I want to express my appreciation to The Daily Astorian for providing assistance for our community and our Port. This assistance was provided by The Daily Astorian by reporting the news.

The Daily Astorian ran an article Nov. 19 regarding our hiring of a new Port of Astoria finance manager (“Port’s finances get new honcho”). Deep in the article Edward Stratton reported that Port staff were waiting for a final document from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in order to obtain dredging permits.

Port staff have been working for nearly a year trying to obtain the documents that would allow us to perform dredging. There are multiple federal, state and local governmental authorizations required to perform dredging. Each document is dependent upon another agency’s approval, and the process for gaining approvals is time-consuming. The process requires constant attention and gentle pressure in order to be successful. Sometimes this level of attention and gentle pressure is not enough. Occasionally, applicants turn to our elected for help. This time, help called on us.

The morning the article was published, the Port received a call from Marc Seigel, a diligent staff member for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley. Seigel told me that he had just read the article regarding our difficulty in obtaining permits. He asked if there was anything that the senator’s office could do to help. Within 48 hours, the Port received notifications that the permits were on their way, and in fact, the documents are in our offices now.

The Port can now begin dredging, which will maintain not only navigable water depths but also help ensure our ability to maintain a multitude of jobs, customers and revenues. Losing those would have been catastrophic. This happened because diligent and conscientious staff are performing their jobs working for a newspaper that cares about our community. If that had not happened, Sen. Merkley’s office would not have had the opportunity to help us all.

It is a joy to work in and with a community that understands and appreciates the value of working together.

Jim Knight

Executive director, Port of Astoria