT CONNECTS TO THE BARNES CREEK TRAIL, WHICH WILL LEAD UP TO HIGH LINE AND TO THE LIGHT RAIL STATION
  • SO THERE'S A GREAT CONNECTIVITY FOR ALTERNATE SOURCES OF TRANSPORTATION OTHER THAN VEHICLES
  • AS FAR AS THE FACT RIGHT NOW IS THERE'S A LOT OF BRUSH AND OVERGROWN AND PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO CONGREGATE AND HIDE AND DO THE THINGS WE WISH THEY WOULDN'T DO, ET CETERA
  • THIS CLEARS IT UP
  • IT MAKES A BEAUTIFUL PATH SAFE FOR OUR CHILDREN, OUR ELDERLY, WHICH WE HAVE CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT IN THE COMMUNITY
  • AND WHAT IT DOES IS GIVE THE LINE OF SIGHT THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA, AND THAT'S VASTLY GOING TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF OUR COMMUNITY
  • THANK YOU FOR THOSE ANSWERS
  • THAT CONCLUDES MY QUESTIONS
  • COMMISSIONER CHO? YEAH
  • I JUST WANT TO SAY WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT
  • I THINK IT'S TERRIFIC USE OF RESOURCES
  • I DID HAVE A QUESTION
  • DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE BOUGHT THE PROPERTY FOR BACK IN 93? I THINK IT WAS PART OF A LARGER PACKAGE
  • I THINK IT WAS HARD TO DISAGGREGATE GIVEN THAT WAS THAT LONG AGO
  • SO MY RESEARCH YIELDED NOT A CONCLUSION THAT I FELT COMFORTABLE SHARING
  • I'M SURE INFLATION IS SO BAD IN THE THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT WE HAD BOUGHT THAT INITIAL LAND FROM FAA FUNDS
  • WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE DUE DILIGENCE OF MAKING SURE THAT THE USE OF THIS PROPERTY CURRENTLY DOES NOT BREAK ANY COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
  • THAT'S RIGHT ON THAT
  • IN FACT, I THINK IT PROBABLY HELPED FAA THAT WE HAD A COMMISSION MEETING COMING UP, SO WE DID GET THE RELEASE THAT WE NEEDED
  • THERE ARE STILL SOME FAA REGULATED ASPECTS OF THIS PROJECT THAT HAVE TO DO MORE WITH THE BUILDING ENVELOPE AND IT'S HOW IT CONFORMS WITH THE REGULATORY DEVICES THEY HAVE FOR PROTECTING THE FLIGHT PATH
  • SO IT WILL STILL HAVE THAT REVIEW, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR CLAIM ON THE FINANCIAL RESULT
  • OKAY, GREAT
  • I THINK THIS IS SIMILAR TO YOU THE BEST REAL ESTATE DEAL EVER DO
  • I APPRECIATE THAT
  • THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I DO
  • THANKS SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND OTHERS WHO PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER
  • THIS IS LIKE ONE OF THOSE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE DEALS WHERE WE'RE PROMOTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY INTERESTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN MIND
  • SO AS A COMMISSIONER CHOSE THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING NOT TO LIKE
  • BUT AS MR MCFADDEN SAID, HE HADN'T WALKED THE SITE
  • IT SEEMS LIKE ALMOST PROJECTS OF VISITS
  • GALE WOULD BE GREAT TO GET AN INVITATION TO GO AND WALK AROUND
  • I CERTAINLY GOT A MUCH BETTER APPRECIATION FOR NORTH SEA TYPE PARK
  • I'M SURE I WOULD SEE A DIFFERENT APPRECIATION FOR THIS ONE
  • I DO BELIEVE THAT IT'S KIND OF A LITTLE MISLEADING TO SEE THE 1938 PICTURE WHEN IN FACT IT SEEMS LIKE THE LINE AROUND THE PROPERTY
  • I THINK IT'S ON PAGE FIVE OF THE POWERPOINT
  • IT DOES SEEM LIKE IT'S A COMPLETELY GREEN SPACE AT THIS POINT, BUT AS YOU MUTED WITH RED ALDER, THEIR LIFESPAN RARELY APPROACHES 100
  • AND IF THAT WAS A 1938 PICTURE, EVEN THE VACANT SPOTS WOULD BE OVERLY MATURE AT THIS POINT
  • I THINK PAGE FIVE IS THAT THAT'S NOT PAGE FIVE ON MY POWERPOINT
  • HOWEVER, IN THE BOOK, IT'S RIGHT AFTER ACTION REQUESTED THAT'S THE I GUESS IT WAS THE SECOND SLIDE IN THE POWERPOINT
  • I'M SORRY, THAT MUST BE PAGE TWO
  • THAT WAS THERE
  • THAT WAS IT
  • I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT IT LOOKS FULLY GREEN INSIDE
  • MY POINT BEING THAT IT'S A LARGE AND IMPORTANT PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT I WOULD FIND IT VERY INTERESTING TO JUST SEE HOW THAT TRAIL WEAVES THROUGH
  • AND I THINK THAT SOUNDS VERY EXCITING AND I'M PARTICULARLY APPRECIATED THE FACT THAT YOU'RE MAKING USE OF THE FORTERRA PLAN
  • I'M NOT ONE OF THE SECOND GUESTS OF FORESTERS BY PROFESSION, SO KNOWING THAT THAT'S ALL PART OF THAT PLANNING ALSO VERY MUCH MAKES ME HAPPY IF I WAS TO JUST TRY TO FIND SOMETHING TO BE CRITICAL OF BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF MY JOB
  • RIGHT
  • IT'S INTERESTING
  • I KNOW FORTERRA, IT'S NOT FOR TERRA, BUT PENN TONY IS LIKE ONE OF THE PREMIER DEVELOPERS
  • AND I'M JUST WONDERING, DO WE HAVE SOME SENSE OF AND JUST ADJACENT TO THE SITE, OF COURSE, THAT THEY SEEM TO HAVE WON A LOT OF OUR CONTRACTS? RIGHT
  • IN READING THE BACKGROUND, DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF COMPULSION TO INTENTIONALLY SHARE THE WEALTH, AS IT WERE, OR THEY WERE JUST THE MOST COMPETITIVE BID AND THEREFORE WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO THAT
  • THANK YOU, SIR
  • I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THAT
  • SO WE ISSUED AN RFP AT THE END OF THE YEAR LAST YEAR
  • WE HAD SEVEN SOLID PROPOSALS IN MANY FACTORS IN OUR SCORING, WHICH WAS PIER SCORES
  • SO WE HAD PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE PORT IN OURSELVES INVOLVED IN THAT EVALUATION OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF THE RFP RESPONSES
  • THEY WERE CLEAR HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THEIR COMPETITION
  • ALWAYS HAPPY TO SHARE OUR SCORING AND OUR PROCESS WITH YOU
  • I'D ONLY ADD TO THAT KIRA'S
  • RIGHT
  • THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT WE WEIGHED AS A TEAM
  • AND IN PREVIOUS GROUND LEASES, WE HAVE NOT ALWAYS SELECTED THE HIGHEST REVENUE RECIPIENT BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FULL SCORE CARD IN TERMS OF BENEFITS TO THE PORT
  • AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT AND LIKE I SAID, I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THEY ZERO NOS WORTHY
  • THE FACT THAT YOU SAY HEAD AND SHOULDERS ALL THE BETTER
  • LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE RESULT
  • AND CONGRATULATIONS ON A LONG TERM EFFORT
  • WELL DONE
  • THANK YOU
  • OKAY, MY COMMENTS ARE I'M JUST KIND OF GOING TO PILE ON TO THE COMPLIMENTS
  • OUR MISSION HERE IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
  • AND HERE WE HAVE THIS PROJECT THAT IS NOT ONLY A REAL ECONOMIC WIN FOR THE PORT OF SEATTLE IN TERMS OF GENERATING ADDITIONAL REVENUES AND AS WE'VE ALL APPRECIATED VERY QUICKLY PAYING FOR ITSELF AND THEN ON INTO THE FUTURE, HELPING SUPPORT OTHER BUSINESS OPERATIONS AT THE PORT OF SEATTLE, BUT IT'S CREATING JOBS IN THE CITY OF DES MOINES
  • IT'S CREATING A TAX BASE FOR THE CITY
  • I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY THREE YEARS AGO TO GO DOWN WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND TOUR BEGINNING AT CITY HALL, GOING UP AND SEEING THE FAA FACILITY AND THEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE WATERFRONT
  • WE PUT TOGETHER AN EXCELLENT PLAN FOR THEIR CITY AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE THESE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTS TO SUPPORT THAT FROM A TAX BASE
  • AND I THINK PART OF IT IS THAT THEY'VE BEEN VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT PLANNING, SAYING THERE'S A SECTION THAT'S GOING TO BE A COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL, THERE'S GOING TO BE A SECTION THAT'S GOING TO BE WATERFRONT
  • IT'S REALLY FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE CITIZENS OF DES MOINES
  • SO THIS IS PRETTY EXCITING TO SEE THIS COMING TO FRUITION
  • AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED AS WELL, FROM SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES TO CONNECTEDNESS, IT'S AN EXCELLENT PROJECT
  • SO THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER
  • WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO ASK COMMISSIONERS IF THERE IS A MOTION IN SECOND
  • ALL RIGHT, ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONER? ALL RIGHT, CLARK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL FOR THE VOTE
  • COMMISSIONER, PLEASE SAY IRONY WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED FOR THE VOTE, BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • AYE THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU, FIVE AYES ZERO NAY FOR THIS ITEM
  • WITH THAT, THE MOTION PASSES
  • THANK YOU AGAIN, MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR
  • THANK YOU
  • ALL RIGHT, AT THIS TIME, CLARK, CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM INTO THE RECORD? WE'LL THEN HEAR FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK TO INTRODUCE IT
  • YES, THIS IS AGENDA ITEM TEN C
  • AUTHORIZATION FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE A JOINT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH THE SEATTLE METROPOLITAN CHAMBER, A NONPROFIT AGENCY TO DEVELOP AND PILOT A COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTOR INITIATIVE FOR TWO YEARS AT A COST NOT TO EXCEED $650,000
  • COMMISSION DETERMINATION THAT A COMPETITIVE PROCESS IS NOT APPROPRIATE OR COST EFFECTIVE, AND EXEMPTION OF THE CONTRACT FROM A COMPETITIVE PROCESS CONSISTENT WITH RCW 53.19.020
  • COMMISSIONER, SMALL BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND MINORITY OWNED FIRMS, HAVE BEEN AYE
  • HARD BY THE PANDEMIC
  • THIS NEW COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTOR INITIATIVE PROVIDES OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES AT A TIME WHEN THEY MAY STILL BE STRUGGLING
  • OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR OVER A YEAR ON THIS INITIATIVE, AND I'M PLEASED TO SUPPORT THIS
  • AND AT THIS POINT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DAVE MCFADDEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE PORT
  • OR INTRODUCE OUR PRESENTERS, COVID EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • I AM DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE THIS ITEM
  • LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET THE DECK UP
  • HONESTLY THINK IN MY TIME OF THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST WORK OUR DIVISION IS DONE OR NONE
  • SO WE'RE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO AUTHORIZE A NEW INITIATIVE WE'RE CALLING THE COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTORS
  • LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • ESSENTIALLY, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO EXECUTE A PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH THE SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER FOR TWO YEARS IN A TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $650,000, AND ALSO TO WAIVE OUR NORMAL COMPETITIVE PROCESS, DETERMINE IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE OR COST EFFECTIVE FOR THIS INITIATIVE
  • WHAT THIS WILL DO IS REALLY JUMPSTART A BROAD AND IMPORTANT OUTREACH PROGRAM TO SMALL BUSINESSES
  • AND I'LL EXPLAIN MORE HERE ON THE NEXT FEW SLIDES
  • A YEAR AGO, WE KNEW THAT SMALL BUSINESSES HAD BEEN AYE
  • VERY HARD AT THE BEGINNING RECESSION
  • AND I THINK WHAT ANNIE WILL SAY IS THAT EVEN THOUGH OTHER SECTORS AND THE COMMUNITY FEEL LIKE WE'RE MORE IN RECOVERY, I DON'T FEEL OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE REALLY THERE YET
  • NANNY HAS SOME DATA TO SHARE WITH YOU
  • JUST SORT OF SHOW THAT
  • SO WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IS FUND SOME OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY PUTTING TEN TO TWELVE BUSINESS NAVIGATORS OUT IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS KING COUNTY TO FIND AND HELP THOSE IMPACTED BUSINESSES AND GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO GROW OR JUST SURVIVE
  • THIS PROVIDES THAT SIGNIFICANT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OUTREACH AT A TIME WHEN OUR FEDERAL AND STATE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE
  • BUT YOU KNOW THE STORY IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • THESE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE BEFORE, BUT A LOT OF OUR BIPOC AND WOMEN BUSINESSES IN PARTICULAR HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ACCESS THOSE
  • WE FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCESS THOSE RESOURCES
  • SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN
  • THE CONNECTOR INITIATIVE REALLY WORKS LIKE THIS LITTLE GRAPHIC
  • YOU HAVE VARIOUS DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES OF SMALL BUSINESSES ON THE LEFT FROM A CATERING COMPANY TO A WELDER
  • SOME OF THEM MIGHT NEED WORKFORCE OR HIRE PEOPLE
  • OTHERS MIGHT JUST NEED A LOAN TO GET BACK UP AND RUNNING
  • THE NEEDS ARE THERE
  • AND WHAT THE CONNECTORS DO IS HELP THEM REALLY CONNECT TO THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, WHETHER THAT'S HELP FROM BANKS OR THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS OR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OR WORKFORCE TRAINING PROVIDERS
  • THEY ARE THAT CONNECTIVE TISSUE IN THE MIDDLE THAT'S REALLY, I THINK, GOING TO ADD VALUE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR SMALLER BUSINESSES
  • LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • SO THE CONNECTION REALLY WOULD BE CULTURALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE ADVISERS THAT CAN HELP BUSINESSES, OUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
  • THIS INITIATIVE IS REALLY BUILT ON SUCCESSFUL BASED COMMUNITY OUTREACH
  • WE STARTED DISCOVERING THIS IN WORKING WITH OUR CITIES THROUGH A GRANT PARTNERSHIP
  • TREMENDOUS OUTREACH, TREMENDOUS WORK WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE FIRST ROUND OF FEDERAL RELIEF
  • WHAT WE'RE REALLY DOING BY DOING THIS REGIONALLY IN A PARTNERSHIP IS REALLY BRINGING US UP TO SCALE AND HELPING PREVENT THE DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS AND ALSO LEVERAGING THE CAPACITY OF ALL THE CURRENT PARTNERS IN OUR SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM
  • SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • I THINK THIS REALLY REPRESENTS A STRONG PARTNERSHIP
  • I THINK IT'S TREMENDOUSLY INNOVATIVE
  • WE HAVE NOT DONE THIS
  • WE'VE INVENTED THIS FROM SCRATCH
  • WE HAD SOME MODELS TO LOOK AT FROM OTHER AREAS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S EQUITY DRIVEN
  • SO IT'S MY PLEASURE, REALLY TO TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ANNIE TRAN, AND SHE WILL TURN IT OVER TO OUR PARTNER, VAUGHN TAYLOR
  • AND VAUGHN IS VICE PRESIDENT WITH THE SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER
  • ANNIE? THANK YOU, DAVE
  • WE WERE REALLY FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MADE UP OF 25 MEMBERS WHO ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH US
  • IT INCLUDED CITY PARTNERS, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LOT OF FEEDBACK DURING THIS PROCESS
  • IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE PUT OUT A BUSINESS SURVEY TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT BUSINESS CLIMATE AND SOME OF THE CURRENT CHALLENGES AND NEEDS THAT ARE IMMEDIATELY NEEDED IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
  • AND WITH THAT WE CONTRACTED WITH TEN COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO TARGETED BUSINESS OUTREACH TO ETHNIC AND RURAL COMMUNITIES AND TRANSLATED THAT BUSINESS SURVEY INTO 15 LANGUAGES
  • FROM THAT, WE RECEIVED 318 SURETY RESPONSES
  • SO THAT WAS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE DURING A SIX WEEK TIMELINE
  • THIS WAS LIVE DURING THE END OF APRIL TO JUNE, AND WE'RE JUST REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
  • ALONGSIDE, WE ALSO HOSTED THREE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH THE TAPER 100, KOREAN BIG HUG AND ALSO THE SNOW VALLEY CHAMBER TO COLLECT MORE IN DEPTH FEEDBACK AND OFFER DIALOGUE AND HAVE QUESTIONS BE ANSWERED DURING THOSE SESSIONS
  • SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHO, FOR ATTENDING SEVERAL OF THOSE LISTENING SESSIONS
  • WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP WITH THAT
  • AND HERE'S A QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM THE SURVEY RESPONSES NEXT TIME
  • THANK YOU
  • AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE HEARD BACK FROM A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SOUTH KING COUNTY AND EAST KING COUNTY BUSINESSES, AND THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY REPRESENTED MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES
  • AND SO THIS IS JUST A BREAK UP AND MAKE UP OF WHO HAD RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY DURING THIS PERIOD
  • ALL RIGHT, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • SO FROM OUR LISTENING SESSIONS, THESE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THE TESTIMONIES THAT WE HEARD FROM FOLKS
  • THEY MENTIONED THAT THERE'S BEEN A WIDE ARRAY OF RELIEF PROGRAMS, BUT IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH INFORMATION, PREPARING APPLICATIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL CHALLENGES, AND SO HAVING A RESOURCE LIKE THIS LIKE THE COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTOR PROGRAM WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL
  • WE ALSO HEARD THAT BUSINESSES ARE IN DIRE NEED OF PEOPLE MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES WITH EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, SUPPLY CHAIN INFLATION, AND JUST HAVING GENERAL ACCESS TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS WOULD BE WONDERFUL
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • SO, AS DAVE MENTIONED, WE DID SURVEY BUSINESSES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE DOING COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO, AND NEARLY HALF OF THE RESPONDENTS SAID THAT BUSINESS IS DOING WORSE COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • WE ALSO WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY ARE FACING CURRENTLY, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SELECT MULTIPLE ANSWERS FOR THIS
  • THEY MENTIONED THAT LOSS OF BUSINESS, REDUCED INCOME AND UNEMPLOYMENT, AND SIMPLY NOT HAVING ENOUGH CUSTOMERS DURING THIS TIME OR CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACED
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, WHAT TYPE OF HELP DO THEY NEED THE MOST? THEY MENTIONED THAT APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN CAPITAL, ACCESS TO MARKETING AND ADVERTISING, AND ALSO INCREASING SALES WOULD BE OF HELP TO THEM
  • 54 BUSINESSES ALSO MENTIONED THAT HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO APPLY FOR GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM
  • AND SO WE ARE CERTAINLY WORKING WITH OUR DIVERSITY AND CONTRACTING TEAM ON THAT
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • WE ALSO WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE PREFERRED LANGUAGES OF THE BUSINESS RESPONDENTS WERE, AND AT THE TOP IT WAS ENGLISH, KOREAN AND SPANISH
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • WE ALSO WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF COMMUNITY BUSINESS CONNECTORS HAD THE ABILITY TO SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, WOULD THEY USE THIS RESOURCE OR IF IT WAS AVAILABLE IN THEIR PREFERRED LANGUAGE
  • AND NEARLY 70% OF THOSE FOLKS WHO ANSWERED THE SURVEY SAID, YES, THEY WOULD USE THIS RESOURCE
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND SO WITH THAT, WE ALSO WANT TO SHOW A LITTLE SHORT VIDEO INTRODUCING ONE OF OUR PARTNERS IN THIS WORK WHO HELPED US COLLECT BUSINESS SURVEYS AS WELL AS HOST A LISTENING SESSION
  • AND THIS IS LAURIE WADA FROM KAREEM BAKE
  • HUGS, MR COMMISSION PRESIDENT
  • MY NAME IS LORI WADA
  • OPERA IS GOING TO PAUSE IT AND LET THIS VIDEO BUFFER FOR A MOMENT
  • WE FOUND THAT IT WILL WORK BETTER THIS WAY
  • MY NAME IS LAURIE WADA
  • WHEN PANDEMIC BROKE OUT IN 2020, I WAS ASKED TO HELP PEOPLE APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
  • THESE ARE THE SMALL BUSINESS WHO WERE MOM AND POP OPERATING
  • I COULD SEE THEM WORKING DAY AND NIGHT, ALMOST SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, OR JUST TO SURVIVE, JUST TO BE ABLE TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO HIGHER EDUCATION, JUST TO ACHIEVE THEIR AMERICAN DREAM
  • I THINK THE PORT OF SEATTLE, THE IDEA IS REALLY GOOD TO HAVE A BUSINESS CONNECTOR PROGRAM THERE'S
  • A CONNECTOR PROGRAM COULD FIND A RESOURCE FOR THEM, FOR THEIR NEEDS, BUT ALSO SOME LEGAL ADVICE OR SOME MITIGATOR BETWEEN THE LANDLORD AND SMALL BUSINESSES SO THEY DON'T FORCE TO SHUT DOWN
  • AND THAT REALLY, TO ME, HELP THEM SURVIVE WITH THEIR LEADER, BUT THEY SURVIVE
  • SO THOSE THREE THINGS THAT I THINK BUSINESS CONNECTOR CAN PLAY AS A ROLE TO REALLY BUILD THE RESILIENCY INTO THE SMALL BUSINESSES
  • THANK YOU
  • AND SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE'RE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO HAVE PARTNERS LIKE LORI AND OTHERS TO HELP US WITH THIS ENDEAVOR AND REALLY ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY OF BUSINESSES DURING THIS PROCESS
  • AND I'M JUST GOING TO HAND IT OFF TO DAVE FOR ONE LAST THING
  • I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF
  • I'M GOING TO GIVE ANNIE A SHOUT OUT, NAKUDO, BECAUSE SHE DID THIS WORK ON OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
