April - Pacific County Economic Development Council

Vital Statistics
Latest (February) Pacific County Unemployment: 9.7%
New Business Licenses YTD: 49
Sales Tax Distributions through June: $598,325.92
Lodging Tax Distributions through June: $156,858.33
Minding the Store
Automated
route trucks
reduce worker injuries.
Cans used to
be dumped
by hand, a
tedious process that
tended to
wear out the
drivers.
Photo by
Damian
Mulinix
Peninsula Sanitation
106 Howerton Way, Ilwaco
(360) 642-2541
http://peninsula
sanitationservice.com
ILWACO—Peninsula Sanitation
has been hauling away residents’ refuse since 1954, and
the future looks bright for the
garbage game.
Diane Carter and Jay Alexander own and operate the
business their parents purchased when garbage might
include empty jars of
Brylcreem and broken Bill Haley and the Comets records.
The technology of waste management and how we think
about garbage has changed
since then, but the business
remains a vital part of Pacific
County.
The brother-and-sister duo
keep 17 employees working to
Pacific County Economic Development Council
600 Washington Ave.•Raymond, WA 98577
360.875.9330 • 360.642.9330
1
serve about 500 commercial
and 4,000 residential customers from the Peninsula to Km
Mountain and north to nearly
Pe Ell.
It was a much tougher job
when Art Alexander started
running the routes in 1954.
He had to lift the 30- to 50gallon drums and dump them
into his truck. Compacting
the trash was limited to Art
jumping up and down on the
heaping pile.
That personal touch gave
way to route trucks with hydraulic compactors, but they
still required the driver to
heave the cans into a hopper.
Continued on back page
Perspective
By Mike Williams
I recently returned from a trip
to West Virginia to visit family.
We moved cross country to
Longview when I was 15, leaving two older brothers, grandparents and cousins behind.
In March, my dad wanted to
visit family, now spread out
from Ohio to Virginia, and to
stop at the cemetery where so
many of our family are buried.
I’d been back in recent years,
but working for the EDC has
caused me to look at things
differently. Instead of just empty storefronts downtown, I now
see a community struggling to
survive.
In Huntington, W.Va., where I
grew up, there are signs of an
economy growing beyond its
coal mining past. The Amazon.com service center looms
large on the hill that was a forest when I lived there 40 years
ago. Downtown has its struggles, but businesses continue to
survive.
Continued on back page
Meeting schedule:
EDC South:
Noon, May 5. 42nd Street
Café, Seaview
EDC North:
8 a.m. May 2. Willapa
Restaurant, South Bend
TAC/PCOG:
April 27. TAC 10:30 a.m.,
PCOG 1 p.m. PUD
Auditorium, Long Beach
To receive a paper copy of the newsletter, please call
(360) 642-9330 or (360) 875-9330
or email [email protected]
Gathering addresses highs, lows of food industry
The Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau brought food industry representatives together on March 30 to discuss
what’s working and what needs work.
“Pacific County is a little bit like a small
town with long roads; municipalities are like
neighborhoods, and the entire county is an
extended community,” said LBPVB Executive
Director Andi Day.
“We're in this together, and that was the
driving idea behind the food collaborative:
We're a community and we want to see our
neighbors thrive. So, the Visitors Bureau put a
number of industry facilitators in one room —
hoteliers, restauranteurs, farmers and food
producers, vendors, et cetera — and we iden-
2016 Membership list
2
101 Shell Station
42nd Street Café
Active Enterprises, Inc.
Adrift Hotel and Spa
Andrew Monson, Attorney
at Law
Anita's Coastal Café
Appelo Archives Center
ARK Plumbing Service, Inc.
Arthur Strand Insurance
B.J. & R., Inc.
B.T. Wilson Construction,
Inc.
Baker and Son Construction
Bank Of The Pacific
Bay Center Mariculture
Co.
Bayshore Realty Corp
Beachdog.com
Beacon Charters & RV
Park
Bell Buoy Crab Company,
Inc.
Bison Country (Johnson's
South Fork Ranch)
Blue Crab Graphics
Boreas B&B, LLC
Bridgewater Logging, Inc.
Bud's Lumber and Electric
Chen's Restaurant & Motel - South Bend
Chinook Coffee Co.
Chinook Mini Storage
Chinook Observer
Chris Johnson Crane Service, Inc.
City of Long Beach
City of Raymond
Coast Seafoods Company
Columbia Pacific Heritage
Museum
tified the challenges, the resources, the positives and the unknowns facing our local food
industry. We anticipate seeing some exciting
partnerships and ideas down the road that
were inspired during the collaborative event.”
A lodging collaborative is also planned for
April 28, and it's open to all Pacific County
lodging establishments. Email
[email protected] for more information.
Road trip
Day and LBPVB Marketing Director
Drew Foster represented tourism efforts
in Pacific County during the Destination
Marketing Association of the West tech
conference in Anaheim, Calif., in March.
