One of the most frequently asked questions I get when I speak at meetings is regarding the status of the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad.

We currently lease the rail line from the POTB Industrial Park to Enright, about four miles past the Salmonberry Bridge, to the nonprofit Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad.

OCSR has full operational control and maintenance responsibility for that portion of the line. Along with their many volunteers, they have cleared more than 35 miles of railroad right-of-way from almost five years of overgrowth since the storm of December 2007 that severely damaged the POTB Railroad.

Now the Port, along with Cycle Oregon and the Oregon Forestry and Parks and Recreation departments are in the midst of a feasibility study on a potential Rails and Trails route along the entire length of the POTB rail line, from Banks to Tillamook.

I must reiterate that this is just a preliminary study, with ODF and OPRD doing the heavy lifting. There have been two public “listening posts” – one in Banks and one in Tillamook – to explain the project concept.

Notice that I mentioned it as Rails AND Trails, not Rails TO Trails. The initial discussions have been to have a trail next to the rail where there is a viable use for the rail line. OCSR has also become a stakeholder in the discussions. If you would like to be added to any informational meeting notices, please email me at the email listed below.

Back at the industrial park, POTB staff are in our temporary quarters in a space on the back side of our main offices, where we will remain through the holidays.

The project, which is expected to cost just under $2 million, involves fully gutting and remodeling the permanent offices, as well as adding a new roof and HVAC system to the building. 2KG Contractors, a Portland-based specialist in public works projects, is serving as the main contractor for the project. They expect to wrap it up at the end of January.

While the work is being done, we’re sharing the temporary quarters with our main office building tenants, Port Storage, Natural Resources Conservation Service/USDA, Soil and Water Conservation District and Oregon Water Resources Department.

Once we relocate to the eventually finished front side of the building this winter, we’ll have some additional office space for rent.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on enhancements to the Port’s digester, which anaerobically processes dairy cow manure to create natural methane gas power and residual sterile fiber. The fiber can be used in garden soil and as livestock bedding, among other products.

The new facility is located adjacent to the existing digester on the remnants of Hangar A which burned down in the early 1990s. Three 1-million-gallon processing tanks and two smaller loading/unloading tanks have been installed and two smaller tanks constructed.

By the time the $5.6 million project is completed this spring, the digester will feature the new processing tanks, truck receiving area, generator, covered fiber storage area and entrance. The upgrades will allow the digester to increase its manure processing capabilities by 4,000 cows, for a total of 7,000 cows.

Dari Tech, of Lynden, Wash., is the contractor for the project.”

In other POTB Industrial Park improvement news, we have wrapped up our paving project for the season. In late 2010, we purchased approximately four miles of roads from Tillamook County that were located within our Industrial Park. With that purchase, the Port’s intention was to take over the maintenance and ownership of those roads, which are now off of the county’s maintenance work list.

So far this season, we ground up and repaved two miles of the roads and repaired storm drains and ditches. We plan to complete the remainder of road improvements, including those on our main road, Blimp Boulevard, in the spring when the weather breaks.

Along with the roads, other infrastructure improvements in the industrial park include the installation of additional water lines and replacement of older lines. Earthworks, of Beaver, is the general contractor on our Water Loop Project.

Just past the main office building, the renovated Navy Officer’s Mess Hall (formerly the School District 9 Administrative Office), which opened in May, has become an active event venue. From proms and homecoming dances, to reunions and graduations, to public forums and town halls, to weddings, receptions and fundraisers, the hall is being booked weekly.

The newly updated space includes more than 2,500 square feet of open meeting space, ADA accessibility and ADA restrooms, fully refurbished hard wood floors, tables and chairs, wifi and a servery kitchen.

If you are looking for a local event space, take a look at our Officer’s Mess Hall photos posted on the Port’s home page.

Other activity you will see if you drive around the Port of Tillamook Bay is right off Long Prairie Road. Construction continuing on the Airport Business Park, with Skanska USA as the general contractor, includes a tower, hangar, office space and manufacturing area for a build-to-suit tenant.

Speaking of the airport, in early October we wrapped up our Federal Aviation Administration-funded Runway 13/31 Overlay project. The main runway, which was closed during construction, is now open, with a two-inch overlay on the entire 5,000-foot-long runway. We also added new lighting and signage. The contractor will be back in the spring to do a second coat of striping and painting.

The Port of Tillamook Bay is headquartered on the largest tract of industrial land 1,600 acres on the Oregon coast. The Port is in the process of completing $44.6 million in FEMA Alternate Project infrastructure upgrades, new construction, and building renovations at the park, as well as other projects funded by the Federal Aviation Administration, Connect Oregon grants, Business Oregon grants and a recently completed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded project through the Oregon Department of Energy.

The Port has spent about $20 million of the $44.6 million to date.

Michele Bradley is general manager of the Port of Tillamook Bay. You can reach her at 503-842-2413, extension 111, or mbradley@potb.org.