Port of Bellingham commissioners have authorized a contract to create an economic development strategy for Point Roberts to help its recovery from lingering post-pandemic effects. The board approved the staff recommended project at its November 5 regular Tuesday meeting.
Three companies had competed for the contract: the winning bid was entered by Maul, Foster and Alonghi (MFA), a large consulting firm with offices in Bellingham and seven other locations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. MFA has done previous studies for the Port and was recently selected to perform an inventory and strategic study of Whatcom County industrial lands as part of the county’s comprehensive plan update due by the end of 2025. The bid was accepted for a price of $89,900.
The two other firms bidding on the job included a local group headed by David Stumpo, president of Aptrex Institute. Stumpo’s expertise and experience lies mostly in transit operations and other group members included local community members Brian Calder, International Marketplace owner Ali Hayton and former water district manager Dan Bourks. Two other consultants based in California and Maryland rounded out the Aptrex group. The Altrex proposal would have cost $138,950.
The other firm submitting a bid was Greenhouse South LLC located in Puerto Rico and North Dakota. The firm’s estimated total cost for the project was $35,000.
The three bids were evaluated on a scoring matrix that compared the three plans on various measures with a total possible score of 100 points. MFA received 98 points followed by Greenhouse with 69 and Aptrex with 43. Measures included local knowledge, engaging with local stakeholders, economic and market analyses, strategic planning, costs and budget and others.
Interesting, one of the data points considered whether the proposal identified “creative solutions to reducing travel costs to this difficult to reach community.” Both MFA and Greenhouse received 5 out of 5 possible points while Altrex, the only bidder that had local community members on staff, only received 1 point.
Port of Bellingham director of real estate and local resident Elliott Smith discussed the project during the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting held November 14 at Kiniski’s Reef Tavern. Smith related how he and Gina Stark from the Port’s economic development team had attended a Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee meeting “roughly six or seven months getting educated on the last study performed 20 years ago,” adding, “It was pretty clear something new was needed, something that was focused on implementation in the future.”
That realization, coupled with the availability of grants from the state department of commerce, led to the decision to fund the strategy project. Of the $89,900 project cost, $18,000 will be borne by the Port while $72,000 will be applied to a Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERT) grant.
Smith told attendees that “Rob Fix is our executive director and he’s been looking for ways that [the Port] could participate here in Point Roberts to get things moving a little bit.”
The project, as outlined by MFA, would involve four main tasks and would take until September 2025 to finalize. One task would be to conduct a feasibility study and scenario analysis which would include the identification of areas of where development will create economic opportunities. Infrastructure cost estimates, funding analysis, targeted businesses, and stakeholder feedback would constitute beginning phases of the project.
A total of three community meetings are anticipated over the course of the study. While these had initially been proposed as virtual, according to Smith, these will now be in person meetings.
The creation of an action plan will occur in the May-September 2025 time period. According to MFA, the “plan is intended to be a road map for advancing all aspects of the strategy; it addresses funding and financing, permitting and regulations, key next steps and timelines.”
A final report will be issued by September 2025 at the latest. For more information and to look at the three proposals and the decision matrix, go to bit.ly/40XlbZy.
Point Roberts Economic Development Study:
Proposal by Greenhouse South LLC:
Proposal by APTREX:
Decision making matrix used by the Port of Bellingham:
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