  • AND AS MUCH AS WE HAD GOOD EVIDENCE EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF CHALLENGES, WE NEEDED TO RE VERIFY THAT, I THINK, AS YOU KNOW, AND REALLY GET INPUT AROUND WHAT SPECIFICALLY THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM MEANS TO THESE COMMUNITIES
  • AND SO ANNIE DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB
  • AND I GUESS NOW THAT I'VE SAID THAT, I'D LOVE TO TURN IT OVER TO VON TO CONTINUE OUR PRESENTATION
  • THANK YOU, DAVE
  • AND I'LL ECHO THAT SENTIMENT OF GREAT WORK WITH THE OUTREACH
  • WELL, FIRST, I JUST WANTED TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE PRESENT CEO MIKE IS A LITTLE FAR AWAY FROM ME, PRESENT CEO RACHEL SMITH
  • UNFORTUNATELY, SHE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE IT BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING A BOARD OF TRUSTEES BOARD RETREAT TODAY
  • AND ACTUALLY, I WANT TO MAKE MY WAY OVER THERE AFTER THIS PRESENTATION
  • BUT SHE ABSOLUTELY WANTED TO BE HERE
  • BUT IN HER ABSENCE, WHAT I'LL DO IS SHARE SOME BRIEF REMARKS FROM A FORMAL LETTER THAT I CAN SUBMIT TO THE COMMISSIONERS
  • AND THAT WOULD JUST CORRESPOND WITH THE SLIDE THAT WE HAVE UP ON THE SCREEN NOW
  • OKAY, THANK YOU
  • SO WE JUST WANT TO START BY SAYING OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC, THE CHAMBER STEPPED IN TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF SUPPORTS TO BUSINESSES WHO NEEDED THEM
  • IN THE EARLY DAYS OF 2020, IT WAS MASK ENHANCED SANITIZER
  • WE ALL REMEMBER THAT, RIGHT FOLLOWING THAT IT WAS CONNECTING BUSINESSES TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES EITHER THROUGH GRANT PROGRAMS AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF THE ROLE OF OUR ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
  • SO WE'RE THE DESIGNATED ADO FOR KING COUNTY, FUNDED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND THROUGH OUR BONO CPA SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO HELP ACCESS FEDERAL RELIEF SUCH AS PPP LOANS
  • WE CONTINUED ON WITH THAT WORK, STANDING UP VACCINATION CLINICS TO GET OUR EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS VACCINATING, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE VACCINE AVAILABILITY
  • AND ALSO WE PARTNER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH SEATTLE AND KING COUNTY TO HELP BUSINESS COMPLY WITH THE NEW VACCINE VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
  • SO EVERY STEP OF THE WAY WE'VE BEEN LISTENING TO BUSINESSES AND TO HAVE THIS COMMUNITY SURVEY ALSO HELP TO INFORM THE PROGRAM DESIGN
  • SO FROM RACHEL'S STANDPOINT, HER LEADERSHIP IN COMING TO THE CHAMBER FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF NOW, IT WAS TWO NORTH STARS
  • YOU WANT TO KIND OF REIMAGINE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK
  • ONE IS HELPING SMALL AND BIPOC BUSINESSES GET THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, DOING OUR WORK SUB REGIONALLY SO THAT IT CAN BE ALIGNED WITH OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS SUCH AS THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • AND WITH THAT WE BELIEVE THE CONNECTED PROGRAM DOES JUST THAT
  • I'LL PAUSE THERE AND THEN WE CAN ADVANCE THE NEXT SLIDE
  • OKAY, COOL
  • NEXT SLIDE PLEASE
  • OKAY, THANK YOU
  • AND I'M GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME THAN USUAL THAT I DO ON THIS SLIDE BECAUSE JUST A LIST OF NAMES, BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT WHAT'S THE CONSENSUS AMONG OUR STAKEHOLDERS
  • SO WHILE THE PARALLEL OF DOING OUTREACH WITH THE PORT OF SEATTLE, THE CHAMBER ALSO HAD A PARALLEL RUN OF WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN KING COUNTY, WHICH ARE CITY AGENCIES LIKE ISSAQUAH, CITY OF BELLEVUE, KENT AND OTHERS, CBOS LIKE WORLD RELIEF, AFRICAN CHAMBER AND OTHER TA PROVIDERS
  • AND WE'VE COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HELPS TO PRESERVE SMALL BUSINESSES TO BE BETTER NETWORK SUPPORT
  • THAT'S NUMBER ONE
  • AND SECONDLY, WE WANT TO BUILD TRUST WHICH IS VITAL TO AN EFFECTIVE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM IN KING COUNTY
  • AND WITH THAT TO CRYSTALLIZE WHAT IT IS IN A NUTSHELL IS THAT THE CONNECTOR PROGRAM IS A HUB OF TRUSTED BUSINESS SUPPORT LIAISONS IN KING COUNTY CITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS
  • AND WHAT WE FOUND IN OUR CONVENING THAT WE'RE LEARNING THAT WHAT ENCOMPASS A CONNECTOR IS THAT IT'S A TRUSTED MESSENGER, IS ALSO AN AMBASSADOR OF SOMEONE WHO'S FROM THE COMMUNITY, WHO HAVE BUY INTO THE COMMUNITY
  • ALSO THEY CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
  • AND THEN LASTLY, WITH OUR TOOLS AND OUR PROGRAM FRAMEWORK, WE'RE GOING TO HELP THEM BE NAVIGATORS OF RESOURCES AND SERVICES WITHIN KING COUNTY
  • SO HOW WILL WE DEPLOY THESE CONNECTORS? IT'S GOING TO BE A LOCAL BUSINESS VISITATION PROGRAM AND IT'S GOING TO UTILIZE A HELP DESK TICKET SYSTEM TO COORDINATE SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT
  • AND IN SHORT, SO IF WE CAN ADVANCE THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL GO INTO HOW THE REFERRAL PROCESS WOULD WORK
  • SO FIRST IT STARTS WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS
  • THAT'S WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT
  • AND WE'RE GOING TO USE A TOOL THAT MENTIONED THE HELP TICKET TOOL
  • AND WHEN THAT NEED OR REQUEST IS GENERATED, THEN WE'LL ADVANCE ON TO THE CONNECTOR THAT WILL THEN PINPOINT SPECIFIC NEEDS FROM THE INITIAL INQUIRY FROM THE HELP TICKET
  • AND THEN WE WILL COORDINATE BUSINESS SERVICES BETWEEN PIER PROVIDERS WITHIN OUR NETWORK
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND WHAT I JUST WANT TO MENTION ABOUT THE REFERRAL PROCESS IS NOT ONLY THAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE EFFICIENCY
  • WE ALSO WANT TO LOOK AT BEING EQUITABLE BOTH ON THE SIDE OF THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER THAT HAS BARRIERS TO LANGUAGE
  • CULTURE AND ALSO GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
  • BUT ALSO EQUITY ON THE SIDE OF MAKING SURE THAT IT'S A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM SO THAT TEAM PROVIDERS ARE ALSO GETTING FAIR SHARE OF REFERRALS
  • SO WE'RE LOOKING TO PRESENT A SHORT LIST OF OPTIONS THAT ACCURATELY FIT THE NEED OF THE BUSINESS OWNER
  • AND WHAT WE HAVE PRESENTED TODAY IS JUST THE TIMELINE GOING FORWARD FROM PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION WHICH WILL START ON AUGUST 1 WITH THE RFQ WEBINAR, WHICH WILL TALK ABOUT MUCH OF WHAT I DISCUSSED TODAY, BUT MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT THE PROCESS OF THE CONNECTOR PROGRAM, HOW TRUSTED MESSAGES CAN APPLY AND THEN HOW WE'RE GOING TO TRAIN THEM
  • AND ALSO WORK WITH THE PORT WITH OUTREACH SO THAT THEY'RE EQUIPPED TO MAKE ACCURATE REFERRALS
  • AND THAT WILL HAPPEN AROUND THE FALL OF THIS YEAR ONCE WE MAKE SELECTIONS OF THOSE APPLICANTS
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND THIS IS JUST A TIMELINE DESCRIBING WHAT WAS JUST MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • WELL, AT THIS POINT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A HIGHLIGHT THAT AT THE POINT TO MAKE THIS ALL POSSIBLE AND TO SELECT AND AWARD OUR CONNECTORS
  • WE'RE PROPOSING SEVEN CONNECTORS WITHIN KING COUNTY ACROSS AT LEAST THREE TO FIVE HUBS
  • SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE DESIGNING THAT MAP WHERE THE CONNECTORS CAN BE PLACED GEOGRAPHICALLY, BUT ALSO BE AVAILABLE BY LANGUAGE OR CULTURE
  • SO WE WANT TO MAKE IT NOT ONLY GEOGRAPHICALLY BASED, BUT COMMUNITY BASED ON THOSE BARRIERS
  • AND BY YEAR TWO WE HAVE A COMBINED TOTAL, AT LEAST TEN CONNECTORS IN THE FIELD
  • AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO DEPLOY A LOCAL BUSINESS VISITATION MODEL AND WE HOPE TO ATTRACT AS MANY BUSINESS OWNERS AS WE CAN WITH IT THAT FIRST YEAR SO WE CAN PLAN FOR FUTURE WORK
  • SO TODAY'S REQUEST OBVIOUSLY INCLUDES THE PORT OF SEATTLE'S CONTRIBUTION OF $650,000 AND THE CHAMBER COMES NEARLY CLOSE TO THAT MATCH, NEARLY 500,000 OVER TWO YEARS
  • MAYBE I'LL PAUSE IT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, BUT IF THAT WE CAN DO ANY MORE SLIDES, I THINK JUST THE NEXT STEPS
  • YEAH, MAYBE JUST DO THAT
  • NEXT
  • STEP
  • OKAY, GREAT
  • JUST TO RECAP FOR NEXT STEPS, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING OUR RFQ AND SCOPE OF SERVICES
  • WE ACTUALLY WANT TO HAVE OUR SECOND PANEL REVIEW FROM THIRD PARTY STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN KING COUNTY
  • THEY'LL HELP US REFINE OUR APPROACH
  • THOSE WOULD BE SBDC
  • SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER SCORE, WORLD RELIEF AND OTHERS
  • AND ONCE WE FINALIZE THAT, WITH ALSO VISIBILITY WITH BOTH ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PORT AND ALSO CHAMBER THEIR DEI DEPARTMENT
  • SO THAT'S TO MAKE SURE WE'RE HITTING THE TARGET IN TERMS OF THE EQUITY LENS INTO THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PROGRAM
  • AND LASTLY, DEVELOP THOSE WEBINARS AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S AVAILABLE FOR IN LANGUAGE SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING ELSE
  • FOR THOSE TO APPLY
  • YEAH
  • AND FOR US, IT'S JUST SUPPORTING THAT CHAMBER OUTREACH
  • WE'RE GOOD AT THAT
  • SO WE WANT TO REALLY PUT THAT INTO HIGH GEAR AND MAKE SURE WE ARE PROMOTING THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY
  • WE'LL DEFINITELY ANNIE, WE'LL BE ON PART OF THAT RFQ SELECTION TEAM
  • WE NEED TO BE IN THE ROOM AS THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE
  • AND THEN FINALLY, WE'RE GOING TO EXECUTE A SERVICE AGREEMENT THAT REALLY SUPPORTS AND UNDERWRITES THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP AND INITIATIVE
  • SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • I THINK WE'RE DONE AND READY FOR QUESTIONS
  • ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH
  • THANK YOU, VAUGHN, FOR COMING AND PRESENTING
  • THANK YOU, ANNIE, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AS WELL
  • THANK YOU, DAVE
  • I'M GOING TO TURN OVER TO COMMISSIONERS FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
  • OKAY, JUST A FEW COMMENTS
  • I WANT TO THANK DAVE AND NANNY AND VAN AND RACHEL SMITH FOR ALL THE TERRIFIC WORK THEY'VE DONE ON THIS PROJECT
  • I HAVE TO SAY, OBVIOUSLY THE IMPETUS FOR THIS WAS THE LISTING SESSIONS WERE HELD DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHERE WE HELD OVER A DOZEN SESSIONS WITH OVER 100 STAKEHOLDERS
  • AND I THINK AFTER THOSE LISTENING SESSIONS, DAVE AND I HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT MORE WE CAN DO POST PANDEMIC
  • AND THERE CAME THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE THIS EXISTING PROGRAM THAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY EXPAND AND REDEFINE
  • AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING BEING CREATIVE AND KIND OF PUSHING THAT WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION
  • I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY INPUT
  • I THINK THAT WAS CRUCIAL IN VALIDATING OUR HYPOTHESIS HERE THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS
  • I HAD THE HONOR OF JOINING TWO OF THE THREE, I THINK THE FIRST ONE IN THE LAST LISTING SESSIONS WITH TABLE 100 AND SNOW VALLEY CHAMBER
  • AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR TO ME AS WELL THAT SOMETHING OF THIS SORT WAS NEEDED
  • SO I JUST REALLY QUICKLY WANT TO MAKE SURE FOR THE PUBLIC AND PUT IT IN A CONCISE WAY OF, LIKE, WHAT THIS IS AND WHAT THIS IS NOT
  • THIS IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO BE REDUNDANT OR STEP ON ANYONE'S TOES
  • I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE PRIMARY CONCERNS OF THIS PROGRAM INITIALLY WAS ARE WE REINVENTING SOMETHING THAT ALREADY EXISTS? AND I THINK IT WAS A VALID QUESTION AND IT WAS CLEAR FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH LOCAL CHAMBERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY SITS AS AN UMBRELLA TO A LOT OF THINGS THAT EXIST
  • AND TO THAT POINT, I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT I THINK WE ARE VERY BLESSED IN KING COUNTY TO HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES
  • I THINK THE RESOURCES THAT THESE BUSINESSES NEED ARE OUT THERE
  • I THINK WHAT WE NEEDED FOR A LONG TIME IS FOR AN ENTITY HELP TO HELP US CONNECT THE DOTS SO THAT WHEN THOSE BUSINESSES NEED SOMETHING, THEY KNOW WHO TO TURN TO AND THAT PERSON CAN THEN CONNECT THEM WITH THE RIGHT RESOURCES
  • AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THE MOST IN THE FEEDBACK WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AT THE TABLE 100 MEETING WAS LIKE, I'M KNOCKING ON EVERY DOOR TRYING TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES
  • AND MY RESPONSE WAS, WELL, YOU SHOULDN'T BE KNOCKING ON EVERY DOOR
  • YOU SHOULD BE KNOWING EXACTLY WHICH DOORS TO KNOCK ON
  • RIGHT
  • AND SO I THINK THIS NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WILL DO
  • AS WE ALL KNOW IN BUSINESS, TIME IS MONEY, AND WE WANT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES OWNERS TO BE VERY EFFICIENT WITH HOW THEY USE THEIR TIME
  • SO THANK YOU FOR THAT
  • LASTLY, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THE SURVEY RESPONSE, I THINK 318 SURVEY RESPONSES IN JUST SIX WEEKS MIGHT BE A LOCAL MUNICIPALITY GOVERNMENT RECORD
  • I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ALL PULLED THAT OFF
  • AND IN 15 LANGUAGES, NO LESS
  • SO I THINK THIS IS A TERRIFIC JOB
  • AND THE LAST THING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM, THAT ALTHOUGH THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE ARE ASKING SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER TO HELP US WITH, IS NOT EXCLUSIVE OR LIMITED TO SEATTLE AND THAT IT REALLY IS A GREATER SEATTLE PROGRAM
  • AND SO JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A SMALL BUSINESS IN KENT OR IN TUKWILLA OR UP IN SHORELINE DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CANNOT REACH OUT TO SEATTLE METRO CHAMBER FOR THESE RESOURCES
  • SO I HOPE FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT AND TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT
  • HAPPY TO SUPPORT
  • THANK YOU
  • AS A CLARIFYING QUESTION, VON, THE GREATER SEATTLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS THE LOCALLY DESIGNATED EDO, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT
  • CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS? SURE
  • SO ACROSS WASHINGTON STATE, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DESIGNATES ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY
  • THE CHAMBER, AS I BELIEVE IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS NOW, DESIGNATED AS THE KING COUNTY ADO
  • WHAT THAT MEANS, IN SHORT, IS THE LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
  • THANK YOU
  • AND SO THAT THE COMMISSIONER CHOSE POINT
  • SURE
  • THAT IS WHY THEIR SCOPE COMES AS MORE THAN JUST THE CITY OF SEATTLE, BUT THE REGION GENERALLY ACCOUNTING CORRECT
  • COMMERCIAL HAS IT CALL ROLL
  • I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS HOW EXCITING I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM IS, AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK AND DILIGENCE THAT'S TAKING PLACE ON BEHALF OF STAFF IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS SEATTLE CHAMBER AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A REALLY INTENTIONAL, MEANINGFUL, AND INCLUSIVE PROGRAM
  • I ALSO JUST WANT TO ADD THAT I THINK THAT IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO THE PORT OF SEATTLE BEING A RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT
  • THIS IS BASED UPON EXPRESS COMMUNITY NEED
  • AND SO I JUST REALLY APPLAUD THIS APPROACH
  • I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS
  • THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUCH FOR PROVIDING SUCH A THOROUGH PRESENTATION
  • I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS RESOURCE TO BUSINESSES IN NEED
  • AS COMMISSIONER CHO MENTIONED, THERE ARE OTHER ECONOMIC SUPPORT OPERATIONS BEING OFFERED BY THE STATE OR BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LIKE CITIES, BUT FOR FOLKS IN UNINCORPORATED KING COUNTY, THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THEM
  • KING COUNTY OFTEN SERVES AS THEIR PRIMARY GOVERNMENT, BUT THE PORT OF SEATTLE ALSO IS, DESPITE ITS NAME, COUNTYWIDE
  • CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR ME WHAT SORT OF OUTREACH HAPPENED TO UNINCORPORATED KING COUNTY OR ENGAGEMENT THAT'S TAKEN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE BUSINESSES WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO BE AWARE OF AND BENEFIT FROM THIS PROGRAM? SURE, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE TWO PART RESPONSE BECAUSE OF THE OUTREACH
  • SO FROM THE CHAMBER STANDPOINT ALSO BEING DESIGNATED ATO I MEET REGULARLY WITH ALL THE 38 CITIES IN KING COUNTY IN ADDITION TO KING COUNTY'S UNINCORPORATED AIR REPRESENTATIVE ON A MONTHLY BASIS
  • SO THAT'S ONE
  • AND THEY ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE PROGRAM THAT'S HAPPENING AROUND CONNECTORS
  • SECONDLY, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE ALSO HAVE THOSE INDIVIDUALS SITTING ON OUR PROGRAM DESIGN GROUP WHO ARE ALSO INFORMING WHERE THE BEST OR SELECT AREAS FOR HUBS ACROSS KING COUNTY FOR THE CONNECTORS
  • THANK YOU
  • IN TERMS OF ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS COUNTYWIDE AND THAT THERE'S A CONSERVATIVE EFFORT HAPPENING TO UNINCORPORATED KING COUNTY
  • DOES THAT PRECLUDE SEATTLE BASED MINORITY BUSINESSES IN HISTORICALLY REDLINED NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THE CID OR THE CD FROM ACCESSING THIS PROGRAM AND BENEFITING FROM WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER? SO THE ANSWER IS NOT AT THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE IT'S A KING COUNTY PROGRAM EXCLUDING SEATTLE
  • HOWEVER, WE'RE TALKING TO CITY OF SEATTLE ABOUT HOW IT COULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THEIR ONGOING BUSINESS OUTREACH EFFORTS
  • SO THAT DISCUSSION IS HAPPENING
  • OKAY
  • TO BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PORT OF SEATTLE IN RESPONSE TO WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM A NEED IN COMMUNITIES IN SMALL BUSINESSES AND MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT MIGHT ALSO MAKE SENSE TO MAKE THIS AS A RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO AC DBS OPERATING AT OUR OWN FRONT YARD
  • DO THEY HAVE ELIGIBILITY FOR THIS PROGRAM AT THIS TIME? YES
  • AS WE DEVELOPED THIS PROGRAM, IT GAVE US OUR OWN THOUGHTS OF HOW WE HAVE OUR OWN CONSTITUENTS AND WHY CAN'T THEY ALSO ACCESS THE NAVIGATOR? AND SO A PERFECT EXAMPLE MIGHT BE AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR IN TUKWILLA, WHO HAS LIMITED ENGLISH ABILITIES BUT REALLY IS INTERESTED IN THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITY WITH US, BUT NEED THE NAVIGATORS HELP TO REALLY CONNECT THE DOTS AND BREAK THE OPPORTUNITY DOWN INTO SOMETHING
  • UNDERSTANDABLE SO, YES, WE SEE OPPORTUNITIES THERE
  • THAT'S REALLY GREAT TO HEAR
  • SO IN TERMS OF HOW THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY FUNCTIONS, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WILL BE SEVEN PARTNERS
  • ARE THOSE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFITS? TELL ME ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF THE CRITERIA FOR THOSE PARTNERS
  • SURE
  • SO THE CONNECTORS WILL BE SEVEN IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND THOSE CONNECTORS WILL BE SELECTED AND FUNDED THROUGH THE RFQ PROCESS
  • THERE WILL BE EITHER INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS, TYPICALLY CBOS OR TA PROVIDERS
  • THEY WILL BE DESIGNATED AS THE CONNECTORS WITHIN KING COUNTY ACROSS AT LEAST FIVE DIFFERENT HUBS
  • THAT'S WONDERFUL AND REALLY LIVES THE SPIRIT OF WHAT YOU DESCRIBED AS A TRUSTED MESSENGER
  • WHERE IN YOUR EVALUATIVE CRITERIA DOES LANGUAGE ACCESS SERVICES FALL WHEN YOU'RE CONSIDERING WHO THE SEVEN PARTNERS WILL BE? YEAH, GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW SEVEN IS NOT ENOUGH
  • IT'S A NICE NUMBER FOR COMPLETION
  • BUT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS A GROUP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS AND WITHIN OUR PROGRAM DESIGN COMMITTEE THAT NOT ONLY
  • AS I MENTIONED
  • GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION IS IMPORTANT
  • BUT ALSO
  • LET'S SAY
  • IF WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S SITUATED ME IN SOUTH KING COUNTY
  • BUT THEY HAPPEN TO SPEAK SPANISH
  • WE CAN UTILIZE THEIR CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND ALSO THEIR LANGUAGE CAPABILITY TO HELP SOMEONE ON THE NEXT SLIDE
  • FOR EXAMPLE
  • EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BASED IN SOUTH KING COUNTY
  • I THINK THAT THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT STRATEGY, RECOGNIZING THAT THE LANGUAGE BARRIER CAN OFTENTIMES BE MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THE GEOGRAPHIC BARRIER, PARTICULARLY IN A VIRTUAL AGE
  • SO IF ONE PERSON IN ONE PLACE CAN PROVIDE LANGUAGE ACCESS, WHY NOT TO THE FULL FOOTPRINT OF THE PROGRAM? BUT THERE IS SO MUCH LANGUAGE DIVERSITY IN KING COUNTY
  • I CAN TELL YOU THAT I KNOW AS FAR AS THE ASIAN NATIVE HAWAIIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY AS A CONGLOMERATE SPEAK 100 LANGUAGES, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE OVER 1000 DIALECTS
  • SO LANGUAGE ACCESS IS SO CHALLENGING DURING THE PANDEMIC, BY 2021, WE LEARNED THAT ALL BUT THREE CAMBODIAN OWNED BUSINESSES WENT UNDER
