HomeMy WebLinkAboutPort's public discussion re_ EDC and for ICG April 23 2026ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
I read the recent PDN article regarding some Port officials’ interest in directing their $46,000 annual contribution away from the EDC. Although I couldn't find an agenda, I understand
this topic is being discussed at this Thursday’s ICG meeting. I offer the following comments for consideration.
Economic development is a long game requiring sustained commitment and readiness to act when opportunities arise. The EDC exists to provide that capability, and its value is best understood
through outcomes over time.
Consider broadband. Jefferson County PUD #1 has now secured more than $23 million to expand broadband service to underserved rural residents. That trajectory began in 2010, when the
EDC partnered with NoaNet to build out the county’s broadband backbone, including closing the Saffo Gap and wiring downtown Port Townsend. At that time, the PUD was not a broadband
utility. According to NoaNet’s Mike Henson, without the EDC convening 25 supporting entities across business, government, and utilities, Jefferson County would not have received the
initial $2.5 million that helped launch what is now the PUD’s broadband utility. Today, broadband represents roughly 40% of the PUD’s annual capital investment, and rural buildout continues.
This is the long game in action.
Another example: between 2007 and 2009, the EDC brought in WSU’s Energy Audit team to analyze operations at Port Townsend Paper. That work helped secure a multi-million dollar USDA REAP
grant to improve boiler efficiency, significantly reducing both costs and emissions. Today, the industrial sector is the only sector in Jefferson County to achieve substantial carbon
reductions—over 50%—with Port Townsend Paper reducing emissions by more than 70,000 metric tons of CO2e annually. Again, a long-term outcome made possible by early coordination and
readiness.
The EDC has also quietly provided essential support to entrepreneurs—vetting ideas, helping refine viable concepts, and preventing costly missteps. Many local businesses operating today
benefited from that early guidance.
In addition, the EDC vets and manages incoming requests for LION investments, which have totaled more than $13 million to date, largely supporting local businesses.
In closing...
The EDC is a vital community organization and should not be under the thumb of any particular government institution. What started as a seemingly unscheduled discussion during a Port
meeting has now come to the ICG. It is moving way too fast and totally without community involvement. The whole premise of having an ICG meeting on this subject circumventing the
EDC Board and without community involvement is wrong. There are provisions in the Five Party Agreement defining how this should move forward. This needs to be an open community discussion
not something rushed into an essentially unannounced and improperly posted meeting.
Slow down. Map out a process. Get our community involved. Maybe even have the four ICG parties state exactly what they want to see from an EDC as a starting point.
Thank you for your consideration and for your continued work on behalf of our community.
Sincerely,
Bill Wise
Co-Founder & Former Chair
EDC Team Jefferson