Colvin's Quality Inspections
Cottage Bakery & Deli
CresComm WiFi, LLC
Cutler Management Inc., dba The
Breaker
Davis Ins & Real Estate Agency, Inc
Dennis Company
Dilk Tire Service, Inc.
Discovery Coast Real Estate
Don Nisbett's Art Gallery
Ekone Oyster Co.
Elizabeth Penoyar, Atty
Englund Marine Supply
Fosse Farms
Foxglove Enterprises
Funland Inc.
Gayle Russell Dance Academy
Gauger Media Service, Inc.
Grays Harbor College
Great NW Federal Credit Union
Greater Grays Harbor
Hanner Enterprises
Harbor Saw & Supply, Inc.
Harborview Motel
Harmony Soap Works
Hawk's Superior Rock, Inc.
Heavenly Memories & Willapa
Printing
Hobo Junction
Ilwaco Fisherman Cove RV Park
Inn at Discovery Coast
Jessie's Ilwaco Fish Co. Inc.
Kenanna RV Park
Key Environmental Solutions, LLC
Lakeside Industries
Lead To Results LLC
Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort
Lighthouse Realty
Long Beach Commercial Security
Co.
Long Beach Cranberry Growers
Association
“Attending conferences like the 2016
Destination Marketing Tech Summit in
Anaheim, Calif., provides the Long Beach
Peninsula Visitors Bureau with opportunities to consult with larger destination
marketing organizations, continue our
education in the ever-changing field of
marketing, create benchmarks for success
and expand our professional role in Pacific
County,” Day said. “These conferences are
invaluable for rural destination marketing
organizations like the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau — they facilitate
learning, encourage the exchange of ideas
and inspire action once we return home.”
Marlise Pederson Tax Service Inc.
Marsalee's Thai Food
Marsh's Free Museum, Inc.
McDonald Credit Service
Michael Plato, CPA
Michael S. Turner, Attorney
Mike Swanson Realty
Mike's Computer Repair, LLC
Mill Creek Nursery
Moby Dick Hotel & Oyster Farm
Naselle Rock & Asphalt Co.
Nisbet Oyster Co., Inc.
Northern Oyster Company
Ocean Park Area C of C
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Oceanside Animal Clinic
Okie's Food Centers, Inc.
Olde Towne Trading Post & Coffee
House
Oman & Son Builders Supply, Inc
Pacific Art & Office Supply
Pacific Coast Cranberry Research
Foundation
Pacific County
Pacific County Historical Society &
Museum
Pacific County Title Company
Pacific Eye Clinic
Pacific Mountain Workforce Consortium
Pacific Realty
Pacific Salmon Charters, Inc.
Peninsula Pharmacies, Inc.
Peninsula Plumbing & Heating
Company
Peninsula Sanitation Service, Inc.
Port of Ilwaco
Port of Peninsula
Pickled Fish
Pioneer Grocery, Inc.
Pioneer Market & Deli
Pitchwood Alehouse & Inn
PUD No. 2 of Pacific County
R & S Financial, LLC
Raymond Federal Bank
River's End Campground
Security State Bank
Shane Resorts, Inc.
Shelburne Inn, Restaurant & Pub
Sid's Super Market, Inc.
Slater's Diner
South Bend Boat, LLC
South Bend Pharmacy
South Bend Products
Sou'wester Lodge and Trailer Park
Sportsmen's Cannery Inc.
The Cabin At Willapa Bay
The Cove Restaurant
The Depot Restaurant
The Picture Attic
Tokeland / North Cove Chamber of
Commerce
Tokeland Hotel & Restaurant
Wilcox & Flegel Fuel Oil Co.
WillaBay at Oysterville Sea Farms
Willapa Harbor Health and Rehabilitation
Willapa Marine Products
Willapa Restaurant & Lanes
World Kite Museum
Your business
here.
Call (360) 642-9330
or (360) 875-9330
or email
[email protected]
to join the Pacific
County Economic
Development Council.
Beware of bogus bills
$20 bills seem
to be the favorite
of counterfeiters
As summer approaches and
the number of visitors soars,
don’t forget to be vigilant
when accepting bills.
Just one “fabulous fake” can
destroy the day’s profits.
South Bend Police Chief
Dave Eastham said he normally gets reports of one to three
counterfeit bills a year. The last
one was in the summer.
Normally it’s $20 bills, but
he’s seen $10 bills too. It’s a lot
of risk for $10.
Long Beach Police Chief
Flint Wright echoed Eastham’s
comments. “We do get it, but
not a lot of it.”
The $20 bill seems to be the
most common for counterfeiters to pass.
Wright said many merchants use a counterfeit detection pen to help spot fakes.
Counterfeit
currency detector pens
are available
at many office
supply stores.
When you
mark the bill,
the ink turns
gold for genuine currency
and black for
fakes. The
marks fade
away over
time.
The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and
Printing offers free online currency
training programs
http://www.moneyfactory.gov/uscurrency.html
3
Quarterly
Forms due
April 29
941 – L&I – ESD
— Etc.
Continued from Page 1
“When we first started, the
drivers had to get out and lift
the cans,” Carter said. “So our
drivers didn’t last very long.
