Small Town News

Citys Insitu proposal invites quick response

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If Goldendale can help it-- and it's trying hard--Bingen-based Insitu will take up residence in the industrial park.

Goldendale, along with a lot of other areas, is actively soliciting Insitu's favor. The Bingen-based company is looking into relocating, and municipalities all along the Gorge are pitching their charms to it. Ever since word of its possible relocation got out, the company has been the recipient of ardent municipal valentine cards, in the form of hefty proposals as city after city in Washington and Oregon tries to convince Insitu that it could do no better than move to their location.

The city of Goldendale's proposal is fine-tuned and to-the-point--and it includes notice that if Insitu wants to operationally arrive in town within its own declared time frame, it will need to have agreements in place with the city by Oct. 1, this year.

"We indicated that if they want to stay in their time frame, then we'd need agreements in place by that time," says Goldendale City Adminstrator Larry Bellamy. "To do what they need done in the amount of time they've proposed," which is to move into a new location by December 2011, "that's what we'd need."

Bellamy considers that the city's proposal presents its assets to maximum advantage. "It does a good job of presenting Goldendale in the best possible light," he says. "It puts our best foot forward. The question now is whether or not the city's assets fall into line with Insitu's priorities.

"Anything's possible," Bellamy adds of the possibility that Insitu might indeed respond to the city in time to have agreements in place by Oct. 1. "It just depends on what obstacles are in their way. Everyone is interested in moving forward as quickly as possible."

Goldendale's proposal is one of several from Klickitat and Skamania counties which were bound together in a voluminous document delivered with a cover letter from Gov. Christine Gregoire to Insitu's Vice President, Stephen Nordland, on Aug. 6. The document represents efforts from several municipalities and organizations to woo Insitu to their locations, in response to the company's Request for Information (RFI) sent out to begin a search for a suitable place to consolidate its operations at a new location. In its RFI, the company stipulated that its request be kept in confidence, but from the beginning it was the worst-kept secret around town. Once responses came from public agencies, the information became publicly available.

Goldendale's 17 pages in the governor's document include a two-page cover letter from Bellamy and Commercial/Industrial Specialist Kelly Shea. Shea was tasked with preparing the city's proposal and developing a creative design for an Insitu campus.

The cover letter is a broad outline of the city's advantages and outlines how the Insitu campus here would be comprised. The city has proposed a location in the industrial park off Columbus Avenue.

"The location will be in the city of Goldendale on a site large enough to accommodate Insitu's conceptual campus," the letter states. "The Campus will be in a setting to locate the buildings in a design that will be a functional working park." It goes on to say that initially there will be an executive office building, with additional office buildings, a research and development facility, manufacturing, and warehousing to follow.

The city is prepared to allow Insitu anywhere between 28 and 135 acres, with the size to be determined ultimately by square-feet of buildings, parking, and desired expansion. Common area amenities are to include a campus setting, walk ways, bicycle paths, and park-like picnic areas.

Following in the proposal are considerations for lease or sale for the property to Insitu, options to expand, an overview of the site conditions, zoning, emergency services, utilities, occupancy timing, and financing. "This is a two-year project to complete after agreements are in place," the city's letter states. "The schedule of events consists of engineering, design, architectural, partial gardening, and permitting to be done simultaneously with an estimated time of six months." Bidding would take another two months, and construction from beginning to occupancy a total of 18 months. With no definitive information from Insitu on campus design and building sizes, the city's time frame is a best estimation.

Goldendale is proposing that funding be provided by private investors, either from developers who already have investors to finance a build-to-suit situation, which then could be sold to Insitu or from other investors specializing in long-term leased properties.

An available and highly skilled work force located in Goldendale is cited as an additional major advantage. Other significant draws mentioned are the city's reasonable housing rates, low property taxes, competitive energy rates, a reliable water supply, the area's security and low crime rate, police and fire services, and a local hospital.

All that is just the cover letter.

Following it are several pages going into more detail on the city's demography, history, Community Action Plan, services and amenities, schools, public works services, parks and recreation, outdoors activities, art and culture, and the area's renown for wineries.

Goldendale's proposal is positioned about three-quarters of the way through the governor's document. It begins with a strong summary of the overall advantages of doing business in Washington (Oregon, also pitching its appeal, has submitted a similar document to Insitu.) Section six of the proposal begins Klickitat County's proposal, which includes site proposals from Bingen Cove (in association with Dickey Farms and SDS Lumber), Husum Hills Golf Course in White Salmon, Killian Pacific/Cox Mountain, The Dalles Municipal Airport in Dallesport, the Port of Klickitat, and Columbia Gorge Municipal Airport in Dallesport.

Copies of the governor's proposal provided to specific counties omit the proposals submitted for other counties. Klickitat County's copy of the document, for example, does not include proposals from Skamania County.

"[The proposal] does a good job of presenting Goldendale in the best possible light. It puts our best foot forward. The question now is whether or not the city's assets fall into line with Insitu's priorities."

Larry Bellamy, Goldendale City Administrator



Copyright 2009 The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 The Goldendale Sentinel Goldendale, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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