  • AND THAT'S BECAUSE EVEN IF THERE IS AN ASIAN CHAMBER, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY PROVIDE THE INSTITUTIONAL EXPERTISE OF THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TO THOSE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
  • SO LANGUAGE ACCESS IS SUCH A HUGE PIECE, AND IT IS A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE AS INSTITUTIONAL ACTORS AND TRYING TO THINK OF THE STRATEGIES ON HOW TO SERVE DIVERSE POPULATIONS
  • SO THAT'S WHY I RAISED THAT QUESTION UP HERE, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN CRITICAL THOUGHT BEHIND THAT ON BEHALF OF THE STAFF THINKING OF HOW TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL PROGRAM THAT IS EFFECTIVELY NOT DUPLICATIVE AND REALLY MAKING SURE WE'RE CASTING AS WIDE A NET AS POSSIBLE TO PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BENEFIT FROM IT
  • I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT AS A HUGE PIECE OF WHY I SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM AND JUST HOW IMPORTANT I THINK THAT LANGUAGE ACCESS IS
  • AND I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION THAT I KNOW I'LL REMEMBER AS SOON AS I STOP CALKINS
  • SO I'M GOING TO SEE A BREAK AND WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU
  • HOW'S THAT? ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER, MOHAMED
  • FIRST, I JUST WANT TO START BY THANKING OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM THIS YELLOW CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
  • I WAS JUST SPEAKING TO RACHEL SMITH YESTERDAY, THE CEO THERE, AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE LEADERSHIP AT THE CHAMBER IN HELPING SUPPORT THIS COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR MODEL
  • I ALSO WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER CHOSE LEADERSHIP DURING THE PANDEMIC AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC WAS FRONT AND CENTER IN OUR CONVERSATIONS
  • OVER 40% OF BUSINESSES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE SMALL BUSINESSES AND THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY
  • AND SO ENSURING THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT THEM IS IMPORTANT
  • AND THAT'S SMALL BUSINESSES OWNED BY WOMEN, PEOPLE OF COLOR, VETERANS, THEY'VE ALL ARE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN AYE
  • THE HARDEST BY THIS PANDEMIC
  • AND SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THIS MODEL AROUND COMMUNITY CONNECTIVE NAVIGATOR MODEL, AND IT'S ONE THAT WE ARE SEEING HAPPEN EVEN IN THE HEALTHCARE SPACE, THIS IDEA OF BRINGING TRUSTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO THE TABLE AND HAVING THEM HELP GOVERNMENT NAVIGATE THE REAL COMPLEX SYSTEMS THAT EXIST
  • AND SO IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT BEING IMPLEMENTED IN THE BUSINESS SPACE
  • THAT SAID, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AROUND THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS
  • MR TAYLOR, MAYBE I'LL DIRECT THIS TO YOU
  • I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, THAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ARE AMONG THE FOLKS THAT ARE AT THE TABLE
  • I WANTED TO KNOW HOW OFTEN ARE THOSE MEETINGS HAPPENING SO YOU COULD JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT AROUND THAT
  • AND WILL THERE BE ANY ADDITIONAL NONPORT FUNDS COMING FROM SOME OF THOSE STAKEHOLDERS AND WHAT THOSE NUMBERS MAY LOOK LIKE? SURE
  • SO OUR MEETINGS, I THINK WE STARTED AROUND APRIL OR MAY, AND WE HAVE ABOUT A DOZEN MEETINGS, MEETING AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH
  • THEN WE HAVE SOME ALSO MEETINGS IN BETWEEN TIME FOR MORE TARGETED KIND OF TOPICS ABOUT THE PROGRAM DESIGN
  • AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S A FEW CITIES WITHIN KING COUNTY, AND THEY'RE MOSTLY GOVERNMENT LEADERS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE CITY AGENCIES AND ALSO CBOS AND TEAM PROVIDERS AS TO HOW WE PROJECT OR SEE CITIES BUYING IN OR INVESTING INTO THIS PROGRAM
  • WE HAVE A HANDFUL RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE COMMITTED AND THAT WOULD REFLECT ROUGHLY $30,000 IN INVESTMENT TO THE PROGRAM ITSELF
  • BUT WE DO FORESEE MORE INVESTMENT FROM CITIES ONCE WE ROLL OUT THE PROGRAM AND PROJECT IN 2023 TO DO MORE OUTREACH AND ACTUALLY GIVE VALUE TO CITIES WHO ARE BENEFITING FROM THE UPFRONT COST OF THE CHAMBER IN THE PORT
  • GREAT, THAT'S HELPFUL TO HEAR
  • THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD, OR MAYBE IT'S HONESTLY, I'LL JUST SAY A CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS AROUND THE CONNECTORS
  • IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S SEVEN CONNECTORS, .5 FTE
  • AND I HEARD THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, NOT JUST CBO, BUT IT'S ALSO INDIVIDUALS
  • AND THAT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING TO ME
  • I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO HAVE ONE JOB
  • AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS TWO JOBS AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, I MIGHT BE IN A VERY PRIVILEGED POSITION TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN TWO JOBS
  • SURETY
  • THAT'S A REAL CHALLENGE AND IT'S NOT A PRACTICE THAT I SUPPORT THAT INDIVIDUALS SHOULD HAVE TO WORK MULTIPLE JOBS AND THESE CONTRACT SORT OF POSITIONS THAT WE OFTEN PUT COMMUNITIES IN IS ONE THAT'S CHALLENGING
  • AND SO I WANT YOU GUYS TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT PIECE
  • AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S LIKE A MODEL THAT'S ATTACHED TO THAT, IF THIS IS LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL THAT'S A CONSULTANT CONNECTED TO OTHER SORT OF WORK, BUT IF IT'S NOT, I THINK IT'S ONE THAT YOU GUYS SHOULD TREAD LIGHTLY AROUND
  • SURE
  • AND WE EQUALLY HAVE THAT CONCERN IF WE ACTUALLY HEARD THAT FROM SOME TA PROVIDERS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF HOURS AND THE NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENT THEY CAN HAVE WITH BUSINESS OWNERS BECAUSE OF THE COMPENSATION TO A PART TIME PERSON
  • WE HAVE TWO REMEDIES OF THAT
  • ONE, WE HOPE THAT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE DO FUND FOR THE CONNECTOR, THEY WILL HAVE SOME CAPACITY AND COULD ADD A BUMP TO THAT SALARY OR SUPPORT IN SOME WAY IF THEY HIRE SOMEONE FROM THE COMMUNITY
  • THAT'S ONE OR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, SOMETHING OF THAT TYPE
  • SECOND, WE ALSO HOPE THAT THE TRUSTED MESSENGERS ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY ACTIVE IN COMMUNITIES DOING WHAT THEY ALREADY DO AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TIME AND CAPACITY TO COMMIT TO THE COMMUNITIES IN THIS DIFFERENT WAY
  • SO, IS THERE A SHOP OWNER THAT HAS A PART TIME BUSINESS, IF YOU WILL, OR SIDE HUSTLE IS THIS COMMUNITY LEADER THAT'S VERY ACTIVE ALREADY AND THEY'RE DOING TREMENDOUS WORK AND NOT GETTING PAID ALREADY
  • THIS CAN BE A BOOST TO ADD VALUE TO THEIR STATUS AS A TRUSTED INDIVIDUAL IN THEIR COMMUNITY
  • SO THOSE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HOPE AND WE WILL EVALUATE THAT IN OUR SCORING METRIC WHEN WE LOOK AT THE APPLICATIONS
  • YEAH, THANK YOU, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY HAVING SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS
  • I WAS ACTUALLY SPEAKING OF THOSE FLOORING METRICS
  • WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SUCCESS METRUCK THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE APPLYING TO THIS PROGRAM? SURE
  • SO THE FIRST GOAL IS GETTING OUR SEVEN CONNECTORS
  • SO WE WANT TO GET AS MANY APPLICATIONS AS WE COVID HANDLE AND SCREEN THEM PROPERLY AGAIN WITH EQUITY LENS AND A FAIR EQUITABLE PROCESS DOING THAT
  • 1ST, 2ND, BRINGING THAT GROUP TOGETHER TO FORM A PROGRAM ORIENTATION AND NOT JUST A WAY OF JUST SPEAKING AT THEM, IT'S ABOUT HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN KING COUNTY AROUND RESOURCES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, INTRODUCING THEM TO THE CITIES, THOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE TABLE, SO ON AND SO FORTH
  • SO MAKING IT MORE OF A GATHERING OF COMMUNITY, THAT'S A WIN
  • AND THEN BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE HOPE TO AT LEAST START BUILDING A DATABASE OF EACH CONNECTOR
  • AT LEAST 25 BUSINESSES IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEN START TO ROLL OUT WHAT IS OUR OUTREACH STRATEGY WITH THE PORT? AT LEAST SEVEN WORKSHOPS AND OUTREACH ACTIVITY ALONG WITH TRAINING
  • AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT CONVERTING THAT DATABASE INTO ACTUALLY REFERRALS
  • SO WE'RE STILL THINKING ABOUT THAT
  • BUT I THINK I CAN ADD SOME DIMENSION HERE THAT TICKETS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT IT'S ALSO A GREAT ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU TRACK IT
  • OKAY
  • AND EARLIER IN OUR CITY GRANT PROGRAM, WE HAVE FUNDED STARTUP FOUR TO FIVE
  • THEY HAVE A TICKET PROGRAM AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, I GET GREAT REPORTS
  • THIS IS HOW MANY CUSTOMERS THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED
  • THIS IS HOW MANY GOT REFERRAL TO LOAN PROGRAMS TO REFERRAL TO OTHER SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE
  • SO THAT IS REALLY THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS TICKET SYSTEM
  • AND IT'S NOT, AGAIN, JUST CUSTOMER SERVICE
  • IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO BE ACCOUNTABLE
  • THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL
  • THANK YOU BOTH FOR THAT ANSWER
  • LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT BOTH COMMISSIONER CHO AND MYSELF SIT ON THE EQUITY AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE COMMISSION, AND WE'RE DISCUSSING SETTING UP A SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY AD HOC COMMITTEE
  • THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE WANT TO FOLLOW VERY CLOSELY AND SEE HOW IT'S DEVELOPING
  • AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOME SORT OF CONNECTION TO OUR OFFICES, EQUITY AND INCLUSION DEPARTMENT AND BEING COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AROUND SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED
  • I THINK NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE IN COORDINATION AND OUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER REGULARLY
  • AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO JUST LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT THE COLLABORATION LOOKS LIKE AND WHO THE SEVEN INDIVIDUALS END UP BEING OR ORGANIZATION
  • AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS
  • ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO GIVE COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA HER SECOND BITE AT THE APPLE, AND THEN I'M GOING TO TURN TO COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • I PROMISE TO KEEP IT QUICK
  • SO IN TERMS OF THE TICKETING PROCESS, I GUESS I JUST WANT TO FORMALLY REQUEST THAT WE COLLECT THE INFORMATION THROUGH THAT TICKET AT THE FRONT END ABOUT PREFERRED LANGUAGE
  • AND THEN IF TICKETS FULFILLED AS A MEASURE OF PERFORMANCE, I HOPE THAT THERE WILL ALSO BE FUTURE FLEXIBILITY IN THE PROGRAM TO EVALUATE WHAT SORT OF SERVICES WE PROVIDE AND HOW WE PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES
  • SO AN ONGOING EDUCATIONAL VALUE TO PROCESS INTERNALLY AS SERVICE PROVIDERS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE SEVEN CONNECTORS
  • I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT FLEXIBILITY TO THE EMERGING AND EVOLVING NEEDS, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE POPULATION GROWTH OF THE AREA AND THE CHANGE OF THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
  • I JUST WANT TO SAY HAPPY THAT YOU SAID THAT
  • ONE OF THE GOALS I DIDN'T MENTION FOR GOD, BUT YOU JOGGED MY MEMORY IS THAT WE WANT TO FORM A TASK FORCE TO ACTUALLY OVERSEE THIS PROGRAM GOING FORWARD SO WE CAN MODIFY AS WE GO, WHICH IS BEST PRACTICE
  • WE TALK ABOUT ANY BUSINESS VISITATION PROGRAM AND BRE
  • IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE KIND OF AN OVERSIGHT TO THE PROGRAMMING AND TO THE POINT ABOUT THE METRICS
  • WE WILL HAVE A DASHBOARD AND WE'RE DEVELOPING A SQUARE CARD WHICH TAKES SOME TIME TO PERFECT, BUT THAT WOULD BE A COMPONENT OF THE HEALTH TICKET
  • ALL RIGHT, BUT THAT ACTUALLY WAS NOT THE QUESTION THAT I REMEMBERED THAT I FORGOT
  • OKAY
  • ANYWAYS, SOMETHING THAT I TALKED ABOUT WAS CEO SMITH AND ALSO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK THAT I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD FLOAT BY YOU IS JUST IN CONSIDERATION OF THE PANDEMIC AND HOW IT REALLY HIGHLIGHTED THE CRITICAL NEED TO ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR A LARGER POPULATION AND THE ROLE THAT EMPLOYER HAS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY IN CREATING THAT BRIDGE TO HEALTHCARE
  • AND THEN JUST REINFORCED WITH THE SUPREME COURT DECISION ABOUT HOW VITAL THAT HEALTHCARE ACCESS IS
  • ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE ABOUT THE SEATTLE CHAMBER IS THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU DO AS AN ENTITY IS YOU CONNECT BUSINESSES TO HEALTH CARE OPTIONS THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE TO THEIR WORKFORCE
  • AND KNOWING THE DISPARITIES IN RACE AND IN GENDER AND ETHNICITY IN HEALTH THAT WE OBSERVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
  • AND ALSO THE CORE EQUITY ELEMENT TO THIS PROGRAM, IS THERE ROOM THROUGH THIS PROGRAM TO HELP OUR BUSINESSES HAVE ACCESS TO AN INSURANCE PLAN THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE TO THEIR WORKERS? AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BE INTENTIONAL AROUND, ALSO PUTTING OUR RESOURCES AND OUR EFFORTS BEHIND? OBVIOUSLY DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT TODAY, BUT I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY
  • ONE WAY I CAN CONNECT THAT IS ONCE WE GET A BETTER HANDLE ON EFFICIENCY
  • AND ALSO WE KNOW EQUITY IS A PART OF THE PROGRAM DESIGN
  • AND BECAUSE THE PROGRAM FRAMEWORK FOCUS ON PUTTING BOOTS ON THE GROUND VISITORS TO BUSINESSES, AND WE ALL KNOW WHEN YOU TALK TO SMALL BUSINESSES, IT'S NOT JUST THEIR BUSINESS CONCERNS, IT'S THEIR CHALLENGES PERSONALLY
  • AND THAT'S OFTENTIMES INTERTWINED
  • HEALTH IS ONE OF THOSE
  • ONCE WE UNDERSTAND HOW TO BETTER GET THE INFORMATION OUT TO BUSINESS OWNERS, THEN WE CAN TAKE ON OPPORTUNITIES TO SAY THERE'S A HEALTH INSTITUTION THAT WANTS US TO PROMOTE ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE
  • I DON'T KNOW BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT FIT THIS CRITERIA
  • THERE'S NO REASON WHY THAT COULDN'T BE COUPLED WITH OTHER INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SENDING TO BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND THE LIKE
  • AND I TOTALLY ADD IT IS ABOUT TRUST
  • AND ONCE YOU START DEVELOPING THAT RAPPORT AND PROVIDING CUSTOMER SERVICE, WELL, I HELPED THIS PERSON GET TO A BANK AND THEY GOT SOME FUNDING AND THEY RAISED SOME ISSUES ABOUT HR AND PEOPLE, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY
  • AND IN MY EXPERIENCE, DOING A LOT OF THIS OUTREACH AND TALKING TO BUSINESS OWNERS, I'M KEEN TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE
  • BUT ALSO AS YOU DEVELOP THAT RAPPORT OF TRYING TO HELP THEM AND EDUCATE THEM ON HOW TO DO BETTER OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME GREAT RESOURCES OUT THERE
  • SO I THINK WE CAN DO THAT
  • IT WILL TAKE SOME THOUGHT AND SOME INTENTIONALITY
  • YOU'RE RIGHT
  • YEAH
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • WELL, I DO GREATLY APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES RAISING ALL THESE POINTS AND DON'T NEED TO BE OVERLY REDUNDANT
  • I DO SEE THAT THERE'S A GREAT REFLECTION OF VERY MUCH A LOT OF THOUGHTFULNESS, AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER REALLY DOES SEEM TO FLESH OUT THE GREAT WORK THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HAS BEEN DOING FOR THESE YEARS
  • SO I FEEL QUITE CONFIDENT IN THE INTENT AS WELL AS THE MEANS OF IMPLEMENTING THIS PROGRAM
  • I DO WANT TO HAVING SAID THAT ELEVATE THE CONCERN OR ISSUE THAT COMMISSIONER MOHAMED RAISED
  • WHILE THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS ALL ABOUT CREATING QUALITY JOBS, IT OFTEN DOESN'T INCLUDE THE COMMISSIONER OR WE'RE ASKING THE SAME THING OF THE NAVIGATORS TO GO AND HELP OTHER PEOPLE GET THEIR QUALITY JOB WHILE PAYING THEM HALF TIME
  • AND SO I THINK THE EXPECTATION IS VERY HIGH AND I THINK, AS WAS STATED, THAT PROBABLY THESE PEOPLE ARE IN THE POSITION TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT
  • IT IS LIKE PUBLIC SERVICE, SOMEWHAT OF AN ACT OF LOVE, AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL NOT BE PUTTING THEM IN UNDUE STRESS TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WORTHY WORK
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • SO THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION FOR ME
  • MY BACKGROUND, VON, WE HAVEN'T MET BEFORE, BUT I WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER FOR OVER A DOZEN YEARS AND THEN MOVED INTO A ROLE AS A BUSINESS COACH FOR ONE OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANT CEOS THAT YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAR FROM IN A GROUP CALLED VENTURES
  • HEARING THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION, I KEPT TRYING TO WEAR THE HAT OF BOTH MY FORMER COLLEAGUE BETO YARCE VENTURES AND MYSELF
  • AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE AS A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER OF THIS PROGRAM? AND THEN WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE AS A NONPROFIT DIRECTOR TRYING TO MAYBE APPLY FOR THESE DOLLARS AND THEN INCORPORATE IT INTO THE PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE ALREADY RUNNING? AND SO A FEW KIND OF QUESTIONS CAME OUT OF IT
  • THE FIRST IS, HONESTLY, EVEN IN A SMALL ORGANIZATION LIKE VENTURES, WHICH HAD ROUGHLY TEN PROGRAMMATIC PEOPLE AND THEN TEN FOLKS THAT DID ADMINISTRATIVE OR MANAGE THE RETAIL STORE, THIS IS A PRETTY SMALL DROP IN THE BUCKET OF THEIR THREE HUNDRED K A YEAR IN TERMS OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR THE NAVIGATORS
  • SO ONE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS COULD EASILY SWALLOW UP THIS PROGRAM AND DO IT
  • AND SO THE IDEA, I THINK OF HAVING MULTIPLE I'M A LITTLE SKEPTICAL OF THE IDEA OF MULTIPLE AWARDS TO MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS
  • I UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THAT WOULD BE GETTING OUT INTO MORE COMMUNITIES
  • WHAT I MIGHT SUGGEST, AND I HATE GETTING INTO DETAILS, BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HIGH LEVEL FOR YOU GUYS, BUT IS THAT WE MIGHT THINK OF THIS AS A PILOT, AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRY IT WITH ONE FOCUSED COMMUNITY
  • WE HAD A REALLY INTERESTING SURVEY
  • THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOME SAMPLING BIAS THERE BECAUSE WE GOT A TON FROM SOME COMMUNITIES, NONE FROM SOME OTHERS
  • MAYBE SINCE THERE SEEMS TO BE REAL INTEREST AND PASSION, MAYBE WE WORK TO SAY, LET'S REALLY FOCUS THIS ON A PARTICULAR AREA SO WE CAN DO IT WELL AND DO IT RIGHT AND THEN REPLICATE AND GO BIGGER AND BE ABLE TO GO OUT TO THOSE MUNICIPALITIES THAT SEEM TO BE RELUCTANT TO FUND IT RIGHT NOW AND SAY, LOOK WHAT WE DID IN THIS PLACE
  • NOW WE WANT TO DO A TENFOLD THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
  • THE SECOND THING I WANT TO THINK ABOUT IS DO WE ENVISION THESE NAVIGATORS AS LIFEGUARDS OR SWIM COACHES? WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, DO THESE PEOPLE SWOOP IN WHEN A BUSINESS IS IN TROUBLE, RESCUE THEM, SO TO SPEAK, OR HELP RESCUE THEM? OR DO THEY COME ALONGSIDE GOOD TIMES AND BAD AND SAY, WE'RE GOING TO HELP YOU? SORT OF LIKE AN ONGOING NAVIGATOR SUPPORT PERSON? ARE THEY A SWIM COACH THAT SAYS, LET'S HELP YOU LEARN HOW TO DO THIS BEFORE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE? AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO REALLY IMPACT PROGRAM DESIGN
  • IF YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NAVIGATOR AS A SWIM COACH, THEN WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE NOT JUST TWO YEARS, BUT WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT THAT FUNDING MODEL QUICKLY
  • IF WE THINK OF IT AS A LIFEGUARD, THEN I THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY
  • BUT ALSO IT'S REALLY GOING TO CHANGE WHAT OUR IMPACT LOOKS LIKE TOO
  • AND PROBABLY OUR RESULTS WOULD BE AS EPHEMERAL AS THE INITIAL SUPPORT
  • SO I'M ENCOURAGED TO HEAR
  • I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, AND I KNOW BASED ON WHO YOU HAD ON THE ADVISORY BOARD, I THINK YOU'VE GOT THEIR INPUT
  • FOLKS LIKE BUSINESS IMPACT NORTHWEST AND SCORE, LOTS OF YEARS SPENT DOING THIS KIND OF WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY
  • SO I THINK YOU'RE PROBABLY WELL INFORMED ON ALL THESE THINGS
  • I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS BECAUSE I THINK ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP SUPPORT WMBE BUSINESSES, MICRO BUSINESSES, WHICH I THINK THIS IS PREDOMINANTLY GEARED TOWARDS BOTH JUST A GENERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY
  • ALSO AS A PIPELINE INTO THE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS WE WANT TO HAVE A SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY, EITHER TENANTS AT THE PORT, CONTRACTORS FOR PROJECTS THAT WE'RE BUILDING OUT, TENANTS IN OUR MARITIME FACILITIES
  • I WANT TO SEE US DEVELOPING THAT PIPELINE, PARTICULARLY AMONGST THE WMBE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
  • SO THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION
  • AT THIS TIME, ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? ALL RIGHT, SO I HEARD YOU SAY THIS IS GEARED TOWARDS SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT ACTUALLY MICRO BUSINESSES WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL
  • CORRECT
  • OKAY
  • IS THERE LIKE A TOP END OF SIZE LIMIT FOR ELIGIBILITY? NO, WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A PROFILE FOR WHAT'S CONSIDERED SMALL BUSINESS
  • WE ALL KNOW THAT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE AND LARGE IN SCOPE
  • BUT I THINK THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT'S A COMMUNITY FOCUSED BUSINESS NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, WHICH YOU'RE THINKING
  • MORE AS NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL
  • AND ALSO THAT CONTINUUM ALSO MEANS MOBILE BUSINESSES, HOMEBASE, THINGS OF THAT SORT
  • SO I'LL SAY THAT CATEGORY
  • ALL RIGHT, DO WE HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND FULL MOVE? SECOND
  • CLERK HART, YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL FOR THE VOTE
  • COMMISSIONER
  • PLEASE SAY AYES, BEGINNING WITH COMMISSIONER CHO
  • YAY
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA
  • AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER MOHAMED AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER CALKINS AYE
  • THANK YOU
  • FIVE AYES, FOUR AYES YAY AND THREE NAYS TO BE SPECIFIC
  • AND WITH THAT, THE MOTION PASSES
  • ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO PRESENT
  • THANK YOU
  • WE'RE NOW MOVING ON TO ITEM ELEVEN, AND THESE ARE PRESENTATIONS AND STAFF REPORTS
  • CLERK HART, YOU PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM
  • YES, THIS IS AGENDA ITEM ELEVEN, A MARITIME BLUE ANNUAL REPORT
  • COMMISSIONER, THREE YEARS AGO, THE PORT OF SEATTLE EXECUTED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE WASHINGTON MARITIME BLUE, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CHARGED WITH IMPLEMENTING WASHINGTON STATE'S STRATEGY FOR THE BLUE ECONOMY
  • SINCE THAT TIME, MARITIME BLUE HAS GROWN AND MATURED
  • OUR PARTNERSHIP IS MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT OF WASHINGTON'S BLUE ECONOMY
  • OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE JOINTLY LAUNCHED THE SUCCESSFUL MARITIME INNOVATION ACCELERATOR, EXPANDED THE YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, AND OTHER EFFORTS TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
  • WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH MARITIME BLUE AND ESPECIALLY WITH PRESIDENT JOSHUA BURGER AND AYE
  • ENTIRE TEAM
  • THE FUTURE OF MARITIME INDUSTRY IS SUSTAINABLE AND FREE OF CARBON, AND MARITIME BLUE WILL HELP US GET THERE
  • DAVE MCFADDEN WILL INTRODUCE THE BRIEFING AND OUR GUEST PRESENTERS
  • DAVE
  • GOOD AFTERNOON
  • COMMISSIONERS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • I'M VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE THIS BRIEFING
  • WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MARITIME BLUE FROM THE BEGINNING
  • IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO
  • AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK MENTIONED, WE PUT TOGETHER AN MOU
  • AT THAT POINT, I SWEAR THE INCOME THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION PAPERS WAS STILL DRYING
  • SO THIS IS A VERY YOUNG ORGANIZATION AND WE TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH IN THAT PARTNERSHIP AND WE'VE REALIZED NOTHING BUT BENEFITS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS
  • THIS ORGANIZATION HAS GROWN MAGNIFICENTLY OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS
  • I AM SO IMPRESSED
  • I WAS SMILING BECAUSE I GO, IT FEELS ALMOST LIKE A TEENAGER
  • BUT THEY'RE ONLY THREE YEARS OLD
  • THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF PROFIT PROGRESS THEY'VE MADE IN THAT SHORT TIME
  • THEY HAVE A FANTASTIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
  • THEY'VE BENEFITED FROM FRED'S COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN'S PARTICIPATION
  • STEPHANIE JONES-STEBBINS ALSO IS ON THE BOARD NOW
  • THEY'VE GOT A GREAT STAFF
  • I ENJOY WORKING WITH JOSHUA
  • HE'S AN OUTSTANDING LEADER
  • AND AGAIN, THEY'RE PRODUCING SUBSTANTIAL IMPACTFUL WORK
  • AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ALL ABOUT THAT TODAY
  • AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND EVEN ESSENTIAL TO OUR FUTURE HERE AT THE PORT
  • AND SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO REALLY TURN IT OVER TO JOSHUA AT THIS POINT
  • AND I SHOULD MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT SOME SLIDES HERE
  • WE'LL RUN THROUGH THE FIRST ONE
  • LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADVANCE THE SLIDE AND GET TO JOSHUA'S
  • SO, YES, GREAT PARTNERSHIP
  • LET'S KEEP GOING
  • AND NOW, JOSHUA THANK YOU, DAVE
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • IT WAS REMARKING AS WE CAME IN, I THINK IT WAS WHEN WE SIGNED THE MOU THE LAST TIME I WAS ACTUALLY IN THIS ROOM IN PERSON, WE'VE MET A NUMBER OF TIMES AND WITH THE COMMISSIONER, BUT THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WE HAVE DONE THE LION'S SHARE OF THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT OUR PROCESS
  • I'M JOSHUA BURIEN
  • I'M PRESIDENT CEO OF WASHINGTON MARITIME BLUE
  • AND THIS WHOLE ADVENTURE REALLY STARTED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO OR SO WITH THE PORT IN MY FORMER ROLE AS THE GOVERNOR'S MARITIME SECTOR LEAD
  • WE'RE REALLY LOOKING ON HOW WE COULD BENEFIT FROM THE INCREDIBLE ASSETS ACROSS OUR REGION TO GROW A MORE SUSTAINABLE
  • INNOVATIVE AND EQUITABLE MARITIME INDUSTRY AND BROADLY OCEAN AND MARITIME INDUSTRY
  • WHICH IS WHAT WE CALL THE BLUE ECONOMY
  • HENCE WHERE NOW ALL I WEAR IS BLUE
  • MY WIFE POINTED THAT OUT TO ME AGAIN THIS MORNING AND IT REALLY WAS THE NOTION IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO SUPPORT MARITIME INNOVATION? IT CAME TO DAVID WE'RE THINKING ABOUT A MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER WAS SORT OF THE TOP OF MY LIST AS THE EDICT FROM THE GOVERNOR TO BE THINKING ABOUT
  • AND INSTANTLY WE FOUND AND COALESCED AROUND HOW WE DO INNOVATION
  • WHAT THAT LED TO IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS WAS THE FIRST AND STILL REALLY ONLY COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE STRATEGY FOR THE BLUE ECONOMY
  • I WAS LED BY THE GOVERNOR'S MARITIME INNOVATION COUNCIL AT THE TIME AND AFTER ABOUT 18 MONTHS SIMULTANEOUSLY, DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PORT AND MANY STAKEHOLDERS ARE PARTNERS ACROSS THE REGION ABOUT THE IDEA OF A MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AND HOW FAR WE'VE COME THERE AS WELL
  • WE PRODUCED THIS STATE STRATEGY AND QUICKLY REALIZED THAT SOMEBODY ACTUALLY NEEDS TO DO IT
  • MY LINE OFTEN IS THAT A STRATEGY IS AS GOOD AS THIS GRAPHICS UNLESS SOMEBODY IS DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT
  • WE LOOKED AROUND THE GLOBE AT OTHER CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE AND THIS THING
  • THE BLUE ECONOMY THAT WAS GROWING RAPIDLY AT THE TIME AND SAW THIS THING
  • THIS MECHANISM CALLED AN INNOVATION CLUSTER ORGANIZATION
  • WHICH IS WE TALK ABOUT THE QUADRUPLE HELIX
  • BUT IT'S REALLY JUST AN ENTITY THAT CAN BRING TOGETHER PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
  • NGOS
  • THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR TO ACCELERATE OUR MISSION
  • AND HERE IT'S AROUND A SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE MARITIME INDUSTRY
  • SO WE FORMED AS AN ORGANIZATION JUST OVER THREE YEARS AGO AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING A TON ALONGSIDE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PORT AND SO MANY ACROSS THE STATE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND REALLY ACROSS THE GLOBE
  • WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • I WANT TO GET TOO QUICK OUR TEAM TO TALK ABOUT THE GREAT WORK WE'RE DOING, BUT I WILL SAY OVER THESE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE GROWN TO BE JUST OVER 135 MEMBERS
  • MEMBERS IS A BROAD TERM
  • IT'S NOT JUST OUR INDUSTRY MEMBERS, WHICH RANGE FROM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS DOWN TO ONE PERSON ENGINEERING SHOPS AND START UP ORGANIZATIONS, BUT OUR MAJOR RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, ALL OF OUR PUBLIC PARTNERS THAT RANGE FROM PORTS AND MUNICIPALITIES AND TRANSIT AUTHORITIES TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AS WE GROW
  • I CAN'T EVEN KEEP UP WITH MY TEAM
  • THE LOGOS THAT SHOULD BE GOING ON THIS SLIDE, IT'S ALREADY WEEK AFTER WEEK
  • IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • THERE'S A BREADTH OF WHAT WE DO AS AN INNOVATION CLUSTER ORGANIZATION
  • WE FOSTER COLLABORATION
  • THIS IS WHERE OUR MEMBERS COME TOGETHER IN WHAT WE CALL JOINT INNOVATION PROJECTS AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE IN A FEW MINUTES
  • IT'S WHERE WE ACTUALLY DO STUFF AND IT COULD BE A FEASIBILITY STUDY OR IT'S BUILDING SOMETHING WHERE IT BENEFITS FROM COLLABORATION, WHERE IT BENEFITS FROM A RESEARCH INSTITUTION, A PUBLIC PARTNER, A PRIVATE FUNDER, A PUBLIC GRANT, ALL THE DIFFERENT VALUE CHAIN OF THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT THAT COMES TOGETHER
  • MARITIME BLUE ACTS AS A CONVENER AND SORT OF USING THE WORD DOT CONNECTOR AND CATALYST FOR MEMBERS TO COME TOGETHER TO ACCELERATE THAT WORK
  • WE'RE A PARTNER FOR ACCESSING CAPITAL
  • IT COULD BE OUR STARTUPS, IT COULD BE PROJECTS AND OUR MEMBERS, WE HOLD KNOWLEDGE SHARING EVENTS
  • WE ENGAGE GLOBALLY WITH PARTNERS EVERYWHERE FROM SINGAPORE, KOREA, NORWAY, FINLAND, FRANCE TO FOSTER INNOVATION ACROSS THE GLOBE
  • WE OFTEN SAY UN SAYS AND REMINDS US THAT THERE IS ONE OCEAN AND SO THERE IS JUST ONE BLUE ECONOMY
  • WE ARE FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING STARTUPS AND ENTREPRENEURS
  • WE DO THAT IN A VARIETY OF NAYS
  • AND OUR BLUE VENTURE PROGRAM DIRECTOR JOSH CARTER WILL COME ON IN JUST A MOMENT AND GIVE YOU THE UPDATE ON THE MARITIME BLUE INNOVATION ACCELERATOR, AS WELL AS THE OTHER SORT OF HUB AND SPOKANE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE BEEN RUNNING OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS AND ARE GETTING UNDERWAY
  • AND THEN, OF COURSE, HOW WE FOCUS ON EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY AROUND HELPING TO SUPPORT AND CREATE EQUITABLE PATHWAYS INTO THE MARITIME AND OCEAN WORKFORCE
  • AND WE DO THAT THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MECHANISMS IT HAS BEEN PRIMARILY THE YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE, WHICH ENJOYED SUPPORT FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE, BUT THAT HAS EXPANDED INTO OUR YOUTH MARITIME ACCELERATOR PROJECT
  • OUR YOUTH SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS ARE YEAR ROUND COHORT PROGRAMS AS WELL AND WE'LL GO INTO SOME DETAIL OF EACH OF THOSE AND I'LL ROUND OUT AS WELL AND TALKING MORE JUST ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH OF US AS AN ORGANIZATION
  • YES, WE FEEL LIKE A TEENAGER
  • YOU'RE AT THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL TIME AND I HAVE TEENAGERS
  • WE'RE LIKE 1FT IS BIGGER THAN THE OTHER AND YOU'RE FEELING A LITTLE AWKWARD IN A ROOM
  • BUT WE HAVE A STRONG LEVEL OF SORT OF SELF CONFIDENCE AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE ENJOY REALLY AROUND THE REGION AND AROUND THE GLOBE AS WE'RE GROWING, I THINK
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO JOSH CARTER, WHO IS ON TEAMS, WHO RUNS ALL OF OUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS AND IS THE MASTER BEHIND THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, WHICH JUST CLEANED UP AS WELL JOSH, I'LL TURN IT TO YOU FOR NEXT FEW SLIDES
  • THANKS, JOSHUA
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS
  • I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING THERE IN PERSON, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING
  • AS YOU CAN SEE HERE THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN BUSY
  • WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR IMPACT HERE IN A MOMENT
  • BUT WE'VE BEEN BUSY HELPING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STARTUPS GROW THEIR BUSINESSES
  • AND STARTUPS IS A PRETTY BROAD TERM, AND IN THE BROAD SCHEME OF THINGS, IT COULD BE VERY EARLY STAGE COMPANIES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR PRODUCT MARKET FIT
  • THE COMPANY IS GETTING READY TO REALLY SCALE AND GO INTO THEIR GROWTH
  • WE'VE SEEN I'LL CALL OUT A FEW INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES LIKE DISCOVERY HEALTH, WHO WENT THROUGH OUR FIRST PROGRAM, WHO WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING THE FISHING INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT SEATTLE IN THE REGION BY OPENING THEIR DOORS AND HAVING COVID CLINICS FOR THE FISHING INDUSTRY
  • A TEAM THAT HAS GROWN BEYOND 200 PEOPLE AT THIS POINT
  • JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, THEY WERE A VERY SMALL TEAM
  • OTHER CALL OUTS, PURE WATERCRAFT JUST GOT A TREMENDOUS INVESTMENT FROM GM GENERAL MOTORS FOR MORE THAN $120,000,000
  • THEY TOOK ABOUT 25% OF THE COMPANY AND NOW THEY'RE OUT BUILDING OUTBOARD ELECTRIC MOTOR BOATS OR MOTOR ENGINES FOR PONTOON PLEASURE CRAFTS AND GROWING RAPIDLY
  • OTHERS SILVERBACK MARINE
  • WE HELP THEM RELOCATE AND FIND AN AMAZING FACILITY THAT ACTUALLY ENDED UP BEING A FACILITY THAT THE FOUNDER'S GRANDFATHER HAD BEEN AT DURING WORLD WAR II WHEN HE WAS IN THE MILITARY
  • IT'S JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF IMPACT THAT THIS PROGRAM IS HAVING ON FOUNDERS, WHETHER IT'S GROWING THEIR BUSINESS, FINDING INVESTORS, OR JUST FINDING PRODUCT MARKET FIT
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TAKE A STEP BACK
  • THE MAIN PROGRAM FOR WHAT WE RUN IS THE ACCELERATOR, THE ONE THAT WE'VE HAD TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • IT'S A FOUR MONTH BASED ACCELERATOR
  • WE FOCUS IN ON HOW DO WE TAKE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE COMING IN WITH AND MATCH THEM WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT CAN HELP GROW THEIR BUSINESS
  • AND SO WE SPEND AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME ON SOME FUNDAMENTAL THINGS LIKE HELPING THEM TELL THEIR STORY, OR FINANCIAL MODELING, OR CUSTOMER ACQUISITION, OR EVEN BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
  • BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WE TAKE THE FOUNDERS AS THEY COME IN, WE FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH, AND WE BUILD A CURRICULUM AS WE GO
  • SO AS A RESULT, NO TWO PROGRAMS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE
  • BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT WE HAVE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF IMPACT WE POSSIBLY CAN BY PUTTING THEM TOGETHER WITH AMAZING PEOPLE
  • WE ALSO HAVE THE INCUBATOR DOWN IN TACOMA, WHICH IS MORE FOCUSED ON PORT OPERATIONS
  • IT'S VERY MUCH A GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUSED PROGRAM
  • AND THEN, AS JOSHUA MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR HUB AND SPOKE MODEL, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE CREATING A CENTER OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE CENTERPIECE WHERE WE SHARE RESOURCES AND SHARE STARTUPS AND MENTORS AND OPEN SOURCE OUR PLAYBOOK WITH OTHER PROGRAMS, PARTNER PROGRAMS WHETHER IT'S THE NORTHWEST INNOVATION RESOURCE CENTER UP IN BELLINGHAM OR NORTHWEST TECH BRIDGE OR NAVAL X OR CLEAN TECH ALLIANCE, WE'RE REALLY BUILDING THIS CONSORTIUM OF WEST COAST PROGRAMS THAT ARE REALLY HAVING A HUGE IMPACT REGIONALLY AND THROUGHOUT OUR STATE
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • AND SO, AS I MENTIONED, OUR MENTORS REALLY MAKE UP THE SECRET SAUCE OF WHAT WE DO
  • WE BRING IN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BROAD KNOWLEDGE, WHETHER IT'S HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY EFFECTIVELY OR META WORLD PEACE, WHO PLAYED FOR THE LA LAKERS, COME IN TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW TO BALANCE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH OR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE, DIVERSE CULTURE IN YOUR WORKFORCE
  • THESE ARE ALL UPSKILLS THAT WE TEACH WITHIN THE ACCELERATOR FOR THESE FOUNDERS, FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN TAKE THIS IDEA AND SCALE IT UP AND GROW THEIR BUSINESS
  • AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT, WE'VE HAD A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF AMPLIFICATION IN THE PRESS FOR OUR STARTUPS, ALLISON ON THE RIGHT THERE
  • THEY WENT THROUGH OUR PROGRAM LAST YEAR, RECENTLY GOT A HUGE INVESTMENT FROM VIRGIN GALACTIC FOUNDER RICHARD BRANSON AND ONE OF THE UBER CO FOUNDERS, AND THEY'RE SCALING LIKE CRAZY
  • AND IT'S REALLY BEEN FUN TO WATCH THEM GROW
  • AND OUR LAST COHORT WAS IN THE PRESS AS WELL, AND WE HAMDI A GREAT TIME WITH THAT COHORT AS WELL
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • SO COLLECTIVELY, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF IMPACT OVERALL
  • SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH OVER 35 STARTUPS
  • 32 FROM THE US, 18 FROM WASHINGTON STATE, 15 FROM KING COUNTY, 18 WOMEN FOUNDERS, TWELVE BIPOC FOUNDERS
  • AND WE KNOW WE CAN DO MORE THERE
  • WE ALL KNOW THAT THE MARITIME INDUSTRY IS REALLY STRUGGLING NOT ONLY WITH ATTRITION IN THE WORKFORCE, BUT JUST NOT BEING A VERY DIVERSE INDUSTRY OVERALL
  • AND WE DO THIS WORK THROUGH THAT LENS
  • HOW CAN WE GET ACCESS TO MORE COMMUNITIES? HOW CAN WE HELP THOSE COMMUNITIES? HOW CAN WE DO MORE FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES? AND THAT STARTS WITH BUILDING AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS THEM BETTER
  • SO WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON MORE PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THEM, WHETHER THAT IS THROUGH TOP OF FUNNEL PROGRAMMING LIKE HACKATHONS, OR HAVING AN INDUSTRY COME TO US AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE CHALLENGED WITH
  • AND THEN GOING BACK TO ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDED FOLKS WHO WANT TO BUILD A BUSINESS AND SAY, HERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES, THIS IS ALL WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON TOP OF THE WORK WE DO WITH OUR PROGRAMS OVERALL, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT INTO THESE COMPANIES
  • MORE THAN 265,000,000
  • I THINK THAT'S OVER 300 MILLION AT THIS POINT
  • WE'VE HAD THREE EXITS, COMPANIES THAT HAVE EITHER BEEN ACQUIRED OR BEEN SOLD BOTH WAYS
  • THERE SEVERAL CUSTOMER ACQUISITIONS, DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS, AND WELL OVER 500 INCREASE IN REVENUE AND 400 JOBS CREATED THROUGHOUT THE REGION
  • AGAIN, I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH
  • I KNOW THAT I'M SORT OF BEING REDUNDANT HERE, BUT THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN WILDLY IMPACTFUL, AND WE SEE THIS AS JUST THE BEGINNING
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • SO THAT LEADS ME REALLY WELL INTO WHAT WE'RE HEADED TO NOW
  • SO WHAT'S NEXT? WE HAVE AN AMAZING PROGRAM DOWN IN TACOMA, AND NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING AN INCUBATOR PROGRAM FOR SEATTLE
  • AND THE DIFFERENCE THERE BEING IS AN INCUBATOR IS MORE OF, HEY, I'VE GOT THIS GREAT IDEA
  • I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT
  • I NEED SOME HELP AND SOME GUIDANCE
  • AND THE MARITIME BLUE ECOSYSTEM CAN REALLY HELP IN THAT WAY
  • WE CAN TAKE THOSE EARLY IDEAS AND SAY, THIS IS HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR FIRST CUSTOMER
  • THIS IS HOW YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT TAKING THIS THING FROM ZERO TO SCALE
  • AND SO THE INCUBATOR PROGRAM IS A GREAT FEEDER FROM THE INCUBATOR INTO THE ACCELERATOR
  • AND WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD COMPANIES GO FROM OUR ACCELERATOR INTO OUR INCUBATORS IN SOME CASES
  • WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE OCEAN ACCELERATOR
  • JOSHUA KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS, THE ONE OCEAN BEING ONE BLUE ECONOMY
  • WELL, WE TOOK THAT AND SORT OF SAID, WHY DON'T WE DO AN ACCELERATOR? WE'VE HAD A LOT OF INTERESTING INBOUND INTEREST FROM COMPANIES ALL OVER THE GLOBE
  • FOR THE SECOND COHORT, WE HAD A COMPANY FROM MONTREAL, CANADA
  • AND THIS LAST COHORT, WE HAD INTEREST FROM COMPANIES FROM SINGAPORE
  • SO WE KIND OF TOOK THAT IDEA, AND WE TOOK A CONVERSATION THAT COMMISSIONER CHO AND JOSHUA AND I HAD BACK IN FEBRUARY
  • WE SAID THIS COULD BE SOMETHING
  • AND SO WE'VE CONNECTED WITH SOUTH KOREA, SINGAPORE, FINLAND, NORWAY, AND MOST RECENTLY CHILE TO CREATE THIS ONE OCEAN ACCELERATOR WHERE INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES COME TO US FOR EIGHT WEEKS OF ONLINE PROGRAMMING, FOUR WEEKS OF IN PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR THE PURPOSE OF FIGURING OUT HOW THEY CAN EXPAND INTO WASHINGTON STATE