They got one back injury, get
healed and come back. So a
couple of years, maybe.”
proved landfill.
Peninsula shipped to a site
Regulation
near
The Dalles, Ore., until
The company is regulated by
Cowlitz
County purchased a
the Washington State Utilities
former
Weyerhaeuser
site and
and Transportation Commisbegan using that as a landfill in
sion. Peninsula’s G Permit
the past two years. It’s a signifimeans no other company can
cant savings for the one to
set up shop in its service area.
three trailers a day to stop
Robotic arm in arm
Cities can opt to handle their
north of Longview rather than
Automated route trucks
own service, however.
changed that. Now employees
While the exclusive authori- driving on to The Dalles.
can work until they retire, and
ty keeps competitors from com- Tipping fees
the risk of injury is greatly reing into Peninsula’s service area
The county’s two transfer
duced. It came at a cost,
it also protects customers,
stations generate revenue that
though.
Carter said.
benefits all residents.
“It was a huge expense be“We have customers in
“I don’t think people realize
cause we had to completely
denser areas: Long Beach,
that [Department of Commuautomate,” she said.
Seaview and up to Ocean Park, nity Development] runs part of
That meant buying a new
but then we go all the way out its program on a 10-cent per
route truck, modifying the
to almost Pe Ell,” she said. “And ton tax on all of the garbage
other trucks and distributing
we’ll go down a road with just
that goes through our transfer
the new bins throughout Pen- one customer and the road’s 5 site and the one in Royal
insula’s service area. Automa- miles long. But everybody pays Heights,” Carter said. “And
tion was phased in starting in the same rate.”
that’s how they pay their staff
1989.
The UTC sets the rates for
and fund some of their proA new route truck costs
the company. Applications for a grams. So that’s great for the
about $300,000. A 60-gallon
rate increase are met with an
people who use the transfer
tote that most residents use
audit and scrutiny of the opera- site but there are a lot people
costs $60. The 300-gallon totes tion.
that don’t, but they still get to
used by commercial operations
“We’ve never ever gotten have the recycling drop boxes
are $360.
what we wanted … so we’ll
and that kind of stuff. I’ve al“And they don’t last forevtake whatever they give us,
ways thought it was not really
er,” she said.
and that’s what we operate
fair that not everybody pays
They get a lot of hard use
on,” she said. “So we have a
for the service.”
between day-to-day bumps and small profit margin. Most
Next generation
scrapes to the occasional car
businesses operate on a 25 to
The family’s legacy in refuse
backing into them. The compa- 30 percent profit margin,
hauling continues.
ny has a contractor who patch- we’re like seven.”
Jay’s daughter Mandy works
es and repairs the commercial
That can be a challenge,
in the office. Carter’s nephew
totes, extending the life of the especially when it comes to fuel Ned Bittner manages the transcans.
costs. The company was alfer station.
Some have been in service
lowed to add a fuel surcharge
The family dynamic works
for two years when prices were well for Jay and Diane.
high.
“We’ve been working to“We had to file that
gether for a long time, and we
[request] every other month
get along well,” she said.
with the UTC,” Carter said.
That next generation will
Visit our Website
www.pacificedc.org
4
for 10 years, Carter said.
Road trip
Your dirty paper towels,
cheese-laden pizza boxes and
other non-recyclable material
that ends up in the can starts a
long journey when the garbage
truck picks it up. The landfill in
Long Beach has been closed for
many years, so the solid waste
must be shipped to an ap-
step up when Carter retires in
June. Jay will continue to run
the business. She finds retirement a bittersweet proposal.
“I’ve loved this business, I’ve
really enjoyed it,” she said. “I’m
going to be sad to retire. It’s
ever-changing, you meet a lot
of great people and there a lot
of innovations.”
Continued from Page 1
Around the state, highways are steadily being
blasted out of the ancient
mountains, bringing access
and opportunity to onceremote areas.
After we visited the cemetery we continued on to
Iaeger (pronounced yayger)
where my parents grew up.
The town’s declined the
past 40 years. The highway’s much better, but
downtown’s glory days are
growing ever smaller in the
rearview mirror like the
Norfolk & Western coal
trains that once rolled continually through.
One empty storefront
housed the grocery store; the
faded Montgomery Ward
sign still hangs over another.
The general impression is one
of slow decay.
But the most telling sign,
literally, of the area’s woes
is the sign as you enter
town: “Don’t Give Up;
There’s Still Hope For
McDowell County.”
The people there are my
parents’ childhood friends;
some are family; some are
just people deciding what
to do next. I wish them well
as they find solutions to
their problems.
Here in Pacific County we
struggle with many of the
same issues: unemployment, underutilized downtowns, workforce training
issues and limited opportunity.
I consider it a mission to
help Pacific County capitalize on its assets and grow
stronger.
Our sign should reflect the
strength of what we have to
offer. How about, “Pacific
County: Crossroads of Work,
Play & Opportunity.”
What’s your idea for our
sign?