  • THIS IS NOT A PROGRAM THAT'S OFTEN BEEN TRIED
  • A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT GO TO THOSE COUNTRIES WITH THE PURPOSE OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONNECT THE DOTS
  • BUT WE'RE BRINGING THEM HERE, WHICH IS JUST AMAZING
  • AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED
  • WE'RE GETTING READY TO SIGN THE FIRST CONTRACT, AND WE KNOW THAT MORE WILL COME
  • SO WE THINK TEN COMPANIES WILL GO THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AS A FIRST WAVE
  • WE'RE ALSO, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'RE KEEPING UP THIS COLLABORATION THANKS TO EFFORTS BY DAVE MCFADDEN
  • WE'RE CONNECTING DOTS BETWEEN ANCHORAGE AND SAN DIEGO AND OREGON AND CALIFORNIA AND BRINGING EVERYBODY TOGETHER
  • WE'RE GOING TO DO A BLUE VENTURES ALUMNI SUMMIT
  • AND PART OF THE PORT OF BEGINNING OF THAT SUMMIT IN OCTOBER IS BRINGING EVERYBODY TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM, SORT OF LIKE THIS BOARD MEETING
  • HOW CAN WE BETTER BE MORE DELIBERATE ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE DO? HOW CAN WE BE MORE DELIBERATE ABOUT OPEN SOURCING WHAT WE DO AS A CURRICULUM? HOW CAN WE OPEN SOURCE OUR MENTORSHIP? HOW CAN WE BE MORE DELIBERATE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING TO HAVE A BETTER IMPACT OVERALL? AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT, OCTOBER 3 AND FOURTH, WE ARE GOING TO INVITE ALL OF THE ALUMNI FROM OUR ACCELERATOR, OUR INCUBATOR
  • AND SOME OF OUR PARTNER PROGRAMS TO SEATTLE IN THE EFFORT TO FURTHER INCREASE THE BUILD UP IN THEIR COMPANY
  • SO I'M REALLY EXCITED
  • I THINK THAT 2022 HAS BEEN A PHENOMENAL YEAR
  • IT'S BEEN A REALLY INTERESTING YEAR SO FAR
  • WE LEARNED A LOT THIS LAST YEAR AS THE WORLD WAS REOPENING
  • WE HAD FOUNDERS KIND OF GOING CUSTOMER SITES
  • WE WENT TO NORWAY IN APRIL FOR NORTH SHIPPING
  • SO IT'S BEEN A LEARNING LESSON IN THESE LAST THREE YEARS
  • AND I THINK THE FOURTH WAVE IS JUST GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL AS WE THINK OF MORE WAYS WE CAN INCREASE OUR IMPACT, WAYS THAT WE CAN EVEN TRY FUNDING THESE COMPANIES OURSELVES THROUGH INVESTMENT VEHICLES, I THINK, IS PROBABLY THE NEXT STEP THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HERE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS
  • BUT I'M EXCITED, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS
  • THANK YOU
  • JOSH, WHAT'S EXCITING IS THAT THESE START UP COMPANIES AND THE BREADTH OF OUR 135 MEMBERS, PLUS ACT AS A NEST FOR THESE COMPANIES IS OFTEN THE TERM THAT WE USE
  • THEY'RE A NEST FOR OUR STARTUPS AND ENTREPRENEURS
  • THEY ALSO ACT AS A NEST IN A SUPPORT MECHANISM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WORKFORCE PATHWAYS THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF
  • AND I'LL INTRODUCE AND INVITE
  • SHE HAS A NEW TITLE
  • SHE HAD BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF THE YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE
  • VISTA IS NOW THE DIRECTOR OF EQUITY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH IS ENCOMPASSING MORE BROAD PROGRAMMING AROUND EQUITABLE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS AND OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH EMPLOYERS ACROSS THE SECTOR
  • VISA, I'LL HAND IT TO YOU
  • THANK YOU, JOSHUA
  • GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS
  • IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE
  • AS JOSHUA MENTIONED, MY NAME IS LISA NAOY, AND I'M THE NEW DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND ENGAGEMENT, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT OUR ACHIEVEMENTS WITH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS I'LL GO AHEAD AND BEGIN WITH THE YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE
  • THE YMC IS COMPRISED OF GOVERNMENT, EDUCATIONAL, AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS WHO WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE ACCESS POINTS INTO CAREER AND EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS
  • AND WE DO THIS FOR ALL YOUTH, BUT WE HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON YOUTH OF COLOR AND YOUTH FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, YOUNG WOMAN AND LOW INCOME YOUTH
  • THE YMC CREATES CAREER PATHWAYS AND EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EVENTS, MENTORSHIP, AND PAID INTERNSHIPS
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • SO, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THE YMC IS A GROUP OF CARRYING ENTITIES
  • OUR PARTNERS EXTEND ALL THROUGHOUT THE REGION, AND WE MEET MONTHLY ON THE THIRD THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH TO TALK ABOUT RESOURCES AND WAYS TO CREATE MORE ACCESSIBLE ACCESS POINTS FOR YOUTH OF COLOR AND UNDERREPRESENTED YOUTH
  • WE ALSO HAVE OUR EXPANDED MARITIME COLLABORATIVE EMC, AND THIS IS AN ACADEMIC YEAR ROUND PROGRAM
  • AND WE WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERGREEN GOODWILLS YOUTH MARITIME PROGRAM FOR A GROUP OF 20 TO 30 JUNIORS AND SENIORS
  • AND WE GIVE THEM THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE WITH OUR PARTNERS, SUCH AS CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS AND SOUND EXPERIENCE AND SEA POTENTIAL
  • AND THESE ARE AFTER SCHOOL SIX WEEK SERIES PROGRAMS THEY GET STIPENDS AND THEY GET EXPOSURE TO OPPORTUNITIES THAT MANY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE OR THEIR FIRST TIME BEING ON THE WATER
  • WE ALSO HAVE CURRENTLY OUR YOUTH MARITIME ACCELERATOR PROJECT YMAP WHICH IS AN EIGHT WEEK LONG INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
  • WE PROVIDE $2,000 DIAPERS FOR YOUTH WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE PROGRAM AND IN THE MORNINGS THEY RECEIVE TRAINING AND UPSELLING BASED ON A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CURRICULUM
  • AND IN THE AFTERNOONS THEY INTERN WITH A MARITIME EMPLOYER THAT WE'VE MATCHED WITH THEM BASED ON THEIR SKILL SETS AND INTERESTS
  • AND OUR FRIDAYS THEY ALSO COME TOGETHER AS A COHORT AND PARTICIPATE IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EVENTS
  • THEY GO KAYAKING, THEY GO AROUND THE SOUND ON THE SCREEN ADVENTURES AND THEY REALLY GET THAT HANDS ON EXPERIENCE AND A CREATION OF SENSE OF BELONGING BEING THAT MOST OF THEM ARE FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OR THEY ARE EXPOSED FIRST TIME TO THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
  • WHAT'S REALLY GREAT ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS IS THAT WE ALSO PROVIDE EQUITY TRAININGS TO ALL OF OUR MARITIME EMPLOYERS
  • AND THESE EQUITY TRAININGS ARE IN TWO PARTS AND THEY'RE OFFERED ONE AND A HALF HOURS PER DAY AND THEY'RE PROVIDED THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERGREEN GOODWILL AND OTHERS AND THE REALLY GREAT WAY TO INTRODUCE NEW CONCEPTS TO MARITIME EMPLOYERS WHO MAY HAVE NOT WORKED WITH YOUTH FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS
  • WE TALK ABOUT CERTAIN SCENARIOS THAT THEY MAY FACE BUT WE REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY PROVIDE THESE POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS FOR THEM TO BUILD GREAT MENTORSHIP RELATIONSHIPS TO SEE IN ADVANCE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT COVID RISE AND HOW TO ADDRESS THEM IN A POSITIVE WAY
  • WE'VE GOTTEN GREAT FEEDBACK FROM OUR MARITIME EMPLOYERS
  • THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT RESOURCE FOR THEM THROUGHOUT THESE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE TRAININGS FOR THEM
  • TODAY WE JUST HAD OUR FIRST TRAINING SO WE'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED TO WANT TO EXPOSE THIS GREAT MULTIBILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY TO A NEW GENERATION OF YOUNG CAPABLE WORKERS WHO HAVE REALLY BEEN JUST EXCLUDED FROM OPPORTUNITIES
  • WE'RE EXCITED TO BUILD THAT CONNECTION
  • IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE EXCITED TO PROVIDE OUR EMPLOYERS THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO ADVANCE THIS NEW GENERATION OF SKILLED WORKERS IN THIS INDUSTRY
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU ISNA
  • I'LL ADD THAT YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT PROGRAM PROVIDERS SO TO SPEAK
  • AS MUCH AS WE'RE PROGRAM CONNECTORS WE OFTEN SORT OF USE THE TERM LOGO FARMERS YOU'LL SEE IN OUR SLIDES
  • WE DO A LOT OF PUTTING LOGOS IN BOXES AND BRINGING THEM TOGETHER AND WE'RE THAT CATALYST AND WE'RE OFTEN JUST SORT OF THE SAFE PLACE FOR FOLKS TO COLLABORATE, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, BUILD TRUST SOMETIMES AND OFTEN NEED TO BE VULNERABLE
  • ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE DOING DEI WORK IN PREDOMINANTLY OLDER WHITE MALE INDUSTRY WE FIND OURSELVES SORT OF IN A ROLE WHERE WE HAVE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BUILT AND WE CAN HOPEFULLY MOVE THE NEEDLE ON A NUMBER OF THOSE ISSUES AND WE'RE INVESTING NOW INTO A NUMBER OF NEW DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN ORDER TO DO THAT
  • AND CERTAINLY HOPE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PORT
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND WE'LL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER QUESTIONS AS WE GO AND WE HAVE ONE OF OUR PROGRAM MANAGERS ON AS WELL, ROBERT BROWN, WHO'S DELIVERING PROGRAM ALL THE TIME
  • I WANTED TO GET BACK TO SOME OF OUR JOINT INNOVATION PROJECTS AND LARGE INITIATIVES THAT WE ARE HELPING TO FACILITATE
  • THESE ARE A FEW THAT ARE UNDERWAY
  • THESE ARE FUNCTIONING AND FUNDED JOINT INNOVATION PROJECTS WITH DOZENS IN THE PIPELINE FOR US TO SUPPORT, FIND FUTURE FUNDINGS, DO DESIGN CHARTS WITH OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS AROUND AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF SORT OF LARGE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES THAT WE ARE ENGAGED IN
  • AND YOU SEE THEY RANGE FROM BUILDING ZERO EMISSION FERRIES TO BUILDING A PRIVATE ENTERPRISE SCALE 5G NETWORK OVER THE TACOMA TIDE FLATS
  • WE'RE SUPPORTING THE COMING TOGETHER OF A UTILITY, A STARTUP, A NATIONAL LAB, AND ENGINEERING FIRMS AND MARITIME PROVIDERS TO PILOT NEW HYDROGEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DECARBONISING MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE
  • WE'VE BUILT PROGRAMS ALONG WITH UW, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, METRUCK AND EVALUATION AND DISCOVERY HEALTH JUST TO PROVIDE RESOURCES AND TOOLS FOR COVERED RESPONSE AND PROTECTION
  • SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY RANGE WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT EACH OF THESE, YOU SEE THE LOGOS THAT ARE THERE IS THE COMING TOGETHER OF A WHOLE VALUE CHAIN
  • IF SOME OF OUR PARTNERS GO OFF AND PUT TOGETHER A JOINT VENTURE AND GO DO COOL STUFF, GREAT
  • WE'RE THERE TO HELP CONNECT THEM AND MOVE THEM ALONG, WHERE IT'S HARD, WHERE IT'S TRICKY, WHERE YOU NEED TO LAYER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CAPITAL, WHERE YOU NEED TO BRING IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INTERESTS
  • THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN AND HAVE THE MECHANISMS AND TOOLS TO HELP FACILITATE THAT PROCESS
  • WE'RE ENGAGED IN LARGE INITIATIVES LIKE THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STATE'S GOALS TO BECOME A HYDROGEN HUB WITH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST HYDROGEN ASSOCIATION THAT WAS FORMED
  • WE'RE ENGAGED WITH THE PORT AND THE GREEN CORRIDORS PROGRAM AND LOTS OF OTHER NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE ENGAGED IN AND HELP PROVIDE SOME THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
  • NOT THAT WE'RE WELL, JENNIFER STATES IS OFTEN THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM ON THESE THINGS, BUT IT'S ALSO THAT WE PROVIDE THE SORT OF LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
  • IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE AN INITIATIVE TO GET DONE, YOU CAN USE A CLUSTER ORGANIZATION OR MECHANISMS TO HELP ACCELERATE AND DO IT IN A SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE FASHION
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING QUIET SOUND PROGRAM, ANOTHER INITIATIVE THAT THE PORT OF SEATTLE HELPED JUMPSTART AND BE SUPPORTIVE OF
  • WE WERE PARTICIPATING AS ONE OF THE EARLY COLLABORATORS TO DESIGN THE PUGET SOUND PROGRAM THAT CAME OUT OF THE GOVERNOR'S ORCHESTRAS FORCE AND THEN WE'RE ASKED BY THOSE PARTNERS TO BE THE HOLDER AND FACILITATOR OF THAT PROGRAM
  • IT HAS ESSENTIALLY ITS OWN LEADERSHIP AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND IT'S HELD WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION
  • SO WE STAFF AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AND CAPACITY TO THAT WORK AND ORGANIZATION
  • NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • AND AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, WE CONTINUE TO BE A PLACE WHERE OUR PARTNERS LARGE AND SMALL CAN COME TOGETHER TO ADVANCE BIG IDEAS AND BIG PROJECTS
  • WE WERE RECENTLY SUCCESSFUL IN BEING AWARDED A BUILD BACK BETTER PHASE ONE AWARD FROM THE US
  • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION AND THAT GAVE US THE ABILITY TO APPLY FOR PHASE TWO AND PUT THE BONES IN PLACE
  • AND WE'VE ASSEMBLED A GROUP OF PARTNERS FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON TO NORTH AND SOUTH OF WESTERN WASHINGTON, DEVELOPED A SERIES OF CAPITAL PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS, UPWARDS OF $50 MILLION OF PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS TO HELP ACCELERATE OUR BLUE ECONOMY
  • THIS IS PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON WHAT WE CALL GREEN ENERGY TO CHARGE THE BLUE ECONOMY EVERYTHING FROM THE PRODUCTION OF TO THE USE OF CLEAN FUELS AND HOW WE SUPPORT IT AND HOW WE DIGITIZE IT, AND EVERYTHING FROM OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS TO FOSTER A PIPELINE OF NEW PROJECTS IN THIS AREA
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • THE EARLIER POINTS
  • WE'RE NOT DOING THIS ALONE
  • WE'RE NOT SORT OF THE ONLY CRAZY AMBITIOUS CLUSTER ORGANIZATION ACROSS THE GLOBE DOING THIS WORK IN ANY GIVEN DAY
  • WE'RE PARTNERED AND THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE OF THOSE AROUND THE GLOBE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH AND ARE WORKING IN SIMILAR FASHION
  • SO WE WERE SORT OF ONE OF THE FIRST AND EARLY HERE IN NORTH AMERICA TO IDENTIFY THE BLUE ECONOMY AS A PARTICULAR SECTOR AND WHERE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WERE AND THEN TO DO IT THROUGH THIS CLUSTER ORGANIZING MECHANISM
  • AND WE'RE JOINED BY NOW HUNDREDS ACROSS THE GLOBE AND SUPPORT AS HIGH UP AS THE UN WITH THE MEETING THAT JUST TOOK PLACE IN LISBON LAST WEEK
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • WE CAN'T DO ANY OF THIS
  • I KNOW EARLY CONVERSATIONS AS WE WERE DEVELOPING MARITIME BLUE SORT OF AS A MECHANISM, AS AN ORGANIZATION
  • IT WAS JOSHUA SITTING IN FRONT OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSIONER AND MANY OTHERS SAYING HEY, WE'RE GOING TO BUILD THIS STRATEGY
  • HEY, WE CAN DO THIS WORK
  • IF WE JUST BROUGHT THE RIGHT FOLKS TOGETHER WE COULD START ACCELERATING
  • WE'VE JUST BEEN SO FORTUNATE IN THE SUPPORT AND CAPACITY AND THE INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP THAT NOW OUR GROWING TEAM HAS TO PROVIDE TO THIS WORK
  • WE OWE IT TO THEIR BRILLIANCE
  • AND LIKE I SAY, WE'RE OFTEN THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM
  • AND IT'S NOT ME, IT'S THESE OTHER ELEVEN FOLKS THAT ARE DOING THE WORK EVERY DAY
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • AND OF COURSE THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE ACROSS OUR BOARD AND MANY OTHERS IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT BOARD COMMITTEES AND ADVISORY COUNCILS AND VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE
  • WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY, CERTAINLY OF THE INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO THE BREADTH AND THE INPUT OF WHAT IS THE BLUE ECONOMY
  • WE HAVE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND NGOS AND DRIVES ALL ENGAGED IN THIS WORK
  • NEXT SLIDE PLEASE
  • AND AS AN ORGANIZATION WE CONTINUE TO GROW
  • OUR BOARD JUST PASSED, OUR FISCAL YEAR JUST ENDED AND STARTED A NEW ON THE SAME CYCLE AS THE STATE FROM JUNE TO JULY OR JULY TO JUNE RATHER
  • AND WE JUST PASSED OUR NEXT BUDGET AND
  • WE ARE GROWING AGAIN THIS YEAR
  • AND WHAT STARTED AS A SORT OF A HUMBLE SUPPORT FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE FROM SOME PROGRAMS AND OUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MATCHED BY SOME USCDA, WE'RE NOW SORT OF A GROWING AND THRIVING ORGANIZATION WITH THE OPERATIONAL CAPACITY OF JUST OVER $3 MILLION WITH OUR TWELVE STAFF DOING THIS WORK
  • AND WHAT WE RECOGNIZE ALWAYS IS THAT THERE'S ALWAYS SORT OF ROOM TO BOTH GROW AND MANAGE, RESPONSIBLY AND SUSTAINABLY AS WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS WORK
  • AND I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT FROM OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR STAFF THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT
  • AND I THINK THAT GIVES US THE GENERAL OVERVIEW
  • I WANTED TO TRY AND KEEP IT AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN ENGAGE IN QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATION AND GET YOUR INPUT
  • I'LL JUST END AGAIN WITH THE PORT OF SEATTLE
  • CERTAINLY THE COMMISSION AND STAFF HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS PART FROM THE EARLY IDEA OF WHAT THIS WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE TO THE LOGO WE WERE GOING TO USE TO THESE PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ALONG THE WAY
  • WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT LEADERSHIP, GRATEFUL FOR LEADERSHIP THAT THE PORT HAS TAKEN IN A COMMON APPROACH
  • I KNOW ONE OF THE EARLY MARITIME BREAKFAST OR ECONOMIC IMPACT BREAKFAST WE WOULD HAVE, I WOULD STAND UP THERE AND LOTS OF TEASES ABOUT, OH, JOSHUA HAS THE BLUES AGAIN
  • THIS IS A CLUSTER WHAT YEARS AGO, AND I JUST REMARKED, BOTH COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA AND DIRECTOR METRUCK STOOD UP AT OUR LAST MARITIME BREAKFAST
  • AND THE TOPIC FROM ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, EVERYBODY WHO SAT AT THE TABLE AND ALL THOSE THAT WERE SORT OF RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN THIS SECTOR ARE TALKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION AND EQUITY
  • SO WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA, WE HAMDI SORT OF ENVISIONED WHAT THIS COULD BE
  • I HAD NO IDEA WE WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT AS MUCH AS WE HAVE IN THE LAST THREE NOW PLUS YEARS
  • BUT HERE WE STAND AND WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK HUMBLY AND GRACIOUSLY
  • SO I'LL END THERE
  • THANK YOU JOSHUA, AND THANK YOU JOSH AND VISA AS WELL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PRESENTATION
  • I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN, OUR BOARD MEMBER EXISTIO TO START OFF THE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
  • MY EXISTING STATUS IS THAT I'M A NON VOTING MEMBER
  • SO GIVEN THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED FUNDING TO THE ORGANIZATION, I CAN JUST SPEAK TO ITS MERITS AND GROWING ENTHUSIASM IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY
  • AND I'M GREATLY APPRECIATIVE OF HAVING THE BENEFIT OF WATCHING IT GROW OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND SEEING HOW IT REALLY FITS INTO THE BROADER MARITIME INNOVATION EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING ON AROUND THE WORLD
  • AND SO I'M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEM AS AN ANCHOR TENANT AT THE INNOVATION CENTER OR REMODELED FISHERY SUPPLY BUILDING, SHIP SUPPLY BUILDING
  • AND CURRENTLY THERE ARE TENANTS OF OURS OVER THERE ABOVE THE HIGHLINER PUB, WHICH IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS AT FISHERMAN'S TERMINAL
  • SO I JUST REALLY WOULD SAY THAT HAVING SEEN THE DIFFERENT PARTICIPANTS THAT HAVE COME TO BE PART OF THE INNOVATOR PROGRAM INNOVATION PROGRAM, THE ACCELERATORS, IT'S REALLY QUITE INSPIRING
  • AND TO SEE THE SOURCE OF TALENT THAT'S OUT THERE, THIS LATENT CAPABILITY, GIVEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES THAT ARE FACING OUR PLANET AND THE OCEAN IN PARTICULAR
  • I'M A LITTLE LESS IN DESPAIR, HAVING SEEN THE FACT THAT THERE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE ACTUALLY MAKING REAL PROGRESS TO THAT END AND THE FACT THAT THE PORT COULD BE PART OF THIS INSPIRATION TO HELP NURTURE THESE ORGANIZATIONS AROUND
  • IT'S A LOT LIKE THE EFFORT WE HEARD ABOUT EARLIER TODAY, BUT WITH A REAL FOCUS ON THE MARATHON
  • I SEE THIS IS WHERE THERE'S REAL GROWTH POTENTIAL
  • AND I APPRECIATE THE ABILITY FOR JOSH TO PUT TOGETHER SUCH A STRONG TEAM TO CONTINUE MAKING HEADWAY ON THAT END
  • SO THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? HI, COMMISSIONER
  • HOW'S IT GOING? I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS HOW EXCITING AND CONSEQUENTIAL THE WORK THAT MARITIME BLUE IS DOING
  • AND IT HAS BEEN SUCH A PRIVILEGE AND A JOY AS A COMMISSIONER CHO BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARITIME BLUE
  • AND IT HAS BEEN REALLY, I THINK, A CONSEQUENTIAL MODEL FOR US TO SEE THE WAY THAT YOU ARE APPROACHING TRANSFORMING THE MARITIME INDUSTRY WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTANDING THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY
  • ALL THE COMPONENTS ARE THERE
  • AND SO I AM JUST HERE TO UPLIFT AND CELEBRATE AND RESOURCE THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING IN SUCH A MEANINGFUL AND INTENTIONAL WAY
  • I ALSO DIDN'T REALIZE THAT ORCA RECOVERY WAS PART OF WHAT YOU CONTRIBUTE TO
  • AND I SAW TODAY THAT THE KPOD AFFIRMATIVELY HAS ITS NEWEST MEMBER, THE FIRST MEMBER BORN INTO THE POD IN OVER A DECADE
  • AND SO THAT'S JUST ALSO A MOMENT FOR CELEBRATION
  • I'M WONDERING, JOSHUA, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE MARITIME INDUSTRY, I SORT OF THINK ABOUT IT AS CRUISE SHIPS, CARGO SHIPS, FISHING AND RECREATION
  • AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO SORT OF WORK WITH THE INDUSTRY PLAYERS AND INVOLVING THEIR OPERATIONS
  • I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ONE THAT YOU THINK YOUR WORK TOUCHES THE MOST OR IF YOU THINK THAT THERE'S A SPECIFIC NUT THAT'S PARTICULARLY HARD TO CRACK OR LESSONS LEARNED THAT CAN BE TAKEN AND APPLY TO OTHER PLACES
  • WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION
  • I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT FOR A DECADE
  • WE CALL IT THE BLUE ECONOMY, WHICH TO ME, LOTS OF PEOPLE KIND OF SLICE AND DICE BLUE MARITIME OCEAN IN DIFFERENT WAYS
  • WE DEFINE THE BLUE ECONOMY BY GROWING WHAT WE CALL MARITIME AND OCEAN JOBS, THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING SORT OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND SUPPORTING HEALTHY MARINE AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
  • AND SO THAT TYPICAL THREE LAYERS OF SUSTAINABILITY OVERLAID OVER THIS MARITIME AND OCEAN SPACE
  • WE CALL IT THE BLUE ECONOMY THAT ENCOMPASSES IN OUR REGION EVERYTHING FROM OFFSHORE MARINE ENERGY TO MARI-CULTURE, ALGAE AND KELP, OCEAN DATA COLLECTION, IOT DEVICES FOR PORTS AND INNOVATION, FUELS OF THE FUTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PORTS AND TRUCKING AND THE LIKE
  • SO IT'S AMBITIOUS AND BROAD, BUT THEY'RE ALL QUITE INTERCONNECTED
  • DO WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN PARTICULAR AREAS HERE? YES, MARITIME DECARBONIZATION AND ELECTRIFICATION IS A HUGE PART OF THAT WITH OUR SHIFT BUILDING COMMUNITY AND SORT OF THE COMMITMENTS BY OUR OPERATORS AND PORTS TO MOVE THAT QUICKLY
  • CERTAINLY WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN OFFSHORE MARINE ENERGY
  • WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY DEVELOPING AS FAST AS OTHERS, BUT WE'RE DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE AND KNOW HOW IN THIS REGION
  • AND THE OTHER THING, AND OF COURSE, SUSTAINABLE FISHING AND SEAFOOD PROCESSING, BIG PARTS OF THAT
  • WE START TO LAYER OVER THE EXPERTISE WE HAVE IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IN THIS REGION, FROM AEROSPACE ACROSS THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AND OF COURSE, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
  • AND SO FOR ME, WE HAVE SOME PARTICULAR AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND WE SHOP THOSE AROUND TO STARTUPS AND INVESTORS AND SAY, COME HERE, BECAUSE WE HAVE GREAT MENTORS AND COMPANIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEMONSTRATION AND PILOT PROJECTS
  • BUT THE EXCITING PART OF IT IS THE INTERCONNECTION WHERE THERE ARE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY THAT'S BEING USED IN OCEAN DATA COLLECTION THAT IS GOING TO BE PIVOTAL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND DECARBONISING MARITIME OPERATIONS
  • AND THOSE TECHNOLOGIES HAVEN'T CROSSED OVER THOSE SECTORS QUITE YET, BUT THEY'RE READY TO OR THE EXPERTISE IN IOT DEVICES AND MACHINE LEARNING THAT CAN OVERLAY INTO ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT OPERATIONS AND MANUFACTURING HERE
  • SO IT'S THE INTERCONNECTIONS OF THOSE VARIOUS SECTORS THAT I THINK WE HAVE PARTICULAR EXPERTISE IN TO HELP BRING TOGETHER
  • NO, I JUST ALSO WANT TO INCLUDE THE SENTIMENTS THAT I'M VERY EXCITED BY ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING
  • IN PARTICULAR, I WANT TO CALL OUT THE ONE OCEAN EXCEL PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, JOSH, THAT I'VE BEEN VERY ENGAGED ON THAT ONE AND HELPING YOU FIND GOOD PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE OCEANS
  • AND SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE THE FRUITS OF THAT LABOR AND TO CONTRIBUTE IN ANY WAY ON THAT FRONT
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • I ALSO JUST WANT TO ECHO THE WORDS OF THE PREVIOUS COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE SPOKEN
  • YOU GUYS ARE OBVIOUSLY LEADING THE WAY WHEN IT COMES TO MARITIME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
  • AND SO I COMMEND THE WORK THAT IS HAPPENING AT MARITIME BLUE
  • MY QUESTION IS, HOW HAS THE COLLABORATIVE WORK HAPPENED WITH THE PORT OF SEATTLE'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES? AND I'M KIND OF THINKING ABOUT THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, COUNCIL
  • AND SO WHAT IS SOME OF THAT REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP LOOK LIKE FOR YOU ALL? YEAH, I COULD SPEAK TO QUITE A BIT ABOUT THAT
  • I MAY TURN IT OVER TO VISA A LITTLE BIT TOO
  • SHE'S WORKING IN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS EVERY DAY
  • AND THEN I COULD ROUND OUT A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW
  • YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THOSE VARIOUS PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE WORKFORCE SYSTEM? YES
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED, FOR THAT QUESTION
  • WE DEFINITELY ARE WORKING IN TANDEM WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS, SPECIFICALLY WITH ANNE AVERY
  • SHE IS THE CAREER CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM INTERMEDIARY LEADER, AND SHE IS PUTTING TOGETHER THESE MONTHLY MEETINGS TO CONVENE AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE RESOURCES AND SCALE REGION WIDE
  • AND THEN WE'RE ALSO MEETING MONTHLY WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE CITY OF SEATTLE AND THE I KNOW THE ACRONYM, I JUST REMEMBER THE NAME OFFHAND, BUT IT'S AN OFFSHOOT OF A PILOT PROGRAM THAT THEY CREATED TOO, AS WELL
  • AND IT'S A MIX OF PROGRAM PROVIDERS, TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ALSO MEETING ON A MONTHLY BASIS TO TALK ABOUT RESOURCES FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
  • SO WITH CCW AND AVERY AND ALSO WITH I THINK IT'S CCLIA, WHICH IS CONVENIENT ON A MONTHLY BASIS AS WELL, ALONG WITH THE KING COUNTY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
  • THE UPCOMING ROUNDTABLES WITH INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL CONNECTED TO AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER ON LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND COMING UP WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS
  • GREAT
  • THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER
  • THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL TO JUST UNDERSTAND
  • ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO SEE MAYBE IF YOU GUYS COULD ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF YOUR RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH STRATEGIES IN SOME OF OUR LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES, BIPOC COMMUNITIES
  • THERE'S A HUGE EMPHASIS, EVEN FOR THE PORT OF SEATTLE, AROUND THIS CAREER LAUNCH PROGRAMS THERE'S A NUMBER OF PILOT PROGRAMS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND THERE IS A LOT OF EMPHASIS TODAY ON EQUITY AND REACHING OUT TO COMMUNITIES IN PLACES LIKE SOUTH KING COUNTY
  • HOW HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN ABLE TO REACH THOSE COMMUNITIES? IS THERE STRATEGIES AROUND THAT? YEAH, ALAN VISA AND ROBERT TALKED ABOUT THE SPECIFICS WE'VE BEEN REALLY FORTUNATE TO PROVIDE
  • THE YMC WAS DESIGNED AROUND HOW WE BRING TOGETHER IN ORDER TO CREATE HELP AND SUPPORT PATHWAYS, PARTICULARLY FOR YOUTH OF COLOR AND YOUNG WOMEN INTO THE INDUSTRY
  • WE WERE SUPPORTED WITH THE SOUTH KING COUNTY FUND
  • ROUND ONE
  • WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTED AGAIN BY ROUND TWO, CONTINUE THAT PROCESS INTO OUR PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS AND ARE CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD AND HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE PORT AND THE NEW CAREER CONNECT PROGRAM AS WELL THROUGH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS
  • BUT I'LL LET LISA AND ROBERT TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
  • SO I'LL TALK BRIEFLY AND THEN I'LL SHOOT THIS OVER TO ROBERT BECAUSE HE'S ACTUALLY DOING AMAZING WORK ON THE GROUND IN THE COMMUNITY
  • BUT AS EQUITY FOCUSED OBJECTIVES THAT WE LEAD WITH IS THAT WE KNOW THAT THE WORK IS DIFFICULT AND WE LEAD WITH THAT CHALLENGE
  • WE DON'T WANT TO CHECK THE BOX AND WE DON'T WANT TO JUST FIND NUMBERS
  • AND WITH THAT, WE BELIEVE THAT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, TRUST BUILDING, AND HAVING OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS REALLY HELP US TO LEARN WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE
  • AND SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND LET ROBERT SPEAK ON SOME OF OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN OUR ENROLLMENT AND GET YOUNG PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS THANK YOU
  • RISA HELLO, EVERYONE
  • ROBERT BROWN, PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE AND I WANT TO SAY IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE AND TO HEAR EVERYONE SPEAK BEFORE ME
  • SO, AYES, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, OBVIOUSLY WE GO THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOLS, COUNSELORS, PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY CONNECTED WITH STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED AREAS, RIGHT? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK HAS BEEN A METHOD THAT HAS BEEN USED AND OVERLAPPED
  • HOWEVER, AND ME PERSONALLY, I GO INTO THE COMMUNITIES, INTO WHERE THESE CONVERSATIONS HISTORICALLY JUST HAVEN'T TAKEN PLACE, RIGHT? SO WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF OUR YOUTH THAT WE ATTEND AND WE TAKE IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE IN SPOTS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT DON'T REALLY GET A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OR CAREER PATHWAY DIALOGUE GOING, RIGHT? SO THAT CAN BE ANYWHERE, JUST IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AT SPORTING EVENTS, AT REGIONAL PICNICS AND POTLUCKS, RIGHT? AT VERY INNER CITY, ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH KING COUNTY CULTURAL EVENTS, THAT THERE'S A PARTNERSHIP, THERE'S CAMARADERIE, THERE'S TRUST AND THERE IS A KIND OF PROMISE IN ALL OF THESE AREAS
  • BUT WHETHER IT'S NOT IS THERE'S NOT THE DIALOGUE AND THERE'S NOT THE BRIDGE OF SOMEONE WHO CAN ACT AS THE LIAISON TO SHOWING STUDENTS WHAT THE PROMISE IS
  • I GO AROUND TO COMMUNITIES AND I HEARD IT'S NOT EVERY DOOR YOU SHOULD KNOCK ON, BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW WHICH DOORS TO KNOCK ON
  • RIGHT? AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE STRIVE TO ACCOMPLISH UNTIL THERE IS A WHOLESOME MOTIVATION FOR YOUTH IN THESE UNDERSERVED DEMOGRAPHICS TO COME OUT AND LEARN ABOUT JOBS IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
  • IT REALLY IS SINGULARLY HANDED UP TO ME TO GO AND USE DIVERSE GRASSROOTS MECHANISMS AND RECRUITMENT EFFORTS TO SUPPLY THESE YOUTH WITH AN INTERNSHIP, BUT ALSO GIVE THEM THAT RETENTIVE DESIRE TO COME BACK AND EVENTUALLY PLACED IN A JOB
  • MOST OF THE YOUTH ARE LACKING THE VISION ORIGINALLY FROM THE TIME THAT THEY ARE JUST FIGURING OUT WHAT KIND OF CAREER THEY WANT TO GO INTO OR WHAT THEY WANT TO DO
  • AND SO I THINK HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN SPOTS WHERE HISTORICALLY IT JUST HASN'T BEEN COOL OR IT HASN'T BEEN REGULARLY TALKED ABOUT, HAS BEEN A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO GETTING STUDENTS ONTO THE PROGRAMS, LEARNING ABOUT THE PROGRAMS ONTO THE BOAT
  • WE HAD A COLLECTIVE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS IN OUR SPRING BREAK PROGRAM ON THE SCHOONER ADVENTURES THAT WAS HELD, I BELIEVE APRIL 4 TO THE 8TH
  • AND A LOT OF THE STUDENTS WERE IN RAMADAN, RIGHT? AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD THAT PARTNERSHIP, BUILT THE TRUST WITH THE STUDENTS AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THEM PRAY AT A SPECIFIC TIME ON TUNER ADVENTUROUS AND MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN SEE I CAN COME INTO THIS COMMUNITY WITH MY RELIGION, WITH MY CULTURE AND IT STILL BE A VIABLE PATHWAY FOR ME AND SO LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT, RIGHT? I CAN GO ON AND ON
  • BUT IT'S HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT MAY HAVE JUST NOT, GENERALLY SPEAKING, HISTORICALLY BEEN BROUGHT UP TO THE YOUTH AND MAKING IT OKAY TO BRING THEIR DIFFERENCES INTO THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AND STILL BE ON THAT ACCELERATING COURSE TO FINDING A JOB AND IN A CAREER AND FEELING THAT SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS
  • THANK YOU, ROBERT
  • GREAT
  • THANK YOU, ROBERT, FOR THAT EXCELLENT ANSWER
  • I'LL JUST SAY JOSHUA AND ROBERT AND THE REST OF THE MARITIME BLUE TEAM
  • I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE A VERY UNIQUE SORT OF ROLE THAT YOU CAN PLAY TO NOT ONLY BUILD PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRIES
  • BUT I ALSO THINK EVEN JUST ORGANIZATIONS IN PLACES LIKE IN SOUTH KING COUNTY
  • I THINK WE NEED MORE ROBERT BROWNS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT UNDERSTAND THE INDUSTRY WELL AND ALSO KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS WITH INDUSTRY THAT SO MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE A HARD TIME BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH
  • THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME REAL EMPHASIS ON CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND SHARING, RIGHT
  • MAKING SURE THAT THAT INFORMATION IS ACTUALLY REACHING COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN PLACES LIKE SALT KING COUNTY
  • SO I THINK YOU GUYS ARE LEADING THE WAY AND CAN DO A LOT MORE AS WELL
  • AND I JUST LOOK FORWARD TO HELPING YOU GUYS EXPAND IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN AS COMMISSIONER
  • AND SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND THIS PRESENTATION TODAY
  • THANK YOU
  • I APPRECIATE IT
  • I GUESS ONE THING I MIGHT NOTE AND ADD QUICKLY IS HAVING SORT OF BEEN THINKING ABOUT MARITIME WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE SILVER TSUNAMI FOR MORE THAN A DECADE
  • WE KNEW A DECADE AGO THAT THIS WAS COMING AND WE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH AND THEN THE PANDEMIC AYE
  • AND WE LITERALLY CANNOT RUN OUR FERRIES, RIGHT? AND SO NOW WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT OFTEN SORT OF THE CASE IS
  • WELL
  • WE NEED 100 YOUTH IN JOBS RIGHT NOW AND WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO TO BUILD THE TRUST TO FIND AND TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITIES AND WITH THOSE 100 YOUTH THAT THEY'RE GOING TO TRUST TO GET INTO A VAN WITH ROBERT AND DRIVE TO THE NORTH SIDE AND GET ON A BOAT FOR THREE DAYS OR FOR 3 HOURS
  • SO THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO DO THERE AND WE HAVE TO ACCELERATE AT THE SAME TIME AND BRING OUR MARITIME EMPLOYERS RIGHT ALONG WITH US TO DO THAT
  • AND SO WE'RE COMMITTED TO DO SOME OF THAT HARD WORK
  • JUST LASTLY, I'LL JUST BE QUICKLY TO YOUR POINT AROUND THAT IT IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE THINKING REALLY DEEPLY AROUND MAKING INVESTMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHERE IT'S JUST NOT EVEN ABOUT THE FUNDING
  • IT'S NOT A LACK OF FUNDING, IT'S ACTUALLY THIS DISTRUST WITH THE INDUSTRY AND NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T WANT MARITIME JOBS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT
  • AND IT'S SUCH AN UPHILL BATTLE THAT IT'S NOT EVEN THE FUNDING, IT'S THE IDEA OF EVEN WHERE DO I START? AND EVEN FOR ORGANIZATIONS WHO WORK ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WHO SERVE HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES, IT'S NOT THE FACT THAT THEY LACK THE FUNDING OR THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT WORK
  • IT'S LIKE NOT EVEN KNOWING WHERE TO BEGIN BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY IN ITSELF IS VERY COMPLEX, WHICH IS WHY I OFTEN TALK ABOUT HAVING DEDICATED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES AND EVEN STAFFING TO SUPPORT THESE IDEAS THAT WE'RE PUSHING FORWARD
  • BUT IT'S NOT EASY
  • IT'S SORT OF AN UPHILL THING
  • SO I JUST WANTED TO GET OFF MY SOAPBOX WITH THAT
  • THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU
  • BURIEN HAS AYE
  • VERY GREAT EXPERIENCE TO SHARE WITH US
  • CAN I HAVE ONE MORE CRACK AT THIS? COMMISSIONER CALKINS
  • SURE
  • LET'S KEEP IT BRIEF
  • YEAH
  • I THINK THE FAILURE OF THE SEATTLE MARATHON ACADEMY OR ITS CHALLENGES IS VERY INDICATIVE OF THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE PIPELINE FEEDING THE INSTITUTIONS THAT ACTUALLY CAN PROVIDE THE CERTIFICATION TO CREATE THE HIGH PAYING JOBS
  • AND I SEE THAT AS LIKE I'M HOPING THAT ALL THESE MARITIME PROGRAMS ARE BRINGING KIDS THROUGH SUCH AN INSTITUTION AS A SHOW AND TELL
  • AND I KEEP ON SAYING THE BEST VIDEO GAME I EVER PLAYED WAS A SIMULATOR, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE IT'S NOT GOING TO LIGHT THE LIGHTS UP OF KIDS WHO OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT EXPOSURE
  • AND THEN SIMILARLY WELL, I'M VERY MUCH, AS EVERYBODY IS IMPRESSED BY THE ENTHUSIASM AROUND MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL
  • BY THE TIME SOMEBODY WANTS TO TAKE A WHOLE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS, YOU'VE ALREADY GOT THEM
  • I AM INTRIGUED BY THIS IDEA OF HAVING BEING ABLE TO TAKE AN ELECTIVE IN SHOP CLASS TO SORT OF WET THE APPETITE OF SOMEBODY WHO THEN MIGHT WANT TO GO AND TAKE A SUMMER PROGRAM OR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
  • WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RECENTLY EXPANDED POOR PLUS PROGRAM THAT DOES THIS SORT OF TOUCHING THE TOE INTO THE WATER? YEAH, I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION
  • I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD THAT YOU RAISED UP
  • MY QUESTION IS TO JOSHUA, SO CAN WE STICK TO THAT? I THINK CORPUS IS A REALLY BIG TOPIC UNLESS IT'S PART OF YOUR PROGRAM PORTFOLIO
  • I THINK WE SHOULD I WANT TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THIS AS WELL
  • CALL ROLL SAY IS THAT IT'S MARITIME COLLABORATIVE? ARE THEY GETTING KIDS FROM THIS? I JUST NEED THIS CONNECTING THESE DOTS, AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE ROLE OF THE YOUTH
  • MARITIME COLLABORATIVE IS TO BRING TOGETHER CORE PLUS AND THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MARITIME ACADEMY AND COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND THE WDCS AND HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN CONVENE AND PLAN WHAT IT IS THAT APPROPRIATE PATHWAYS AND PIPELINES MIGHT BE
  • AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO GO OUT AND FUND THEM RIGHT
  • AND DO THAT WORK FOR SURE
  • BUT THAT'S WHAT WE DO, IS THAT CONNECTIVE TISSUE ACROSS THOSE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS SO MY COMMENT WAS SIMILARLY RELATED
  • FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THAT I'M TRULY IMPRESSED BY WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN THREE YEARS
  • I'M SO IMPRESSED THAT I'M ACTUALLY LEADING UP ONE OF THE NEW INNOVATION CLUSTERS THAT'S BEING MODELED AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE
  • SO FOR FOLKS AT AN EAGLE EYE, YOU'LL SEE THE LOGO OF THE ORGANIZATION
  • THAT IS MY DAY JOB INCLUDED IN THAT BECAUSE THESE INNOVATION CLUSTER PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ALL WORK TOGETHER ON LOTS OF STUFF
  • AND I WILL SAY THAT JOSHUA AND AYE
  • TEAM ARE OFTEN HELD UP AS MODELS FOR THE REST OF US TO SAY, THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT
  • AND I DON'T KNOW HOW OFTEN I CITE JOSHUA IN AYE
  • WORK
  • THAT THE NOTION OF THE QUADRUPLE HELIX, THIS IDEA OF BRINGING IN THE PRIVATE RESEARCH, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, SO TRULY A BENEFIT FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON TO HAVE WASHINGTON MARITIME BLUE HERE
  • AND I'M THRILLED THAT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF GOVERNMENT WORK THAT CAME OUT OF COMMERCE IN PORT OF SEATTLE THAT WE THEN VERY CONSCIENTIOUSLY SPUN OFF TO BE ABLE TO GO AND BE AGILE AND THRIVE
  • AND YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY THEN FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH A FUNDING MODEL THAT'S REALLY WORKING
  • SO KUDOS TO YOU ON THAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIECE
  • I FEEL LIKE WE'RE LIVING ONE OF AESOPS FABLES AND I FORGET EXACTLY WHICH ONE IT IS, BUT THERE'S ONE WHERE THERE'S A SQUIRREL THAT DOESN'T PUT AWAY ENOUGH NUTS FOR WINTER, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WINTER COMES AND THEY AREN'T PREPARED, AND HE GOES LOOKING FOR OTHERS WHO CAN SUPPORT AYE.
  • AND HERE WE ARE, WE'RE IN THE SORT OF WINTER OF WORKFORCE FOR OUR FERRY SYSTEMS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF MARITIME
  • AND IF WE HAD JUST LISTENED TO THE WISDOM AND COUNSEL OF FOLKS TEN YEARS AGO, LIKE JOSHUA SAYING WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI, AND I SEE IT
  • WE'VE HAD A CRISIS AT SEATTLE MARITIME ACADEMY BECAUSE OF THE CHALLENGE IN RECRUITING AND A PANDEMIC TO THESE POST HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY JOBS AVAILABLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE EXACERBATING IT
  • AND ALSO THE VISIBILITY ISSUE
  • GO BACK ONE STEP IN THE STREAM OF POTENTIAL WORKFORCE TO MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL WHERE WE'RE SAYING, GIVE US A COUPLE OF YEARS AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE RECRUITS COMING OUT OF MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL, ARE GOING TO BE INTERESTED IN MARITIME ACADEMY, BUT WE'RE STILL A COUPLE OF YEARS AWAY FROM GRADUATES
  • AND WE HAD DISCUSSIONS EARLY ON ABOUT MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IF WE AREN'T DOING AWARENESS PROGRAMS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS AND THE AFTER SCHOOL AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS SO THAT BY THE TIME THEY GET TO 8TH GRADE AND THEY'RE MAKING A CHOICE ABOUT WHERE I'M GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL
  • IT'LL BE AN OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR THEM TO GO TO A SCHOOL LIKE THAT
  • SO, YEAH, SEEING THAT WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AS AN UMBRELLA WITH YOUTH MARITIME COLLABORATIVE TO BE THAT CONNECTIVE TISSUE, I THINK IS I JUST WISH IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TEN YEARS AGO
  • SO THANK YOU FOR THAT
  • AND THEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • FEW WORDS
  • THANKS, COMMISSIONER
  • I JUST WANTED TO REFLECT JOSHUA, WHEN WE GO BACK, WE HAMDI THOSE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE FIRST MOU AND THE STANDARD FOR THAT RELATIONSHIP
  • I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED WHERE YOU WOULD BE TODAY
  • AND I THINK THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT THOUGH, OF LOOKING WE TALKED ABOUT BUILDING A PIE THAT THEN WOULD GROW IN OUR PIECE, EVEN THOUGH SUBSTANTIAL INITIALLY WOULD BECOME A SMALLER AND SMALLER PIECE OF THAT GROWING PIE
  • AND HERE WE ARE
  • SO THAT'S WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
  • SO I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IT'S THE WAY WE ENVISIONED IT, BUT IT'S GONE BEYOND THAT
  • AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS, TOO, IS THAT IN WAYS NOT ANTICIPATED TOO
  • SO I'M JUST GOING TO PUT OUT THERE TO THE COMMISSIONER, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE MOU OF WHERE YOU ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE FUTURE AND LOOK AT THAT MOU AND THE RELATIONSHIP, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN WHERE THE WAY IT'S DEVELOPED THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT
  • AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT
  • AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED TO AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AND BRING BACK TO THE COMMISSIONER CHO CONSIDER
  • AND I THINK THE OTHER BIG THING IS THAT WE'RE ALL, ESPECIALLY IN THESE AREAS, WHETHER IT BE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON UNITY OF EFFORT
  • A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE
  • I GOT SOME NOTES I TOOK DOWN HERE AND I THINK OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONER TOO, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ROLLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION
  • AND BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, WE JUST NEED THE COHERENCE OF THAT WOULD BE REALLY SOMETHING FOR ME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THAT
  • SO I THINK THAT REALLY HELPS US
  • BUT I THINK THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE ARTICULATED MOVING FORWARD ARE REALLY EXCITING FOR ALL OF US AND THAT WE'RE ALL MOVING IN WE'RE SYMPATICO AND MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION ON THAT FOR SURE
  • BUT ANYWAY, I JUST WANT TO GIVE MY PERSONAL THANKS FOR THAT RELATIONSHIP GOING WITH THAT AND THEN ESPECIALLY COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN IN THAT INVOLVEMENT AND DAVE MCFADDEN AND AYE
  • TEAM AS WELL AS WORKING ON THAT AS WELL
  • SO CONGRATULATIONS
  • AND I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE GOING FROM HERE
  • THANK YOU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • THANK YOU, JOSHUA
  • AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR FINAL PRESENTATION FOR THE DAY
  • CLARK, CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM INTO THE RECORD AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK ON INTRODUCTION
  • YES
  • THANK YOU
  • THIS IS AGENDA ITEM ELEVEN B BRINGING ACCESS EQUITY TO THE PORT WEBSITE
  • HI, COMMISSIONER
  • THANK YOU
  • I'M KATHY ROEDER, THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, AND I HAVE A REAL PLEASURE TODAY TO PRESENT WORK DONE BY OTHER PEOPLE AND I'M VERY PROUD OF IT
  • AND I REALLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE KATHY SWIFT, WHO HAS BEEN THE LEADER ON MY TEAM DOING THIS WORK, ALONG WITH LAURA SMITHA, AND A LOT OF GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMISSION OFFICE, WHICH YOU'LL SEE DURING THE PRESENTATION, AND ALSO OUR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY TEAM, WHICH HAS TO IMPLEMENT A LOT OF THE CODING CHANGES THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT
  • AND THEN THERE ARE ABOUT 20 OTHER FOLKS AROUND THE PORT WHO HELP US MAINTAIN OUR WEBSITE AND THEY ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING THEIR OWN PAGES AND WE ARE TRAINING THEM TO MAKE SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS
  • WE'LL TALK ABOUT JUST A FEW THINGS THAT I DO WANT YOU TO TAKE AWAY FROM TODAY
  • I'LL SAY THIS AND YOU'LL HEAR ME REPEAT THEM A FEW TIMES
  • WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE MAKING AND HOW THE WEBSITE WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN THE FUTURE
  • SOME WILL BE SUBTLE, BUT THEY'RE IMPORTANT, SO WE WANT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THEM
  • ALSO WANT YOU AND THE PUBLIC AND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES TO HEAR THAT THIS IS PART OF A PORT WIDE CULTURE CHANGE THAT PUTS EQUITY AND ACCESS FIRST
  • AND IT'S A BIG SHIFT TO THINK ABOUT NOT JUST HOW DOES IT LOOK, BUT HOW DOES IT GET USED AND HOW TO DO THAT FROM AN ACCESS PERSPECTIVE
  • BOTH ADA ACCESSIBILITY, BUT ALSO LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY, BEING CLEAR, BEING CONCISE, HAVING SIMPLE DESIGN, SO THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF THIS
  • AND ALSO JUST UNDERSTANDING OUR APPROACH, WHICH IS THAT ACCESS BENEFITS EVERYONE
  • WE ALL BENEFIT FROM CLEAR DESIGN, SIMPLE WRITING, WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK YOU NEED ASSISTANCE
  • SO THAT'S THE INTRO AND IT'S A BRIEFING
  • THAT ACTION
  • YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN THE ACTION BY APPROVING OUR 2022 BUDGET, WHICH FUNDED THE PEOPLE AND SOFTWARE THAT MAKES THESE CHANGES
  • AND THERE WILL BE ACTION ITEMS, THERE WILL BE BUDGET FOR MORE
  • SO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE
  • ON JULY 26, WE WILL CELEBRATE THE 32ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
  • THE PORT WILL CELEBRATE MARK THIS MOMENT WITH ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH ARE REALLY POPULAR WITH TRAVELERS, SOCIAL MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG POSTS
  • WE HAVE MOSTLY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS BEEN FOCUSING ON BUILT ENVIRONMENT
  • BUT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN OUR PRESENTATION TODAY IS THAT FOR THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS WE'VE BEEN REALLY INCREASING OUR EMPHASIS ON DIGITAL ACCESS
  • AND SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MICHELLE TO START THERE
  • ACTUALLY, I'M GOING TO DO ONE MORE AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO MICHELLE
  • SO ON THIS PAGE YOU SEE JUST A COUPLE OF BULLETS ON THE REASONS WHY SOMEONE MIGHT NEED ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES AND THE TOOLS THAT THEY WOULD USE
  • IN A LATER SLIDE, MICHELLE IS GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT THOSE ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE
  • SO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF THE USER EXPERIENCE
  • BUT I DID MENTION THIS BEFORE THAT WHAT WAS A REALLY BIG INSIGHT FOR ME AS OUR TEAM WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS WAS FOCUSING ON COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, WHICH HADN'T REALLY OCCURRED TO ME AS A DISABILITY ISSUE THAT OUR TEAM SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT
  • BUT THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY IN BOTH THE TOPICS THAT WE ADDRESS AND ALSO IN HOW WE PRESENT THEM IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK OVERALL OUR ORGANIZATION REALLY NEEDS TO BE COGNITIVE OF
  • AND THERE'S A LOT
  • OF DIFFERENT COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS THAT BEING MORE CLEARER AND EASIER TO UNDERSTAND WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR US
  • SO NOW I'LL HAND OFF TO MICHELLE
  • THANKS, CATHY
  • FOR THE RECORD, MICHELLE HART, COMMISSION CLERK
  • CATHY, I'LL SPEAK WITH YOU FURTHER IN A FEW MINUTES ABOUT THE SECOND ELEMENT OF THE REPORT TODAY, WHICH IS ACCESSIBILITY REVIEW OF THE MAIN PORTS WEBSITE
  • THE COMMISSION MEETING PORTAL IS A THIRD PARTY HOSTED SITE IN USE BY THE PORT FOR MANY YEARS
  • AND IT'S THE FIRST ELEMENT OF THE REPORT THAT WE'LL DISCUSS WITH YOU HERE TODAY
  • THE ENHANCEMENTS TO THE SITE WILL SHOW YOU THE ENHANCEMENTS TO THE SITE THAT WE WILL SHOW YOU TODAY HAVE BEEN A WORK IN PROGRESS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND THEY PROVIDE ACCESS AND FUNCTIONALITY THAT NEVER EXISTED BEFORE
  • SO IN ADDITION TO ADA ACCESSIBILITY, YOU'LL ALSO SEE NEW FEATURES AND SITE FUNCTIONALITY FOR THE COMMISSIONER MEETINGS PORTAL, LIKE LANGUAGE, TRANSLATION OF COMMISSION MEETING DOCUMENTS AND VIDEO TRANSCRIPTS, AS WELL AS VIDEO CLIPPING AND SHARING FUNCTIONALITY, WHICH I'VE ACTUALLY USED SEVERAL TIMES NOW MYSELF
  • IT'S PRETTY COOL
  • THE SLIDE THREE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE SHOWS A LISTING OF DISABILITIES AND ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES TO PROVIDE ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES
  • LIKE CATHY DISCUSSED
  • THESE ARE IN FOCUS WITH THIS PROJECT, BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL LOOK LIKE AND HOW DOES IT FEEL TO NEED AND TO HAVE TO USE THESE TOOLS AND THEN TO EITHER HAVE THEM AVAILABLE TO YOU OR TO NOT HAVE THEM AVAILABLE TO YOU? SO WHEN WE GO TO SLIDE FOUR I'M SORRY, THAT'S MY PHONE
  • THANK YOU, AUBREE
  • SLIDE FOUR THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS ACTUALLY THE HOMEPAGE FOR THE COMMISSION'S MEETING PORTAL
  • AND I KNOW THAT IT'S REALLY SMALL UP THERE ON THE SCREEN
  • IT HAS A LOT OF TEXT
  • THE SITE IS VERY TEXT HEAVY
  • AND WE WILL PLAY A VIDEO FOR YOU HERE OF THE SITE WITH THE TOOLS THAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE
  • SO WE GET TO ACTUALLY, LIKE CATHY SAID, SEE THAT USER EXPERIENCE AND FEEL THAT USER EXPERIENCE
  • BEFORE WE START THE VIDEO, I HAVE A COUPLE OF CAVEATS FOR IT
  • IT IS VERY MUCH AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
  • SO IT LOOKS AND IT SOUNDS LIKE AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
  • THAT VIDEO IS AVAILABLE ON THE MEETINGS WEBSITE FOR PUBLIC ACCESS AND INFORMATION
  • AND BECAUSE THE VIDEO IS RECORDING OVER AN ASSISTED TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION, YOU'LL SEE A COUPLE OF DISCLAIMERS POP UP ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE VIDEO SAYING EXACTLY THAT THAT POOR AUDIO IS CAPTURED DUE TO THAT OVERLAY OF THE RECORDING OVER THE ASSISTED TECHNOLOGY DEMO
  • BUT REST ASSURED THAT THAT TECHNOLOGY ACTUALLY WORKS COMPLETELY FINE WITHOUT THE RECORDING OF THE DEMO
  • AND THEN FINALLY, THE FIRST SLIDE OF THE VIDEO YOU SEE DOES NOT HAVE SOUND
  • IT WILL BE DISPLAYED LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO READ THE TEXT FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
  • THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD STATISTICS THERE THAT I THINK ARE PRETTY ENLIGHTENING
  • SO LET'S SEE THE ACCESSIBILITY AND OTHER DESIGN ENHANCEMENTS TO THE MEETINGS PORTAL
  • GO AHEAD, AUBREE
  • AND THEN THIS SLIDE WILL TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE ACCESSIBILITY HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT, AS WELL AS THE OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
  • VISION IMPAIRMENT, BLINDNESS, PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, COGNITIVE DISABILITIES
  • A SIGHTED USER SEES NAVIGATION TOOLS, AN ANNOUNCEMENT, A LIST OF MEETINGS WITH MANY LINKS AND INFORMATIONAL AREAS THROUGHOUT THE PAGE
  • HOW MIGHT A VISUALLY IMPAIRED USER SEE IT? A USER WITH SOME COLOR BLINDNESS AND MILD VISION IMPAIRMENT WOULD EXPERIENCE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS
  • SKIP MENUS ALLOW TAPPING DIRECTLY TO AREAS OF INTEREST ON THE PAGE
  • WITH SCREEN SETTINGS, THE USER MAY CHOOSE THE COMBINATION OF CONTRAST AND FONT THAT BEST SUITS THEIR PARTICULAR VISION CIRCUMSTANCE WHEN MOUSE OR KEYBOARD USE IS IMPOSSIBLE, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS EASY NAVIGATION AND SELECTION OF A PARTICULAR MEETING
  • NO KEYBOARD IS NEEDED TO GET TO A MEETING PAGE
  • THE SAME TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED TO NAVIGATE THE MEETING PAGE FULL VIDEO CONTROL WITH OR WITHOUT A MOUSE OR KEYBOARD, VISUALLY IMPAIRED USERS CAN NAVIGATE THE SITE
  • BUT WHAT ABOUT BLINDNESS? HOW DOES A BLIND VISITOR USE THE MEETING PORTAL? LETS GO TO THE SITE WITHOUT VISION
  • THE MEETING PORTAL IS ACTUALLY DISPLAYED RIGHT NOW WITHOUT SCREEN READER CONSIDERATION
  • IN THE PAGE DESIGN, EVERY WORD, LINK, IMAGE AND MENU ITEM WILL BE ROBOTICALLY SPOKEN ALOUD
  • THE MEETINGS PAGE TOOK NEARLY TEN MINUTES TO READ
  • THE USER WOULD THEN BE FORCED TO TAB THROUGH THE PAGE, HOPING THAT THERE IS AN IDENTIFIABLE LINK TO WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
  • THE SCREEN READER PROVIDES AN ELEMENTS LIST SO THAT THE USER CAN LISTEN TO HOW THE PAGE IS LAID OUT
  • BUT EVEN THIS IS OF LIMITED VALUE
  • IF THE LINKS ARE ALL LABELED THE SAME, SCROLLING THROUGH A LIST OF 50 OR 60 MEETINGS, ALL WITH THE SAME LABEL, WOULD BE QUITE USELESS
  • PROPER DESIGN CHANGES ALL THAT
  • THE NEW MEETING PORTAL CLEARLY LABELS EACH ELEMENT FOR THE SCREEN READER
  • THE LINKS DESCRIBE EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR EASY SELECTION OF WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
  • WITH PROPER DESIGN, ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF THE PAGE BECOME ACCESSIBLE TO A BLIND USER AS WELL
  • ON THE MEETING PAGE, WE WILL IMMEDIATELY SKIP TO THE VIDEO BEGIN PLAY AND ADJUST THE VOLUME
  • WITHIN ABOUT 3 SECONDS, A BLIND USER CAN FIND, START AND ADJUST A VIDEO
  • THE TIME IS 9:03
  • A.M
  • MEETING IN PERSON
  • TODAY, THE PORT OF SEATTLE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING AT PIER 69 AND VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS THIS IS THE COMMISSIONER STUDY SESSION ON 2022 CRUISE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
  • PRESENTLY..
  • PLAYBACK SPEED AND READ ALONG TRANSCRIPT ASSISTS USERS WITH ATTENTION OR COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, ALLOWING THEM TO WATCH OR REPEAT THE VIDEO AT A SPEED THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH
  • JUST A COUPLE OF HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS FOR ANY ATTENDEES AND COMMISSIONER
  • ALSO, AS THIS IS A STUDY SESSION OF THE COMMISSIONER TODAY'S FORMAT..
  • GOOGLE TRANSLATE CONTINUES TO BE USED TO TRANSLATE THE MEETING PORTAL, BUT HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO TRANSLATE PDF FILES
  • WE HAVE CONVERTED MOST PDF FILES TO AN HTML EQUIVALENT FOR MORE ACCESSIBILITY TO LANGUAGE TRANSLATION AS WELL AS VISUALLY IMPAIRED USERS, AND WILL CONTINUE WITH NEW EVENTS
  • CONVERSION DOES HAVE ITS PITFALLS, HOWEVER
  • THE PRINT-ORIENTED NATURE OF A PDF IS NOT A ONE-TO-ONE EQUIVALENT IN HTML
  • CHARACTER AND GRAPHIC POSITIONING CONTINUE TO BE IMPROVED TO BE MORE PRESENTABLE FOR A WEB BROWSER
  • PDFS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR TRANSLATION OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED USERS
  • THE USER MAY CHOOSE TO VIEW THE HTML VERSION OF MEETING DOCUMENTS
  • THE MEETING DOCUMENT IS NOW TRANSLATED AND VISUALLY ACCESSIBLE
  • THE USE OF COLOR, THE PRECISE PLACEMENT AND SPACING OF CHARACTERS ON A PDF CREATE MANY CHALLENGES WHEN CONVERTING TO THE STRUCTURED NATURE OF HTML
  • THOSE CHALLENGES CONTINUE TO BE ADDRESSED AND IMPROVED
  • THE NEW MEETING PORTAL PROVIDES MECHANISMS TO PROVIDE RICH FORMAT INFORMATION FOR STANDARD NEWS FEEDS SUCH AS GOOGLE AND YAHOO NEWS
  • IT ALSO PROVIDES A STANDARD FORMAT USED BY CALENDAR APPLICATIONS AND NEWS AGGREGATORS
  • THIS NEWS APPLICATION FOLLOWS THE MEETING PORTAL RSS FEED
  • THESE UNREAD ITEMS SHOW RELATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING OR EVENT
  • UP TO THE MINUTE UPDATES CAN ALERT THE USER OF NEW AND CHANGED EVENTS ON THEIR DEVICE
  • UPCOMING EVENTS CAN BE ADDED TO THE USER'S CALENDAR WITH THE SAME INFORMATION AS THE NEWS FEED
  • VIDEO CLIPS OF EACH AGENDA ITEM OR CUSTOM TIMESTAMPS CAN BE DOWNLOADED
  • A MEETING OR PORTIONS OF IT CAN BE SHARED VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK OR PASTED INTO ANY OTHER APPLICATION
  • EACH PAGE OF THE NEW MEETING PORTAL HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO PROVIDE AS MUCH RELEVANT INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE ON A MORE COMPACT MOBILE DEVICE
  • CHANGING THE ORIENTATION BY ROTATING THE DEVICE PROVIDES MORE VISIBILITY OF COMMISSION MEETING INFORMATION
  • THANK YOU, AUBREE
  • THAT'S THE END OF THE VIDEO
  • THERE AGAIN, NONE OF THESE FEATURES OR ACCESS ENHANCEMENTS WERE AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THIS PROJECT ROLL OUT
  • A HUGE TAKEAWAY FOR US IN GOING THROUGH THIS PROJECT WITH OUR SITE HOST AND DESIGNER IS HOW IMPORTANT THE FILE NAMING STANDARDIZATION IS FOR ALL OF THIS, AS WELL AS PROPER DOCUMENT AND SITE DESIGN
  • IT IS KEY TO ACCESSIBILITY, WHETHER THAT IS ADA ACCESSIBILITY OR WHETHER THAT'S LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
  • SO WE REALLY DO NEED TO FOCUS ON THOSE ELEMENTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH EQUITY ACCESS IN OUR DIGITAL WORLD
  • AND IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO HOW DIFFICULT THE MEETING SITE IN PARTICULAR WOULD BE FOR ANYONE WITH A TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT DISABILITY WITHOUT THE PROPER STRUCTURE AND TOOLS IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO USE THEM AND NAVIGATE THROUGH THAT SITE AND TO ACCESS THE PORT'S INFORMATION
  • SO AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A USER EXPERIENCE AS TO THE OVERLAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT OVERALL WITH THE TOOLS THAT ARE NEEDED AND THE DESIGN THAT'S NEEDED
  • AND WHILE THE TECHNOLOGY IS NOT PERFECT, WE NOW MEET WASHINGTON STATE WEB ACCESS STANDARDS AND USABILITY WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AS THE TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES
  • BEFORE I PASS IT BACK TO KATHY, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK OUR PARTNERS AT SEATTLE COLLEGES CABLE TELEVISION
  • THIS IS SCCTV
  • TOM, GREG DEAN AND RICH PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSIONER MEETINGS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN SUPPORTED BY SCCTV SINCE AT LEAST 2008, SO QUITE SOME TIME THEY WORK BEHIND THE SCENES AND I'M GOING TO TAKE JUST A MOMENT TO TELL YOU WHO THEY ARE
  • SCCTV IS FOCUSED ON EDUCATIONAL BASED TELEVISION
  • THEY LIVE, STREAM AND ARCHIVE OUR COMMISSION MEETINGS AND ARE THE CREATORS AND CARETAKERS OF THE COMMISSION MEETINGS PORTAL
  • THEY PROVIDE PRODUCTION FERRIES FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY BASED PROJECTS AND RECEIVE NO STATE OR COLLEGE FUNDS FOR ANY OF THEIR OPERATIONS
  • THEY ARE CONTRIBUTION AND SERVICE FEE BASED ONLY, SO WE'RE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THEM UNDER OUR CONTRACT
  • THE SCCTV TEAM IS DIRECTLY CREDITED WITH THE ACCESSIBILITY REDESIGN OF THE MEETINGS PORTAL THAT WE'VE SEEN TODAY, AND WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM
  • SO THANK YOU, SCCTV
  • KATHY, BACK TO YOU
  • YES, WE ALSO BENEFIT FROM SCCTV, SO THANK YOU
  • OKAY, NEXT SLIDE
  • AND I KNOW IT'S A LONG DAY, SO I'M GOING TO CRUISE THROUGH
  • SO WE'RE PIVOTING NOW TO THE EXTERNAL SITE, WHICH WAS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN THE MEETINGS PAGE BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONTENT LIKE PAY YOUR MORTGAGE, WEB FORMS, CHECK YOUR FLIGHT, RESERVE YOUR PARKING IMAGES, PLUS PDFS, WHICH, AS YOU'VE HEARD, ARE A BIG PROBLEM
  • SO IN ORDER TO ASSESS HOW OUR MAIN WEBSITE WAS PERFORMING, WE DID HIRE AN OUTSIDE FIRM, OPEN DOORS
  • WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, OPENDOORS ORGANIZATION, TO HELP US WITH AN AUDIT TO LOOK AT OUR SITE AGAINST THE CURRENT WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD OF WEB CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES 2.1
  • THE AUDIT WAS BOTH AN AUTOMATED SOFTWARE REVIEW, BUT ALSO THEY CONNECT WITH A FIRM CALLED.COM THAT HAS REAL PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES GO THROUGH AND EXPERIENCE YOUR SITE
  • WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH TELLS YOU THE ONE PRIOR TO THAT, WHICH SHOWS ESSENTIALLY THE OUTCOMES OF OUR SITE OR OUR AUDIT
  • THE REALLY GOOD NEWS IS WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BLOCKERS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL ISSUES THAT MAKE THE WEBSITE UNUSABLE
  • BUT YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE A LOT OF CRITICAL AND SERIOUS ISSUES
  • I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME QUICK EXAMPLES OF THOSE
  • OUR SITE IS HIGHLY TEMPLATED, SO WE MAKE ONE CHANGE
  • IT MAKES A LOT OF CHANGES, BUT SOME OF THEM, IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM, AND THAT'S PICTURES
  • OUR SITE IS REALLY HEAVILY IMAGE DRIVEN, AND THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, IS THAT PEOPLE LOVE TO LOOK AT PORT FACILITIES, AND WE KNOW THAT OUR PHOTOGRAPHY IS VERY POPULAR, BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS A VISION IMPAIRMENT, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ACCURATELY LABELING IMAGES TO ASSIST IN NAVIGATION
  • OTHERWISE, IT'S JUST IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE, AND YOU'VE REALLY WASTED SOMEBODY'S TIME
  • SO WE NEED TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE PICTURE ON THE WEBSITE AND LABEL IT SO THAT WE CAN TELL A SCREEN READER, SKIP IT, IT'S JUST DECORATIVE, OR THIS IS IMPORTANT
  • IT'S A MAP, IT'S AN INFOGRAPHIC, IT PROVIDES CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION
  • AND SO WHEN I REFER TO THE 20 PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING REALLY HARD ON THE WEBSITE ACROSS THE BOARD, THIS IS A BIG PART OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING
  • RIGHT NOW IS UPDATING THOSE IMAGES TO MAKE PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE MORE EFFICIENT
  • WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • SO THAT WAS AN EASY EXAMPLE
  • THIS IS A SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLEX EXAMPLE
  • WE THOUGHT THESE ORANGE HEADERS WERE REALLY CUTE WHEN WE DESIGNED THE SITE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO
  • THEY'RE OUT OF ORDER IN TERMS OF THE WAY SOMEBODY WOULD EXPERIENCE THE SITE USING A SITE READER
  • THEY ALSO DON'T HAVE THEIR CAPTION OVERLAYS, THEY'RE NOT CODED PROPERLY
  • SO THAT SOMEBODY COULD USE AN ARIA READER, WHICH IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN THOSE ARE JUST WORDS, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN
  • BUT THIS IS A MORE COMPLICATED PROBLEM BECAUSE WE CAN FIX THE ORDERING OF THE HEADERS, BUT IT REQUIRES A CODE CHANGE TO ADDRESS THE CAPTIONS
  • SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO PULL IN ICT TO WORK ON
  • AND THEN IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A COMPLEX PROBLEM, WHICH IS WE DESIGNED OUR SITE HEAVILY AROUND CAROUSELS ON THE MAIN PAGE, THE HOMEPAGE AND THEN SECTION HEADERS, BECAUSE WE LOVE HAVING ALL OF OUR GOOD NEWS FRONT CENTER, AND WE OFTEN HAVE SO MUCH NEWS, BUT THESE ARE COMPLETELY UNUSABLE FOR SCREEN READERS
  • SO WE BASICALLY HAVE TO CHANGE THE DESIGN OF THE SITE
  • SO THAT'S A MORE COMPLEX PROBLEM
  • SO THOSE ARE SOME EXAMPLES
  • WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
  • SO WE'RE UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW WITH THE ALT TAGS FOR LABELING IMAGES
  • AS YOU HEARD, PDFS ARE VERY PROBLEMATIC AND I HOPE ADOBE JUST FIXES THIS QUICKLY
  • BUT WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO EVERY PDF AND MAKE CHANGES
  • AND WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT PDFS OF THE FUTURE, PARTICULARLY FOR THINGS LIKE ANNUAL REPORTS THAT HAVE A LOT OF TABLES AND IMAGES IN THEM
  • THEY DON'T CONVERT CLEANLY TO HTML AND FIXING HEADLINE HIERARCHY
  • NEXT SLIDE
  • IN 2023, WE'LL BE REALLY FOCUSING ON CODE CHANGES IN PARTNERING WITH ICT ON THAT
  • THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE PROJECT
  • AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS IS A FOREVER THING
  • WE REALLY JUST HAVE TO CHANGE THE APPROACH
  • THINK ABOUT WHEN WE CREATE DOCUMENTS ORIGINALLY
  • ARE WE CREATING THEM THE RIGHT WAY? WE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE A NEW WEB STANDARD IN A YEAR
  • THERE WILL BE BETTER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, AND OUR WEBSITE WILL HAVE TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THEM
  • SO WE'RE FOUR YEARS OLD
  • WE'LL PROBABLY BE COMING TO YOU WITH A NEW WEBSITE MONEY IN A COUPLE OF YEARS ANYWAY, AND THAT'LL BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US
  • SO THANK YOU
  • THANK YOU BOTH
  • AND THANKS FOR BEING SO CONCISE TOO
  • IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT AND BIG TOPIC
  • SO COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO START OFF
  • COMMISSIONER, HOW'S IT GOING? IS IT MOBILE FRIENDLY? IT'S BETTER, YES, THE SITE IS MOBILE RESPONSIVE, BUT I THINK THAT'S A PLACE WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE
  • AND MOBILE ENHANCEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE COMMISSION MEETING PORTAL
  • MY LAST QUESTION IS FOR THE TRANSLATED COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA, OR MAYBE THAT WAS MINUTES
  • DOES THAT ONLY HAPPEN IF A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REQUEST THAT IT BE TRANSLATED AND THEN IT BE UPLOADED? OR IS THAT A DEFAULT PRACTICE FOR SPANISH? AND IF SO, THEN ARE THERE ANY OTHER LANGUAGES THAT WILL BE TRANSLATED INTO THROUGH THE COMMISSION PRESIDENT COMMISSIONER HAS CAUGHT? YES, ACTUALLY ALL OF THE LANGUAGES THROUGH OUR TRANSLATION TOOL ARE AVAILABLE
  • ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE IN ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENT FORMAT
  • THAT'S A NEW LINK THAT'S ON THE MEETINGS PORTAL SO THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THAT LINK AND THEN THE LANGUAGE SELECTED, GOING BACK TO I KNOW WHAT'S KEY, WHAT'S REALLY BUBBLING TO THE TOP OF ALL OF THIS IS THE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION TOOLS
  • AND THE ADA TOOLS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE WAY THAT WE CONSTRUCT OUR DOCUMENTS
  • SO IT'S GOING TO BE THE CODE THAT'S WRITTEN BEHIND THE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION TOOLS
  • SO IF I PULL OPEN AN AGENDA OR A VIDEO TRANSCRIPT NOW IS AVAILABLE, OR ANY OF OUR DOCUMENTS THAT WE'VE CONVERTED TO HTML, THEY'LL AUTOMATICALLY CONVERT INTO THE HTML FORMAT THROUGH THE DATABASE AND THROUGH THAT CONVERSION, THEY'RE ALL AVAILABLE
  • A PERSON JUST NEEDS TO GO IN AND SELECT THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
  • BUT THAT TRANSLATION OR THAT ADA ACCESSIBILITY IS ONLY GOING TO BE AS GOOD AS OUR DOCUMENT CONSTRUCTION OR AS OUR SITE CONSTRUCTION
  • SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY CREATING THINGS
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN MICHELLE, WHAT A HUGE UNDERTAKING
  • THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STEWARDING THIS PROJECT
  • IT'S A DAUNTING TASK
  • AND THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEING MADE AND THE THOUGHTFULNESS THAT'S GOING INTO IT IS TRULY EXTRAORDINARY AND A GREAT EXPANSION OF OUR WELCOMING PORT GOALS
  • AND I'M DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT
  • I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE
  • ONE THING, THOUGH, IS FOR YEARS BEFORE COMING A COMMISSIONER AND ATTENDING COMMISSIONER MEETINGS, I WOULD OFTEN COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF ACCESSING THE AGENDA THROUGH MY MACBOOK
  • AND THEN I THINK THERE WAS A CHALLENGE WITH IPHONES
  • AND I THINK OF ALL THE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES, THIS IS STILL FOR A SIGHTED HEARING PERSON WITH JUST A DIFFERENT PLATFORM
  • AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE'S BEEN ANY PROGRESS ON THAT BECAUSE I RECENTLY HAD SOME OCCURRENCE, I FORGOT WHAT THAT WAS
  • BUT HAS THIS BEEN ADDRESSED THROUGH THE COMMISSION PRESIDENT? COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN YES, IT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED
  • SO ON THE MOBILE ASPECT OF THINGS, IT WORKS WITH BOTH PHONE AYES, ANDROID AS WELL AS IPHONE AND THEN ON OTHER MOBILE DEVICES, IT WILL NOW FLIP, IT WILL NOW READJUST SIZE
  • YOU CAN OPEN UP THE LINKS STRAIGHT FROM THE AGENDA
  • I THINK IT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT
  • I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY TO A MACBOOK, BUT LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES AND IF I NEED TO FOLLOW UP THE HOTEL THROUGH THE PHONE
  • FANTASTIC
  • CONTINUE YOUR GREAT WORK
  • I APPRECIATE IT
  • YOU BET
  • COMMISSIONER CHO, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT ON HOW REMARKABLE THIS WORK IS AND QUITE HONESTLY, I'M KIND OF BLOWN AWAY BY THE LEVEL OF GRANULARITY, TO BE CANDID
  • SOME OF THIS WORK SEEMS VERY TEDIOUS AND SO I REALLY WANT TO COMMEND THE STAFF WHO ARE WORKING ON THIS RIGHT NOW
  • WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY PHOTO AND TAG IT SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PHOTO SAYS OR IS
  • AND I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT OFTENTIMES PEOPLE'S FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE POISON
  • SEATTLE IS OUR WEBSITE
  • AND SO THE FACT THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH THESE LINKS TO MAKE OUR WEBSITE EQUITABLE REALLY SPEAKS TO HOW OUR CULTURE AND HOW OUR PRIORITIES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS WITH THE EQUITY LENS
  • AND SO I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO YOU ALL AS WELL AS BOOKDA AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S REALLY TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY
  • AND I THINK THIS IS A HUGE TESTAMENT TO HOW FAR WE'VE COME AND HOW FAR WE'RE WILLING TO GO
  • SO THANK YOU SO MUCH
  • MR MOHAMED
  • YEAH, I JUST WANT TO ALSO ECHO THE WORDS OF MY COLLEAGUES
  • THIS IS REALLY GREAT WORK
  • AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, IN MY OTHER ROLE, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT REFUGEE AFFAIRS AND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS I'VE OVERSEEING LANGUAGE ACCESS TEAMS THIS IS A HEAVY LIFT AND IT HAS WORKED THAT BOTH THE COUNTY AND THE CITY OF SEATTLE IS WORKING ON
  • AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF BEST PRACTICES OUT THERE AND LEARNINGS
  • BOTH OF THOSE AGENCIES HAVE INVESTED A LOT OF MONEY INTO IT AND HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT YOU GOT TO DO THINGS OVER AGAIN AND DRAG TOOLS ARE VERY CHALLENGING TO NAVIGATE AND SO THERE'S PLATFORMS LIKE SMART, CAT AND SMARTLINK THAT MAKE THOSE PROCESSES EASIER
  • AND SO HOWEVER, WE CAN HAVE SOME REGIONAL COLLABORATION AROUND THAT I THINK WOULD BE ALSO IMPORTANT
  • BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK
  • THE ONLY COMMENT I WOULD ADD IS I THINK THIS DOES REPRESENT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK, BUT I THINK THERE ARE SOME BENEFITS THAT YOU HAVEN'T EVEN HIGHLIGHTED HERE, WHICH IS JUST HELPING PEOPLE TO FIND THE WEBSITE IN THE FIRST PLACE
  • EVERY TIME SOMEBODY LABELS AN IMAGE, IT BECOMES MORE EASILY SEARCHED BY THE SEARCH ENGINES AND OTHER MECHANISMS BY WHICH PEOPLE FIND OUR WEBSITE IN THE FIRST PLACE
  • SO THAT CAN BE BOTH BENEFICIAL TO AS A BUSINESS TRYING TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS OR TRYING TO PROVIDE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
  • JUST GETTING TO OUR WEBSITE IN THE FIRST PLACE IN THE RIGHT PART OF OUR WEBSITE, THESE EFFORTS WILL MAKE THAT EASIER TOO
  • SO I THINK FEAR NOT, THIS IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT EVEN THOUGH IT IS A GARGANTUAN TASK
  • SO ANY OTHER THOUGHTS FROM PRESENTERS? OKAY, WE'LL KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
  • THANK YOU VERY MUCH
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • ANYTHING ON THAT ONE? JUST ON THIS
  • THANKS PRESIDENT CALKINS
  • JUST WANT TO THANK MICHELLE AND KATHY AND THE WHOLE TEAM FOR WORKING ON THIS
  • AND REALLY WHEN I SAW THIS, JUST THE WIDTH AND BREADTH OF THIS AND HOW DEEP THIS HAS TO GO INTO YOUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW MUCH REFLECTING OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, I GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT WORK AND THE SHOUT OUT TO THE TEAM TOO FROM SCCTV
  • NOW THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND THE COMMISSIONERS, RIGHT? THEY ARE BEHIND THEIR THANK YOU
  • CAN I ASK JUST ONE MORE THING? I ALSO JUST LEARNED THAT DEAN, THAT IS WITH SCCTV, HAS BEEN WITH THE PORT COMMISSION SINCE 2007 AND HAS ONLY MISSED ONE PORT COMMISSION MEETING
  • I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE TO GET THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE [APPLAUSE] BEFORE WE TRANSITION OFF
  • MR COMMISSION PRESIDENT, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THE COMMISSIONER MEETINGS THE PORT HAS BEEN A PROJECT IN THE BACKGROUND FOR THREE YEARS
  • SO IT HAS TAKEN THAT LONG IN THE TIME THAT THE SITE HOSTS AND THE PROJECT TEAM HAS HAD TO WORK ON THAT TO PULL THAT TOGETHER
  • THE WORK IN FRONT OF THE PORT WITH RESPECT TO THE MAIN WEBSITE WILL BE A HEAVY LIFT
  • THANK YOU
  • ALL RIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SCHEDULED BUSINESS ITEMS TODAY
  • ARE THERE ANY CLOSING COMMENTS AT THIS TIME OR MOTIONS RELATING TO COMMITTEE REFERRALS FROM COMMISSIONERS? AYES
  • OKAY, SO BEAR WITH ME A LITTLE BIT
  • I DO HAVE SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO SHARE AROUND NORTH SEATTLE PARK
  • WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM THE COMMUNITY AROUND NORTH SEATAC PARK
  • AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT NORTH SEATTLE PARK IS AN IMPORTANT COMMUNITY ASSET
  • AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN SOUTH KING COUNTY, I VALUE NORTH SEATTLE PARK AND WHAT IT PROVIDES FOR OUR AIRPORT COMMUNITY THAT'S OPEN SPACE, RECREATIONAL LAND, AND THE TREES IN THAT PARK PROTECT THE COMMUNITY FROM AIR POLLUTION AND THE LIST GOES ON
  • THAT SAID, I HAVE SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT NORTH SEATAC PARK IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION
  • LAST MONTH, DURING THE PORT COMMISSION BUDGET RETREAT, I SHARED THAT ONE OF MY BUDGET PRIORITIES FOR 2023 IS AN ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF NORTH SEATAC PARK, THE ENTIRE 200 ACRE AREA
  • I WANT TO SEE AN INVESTMENT IN AN ECOLOGY ASSESSMENT THAT INFORMS US ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE FOREST
  • I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO ASSURE EVERYONE IN THE PUBLIC THAT THERE IS NO DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NORTH SEATTLE PARK IN THE PORT OF SEATTLE'S REAL ESTATE STRATEGIC PLAN, OR AS PART OF ANY PORT RELATED DEVELOPMENT BEING PROPOSED
  • ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE PORT HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN THE PARK
  • THROUGH THE GREEN CITY PARTNERSHIP WITH FORTERRA, THE PORT HAS MADE SIMILAR INVESTMENTS IN OPEN SPACE AREAS IN BURIEN, DES MOINES
  • THOSE CITIES HAVE ALSO RESPONDED WITH INVESTMENTS OF THEIR OWN
  • IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT NORTH SEATAC PARK PROPERTY IS LEASED TO THE CITY OF SEATTLE
  • THE LEASE AGREEMENT REQUIRES THE CITY OF SEATAC TO MAINTAIN THE MAJORITY OF THE PROPERTY
  • THE PARK MAINTENANCE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY
  • I HAVE TOURED THE PARK AND HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND THAT IT'S FULL OF INVASIVE
  • I'VE PARTICIPATED IN EFFORTS TO REMOVE THE IVY'S FROM THE TREES
  • IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PARK NEEDS HELP
  • AGAIN, I HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE PARK, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE CITY OF SEATAC ON ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE
  • WE HAVE BEEN HAVING ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY OF SEATAC ABOUT NORTH SEATAC PARK, BOTH AT THE ELECTED OFFICIAL LEVEL AND WITH SENIOR STAFF AT BOTH AGENCIES
  • AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A PROTECTIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY
  • THE CITY AND THE PORT HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS
  • THE NEXT MEETING IS NEXT WEEK
  • ACTUALLY, AS PART OF OUR JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WE HAVE AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF SEATAC AND NORTH SEATTLE PARK IS GOING TO BE ON THE TOP OF THE AGENDA
  • I INTEND TO ASK THE CITY WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO FOLLOW UP ON THE GREEN CITY PLAN AND WHAT THEIR PLAN IS TO MAINTAIN THE PARK
  • NORTH SEATAC PARK IS A COMMUNITY ASSET
  • IT IS CLEAR IT NEEDS HELP AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A STRONG PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE THE HEALTH OF THE PARK
  • THANK YOU FOR THE TIME
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOHAMED
  • COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • WELL, I WASN'T PLANNING ON SPEAKING TO NORTH SEA TAC PARK, BUT I AM INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS IN THAT PROCESS, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WE'VE HAD ON THAT
  • SO PERHAPS WE CAN GET AN UPDATE ON THAT IN THE FUTURE
  • I JUST COULDN'T LET COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA MAKE THE ONLY CLAIM ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF THE NEW CAP IN KPOD FIRST IN ELEVEN YEARS
  • WE ALSO HAVE THE FIRST HALF OF J POD IN TWO YEARS
  • BUT REALLY THE KEY THING IS THAT THIS POPULATION IS STILL SMALLER THAN IT WAS WHEN LISTED IN 2500 SPECIES ACT
  • SO WITH 75 WHALES, EVEN WHEN WE HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW ONES, IT'S STILL IN TOUGH SHOP
  • AND THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT 13 OF OUR RESIDENT WHALES ARE WHAT WE CALL VULNERABLE, ONE OF WHICH IS VULNERABLE BECAUSE IT'S PREGNANT, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BUT THE REST ARE IN POOR BODY CONDITIONS
  • SO ANY OF YOU BOATERS OUT THERE, PLEASE GIVE THEM SPACE
  • IT'S A SYSTEMIC SPECIES THAT WE WANT TO KEEP AROUND
  • SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER HASEGAWA, FOR REMINDING ME TO SAY SOMETHING
  • THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FELLEMAN
  • ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METRUCK
  • ANY COMMENTS? NOTHING FURTHER, COMMISSIONER
  • ALL RIGHT
  • AND I'M GOING TO TAKE CHAIRS PEROGATIVE AND JUST SAY IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE IMAGES COMING BACK FROM THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TONIGHT AND LOOK AT THEM
  • THEY WILL ASTOUND YOU AND REMIND YOU THAT ALL OF THIS IS JUST MINUSCULE COMPARED TO THE GRANDEUR OF THE UNIVERSE
  • AND SO FEAR NOT WHO ALL PASSED AWAY DUST TO DUST
  • WE ARE ALL MADE OF STARS
  • AND WITH THAT HEARING NO FURTHER COMMENTS AND HAVING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, IF THERE IS NO OBJECTION, WE HAVE JOURNEYED AT 4:08 PM.

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