Jasmine for Port of Olympia

07/04/2025

Wondering what actions the city of Olympia and the Port of Olympia are taking in light of anticipated sea level rise? We’re working together as part of a collaborative to ensure our downtown is resilient. Now you can take a walking tour to learn what’s in store. Join me Wednesday July 30!

“Tour Olympia’s shoreline through the lens of sea level rise
Calling all climate optimists and realists! Explore a new side of Olympia’s Downtown on a hopeful, 1.5-hour guided walking tour showcasing how our community is coming together to meet the challenge of sea level rise.

Join the Olympia Sea Level Rise Collaborative to learn what the City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, and LOTT Clean Water Alliance have accomplished since releasing the Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan, and how your community continues to prepare for the future. On the tour, we’ll explore the environmental history of the area, learn about the impacts of sea level rise on Olympia’s infrastructure and community, and discover the different strategies we’re using to adapt. Along the way, we’ll highlight completed projects and long-term plans designed to prepare for sea level rise over the next decades.

Tour Dates and Times:
Tuesday, July 15 from 3:30–5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 30 from 4–5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 19 from 9–10:30 a.m.

Tour Details:
Duration: 1.5 hours
What to bring: Sun protection, water and comfortable shoes
Meeting location: Steps in front of Olympia City Hall (601 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501)
Registration link: https://forms.gle/z9Nq7xty245JNWPWA

07/04/2025

A heartfelt thank you to the nonpartisan, grassroots League of Women Voters for this forum featuring candidates for Port of Olympia district 3. Please take a few minutes to learn how each would lead the port in its mission to bring sustainable economic development and family wage jobs to our community. Then look for and vote your primary ballots later this month!

thankhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1pGNYdQkcJg

This forum is presented by the League of Women Voters of Thurston County in collaboration with Thurston Community Media. The league of Women Voters is proud ...

07/03/2024

05/09/2024

Update on the Waterfront Center.

The Port of Olympia has been engaged in a multi-year effort to revitalize Olympia's waterfront. In particular, port-owned properties along the East Bay, running from North Point down to the Hands on Children's Museum, remain underutilized and we have not yet realized the full recreational and community potential for access to our waterfront.

Executive Director Alex Smith shared at a work session on Monday that she has sufficient resources to launch this work with a "planned action" -- this involves detailed State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review and preparation of environmental impact statement documents as part of a holistic design for the Port Peninsula. My understanding is, under the Growth Management Act, the City of Olympia would play the leadership role in designating the area for master planning. Port staff are just beginning to reach out to the City to put this work into motion.

The Port has already engaged in significant public process to understand generally the values that the community would like to realize from our waterfront (Vision 2050, conducted in 2017). But from there, we know that initial architect and port-sponsored ideas for proposed redevelopment were not consistent with the community's vision or the Shoreline Management Act, as an RV Resort was proposed for a strip of land just south of the Marina, which the City did not approve.

Under the Planned Action framework, we will be able to ensure that specific development plans:
- account for Sea Level Rise;
- build partnership with the City of Olympia as it engages to restore the Deschutes Estuary and develop its comprehensive planning vision for the next decade and beyond;
-- consider the future of the marine terminal; and
-- fully unlock federal and state funding to remediate historical contamination in Budd Bay.

That said, the Port has already secured resources (thanks to the leadership of our legislative delegation--thank you Rep. Bateman, Rep. Doglio, and Rep. Dolan!) for the initial designs of a waterfront center to be located on one parcel adjacent to the Swantown Marina-- a modest investment that would move forward on a faster timeline than the comprehensive planned action.

The waterfront center meets some immediate needs:
- replacement of marina offices that are beyond their useful life;
- consolidation of port offices so that the port will no longer depend on leasing offices and will ultimately be able to reduce its operating costs;
- creation of some square footage at the waterfront available for community purposes such as classrooms or multipurpose event space, which are in high demand in our community.

Many of my initial concerns about the waterfront center have been addressed--the comprehensive planned action will help us avoid piecemeal development of our unique waterfront and ensure that we can nimbly partner with the private sector, when opportunities emerge that are consistent with the vision that those who live and work in the City of Olympia have for our future.

I have heard from many constituents concerned about how we will account for sea level rise. Port staff and I will be working with Commissioner Maggie McCarty Sanders through the cross-jurisdictional Sea Level Rise committee to ensure that any plans we have are consistent with broader municipal plans to address sea level rise. https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_resources/storm___surface_water/sea_level_rise.php

Thanks to all of you in our community who are working to unlock potential for our families, our small businesses, our wildlife, and our future!

05/03/2024

Pre-order your burger, grab your kids, and join us at the prairie!

It doesn't get much better than bluegrass and burgers at the ranch! We're excited to feature live music from Oly Mountain Boys at our Open House on May 19. The Oly Mountain Boys are a South Puget Sound bluegrass institution, picking and singing around Olympia since 2008.

If you haven't yet pre-ordered your Colvin Ranch grass-fed burger, with fries and house-made condiments from Simply Organic Cafe & Catering, get your order in now before we sell out: https://square.link/u/vNWq0Geo

05/03/2024

Way to go! And a long way still to go!

Our Executive Director Alex Smith was honored to present the keynote address at the Northwest Remediation Conference in Tacoma earlier this week. She was joined by Rob Webb of Dalton, Olmsted & Fuglevand (DOF) who is the lead engineer for Budd Inlet cleanup and restoration. Together they presented on the Port of Olympia’s progress on cleaning up legacy contamination in Budd Inlet, along with the opportunities and challenges that come with a project of such magnitude.

Many thanks to the Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC) for hosting an informative event that brought together hundreds of environmental professionals and exhibitors.

For more information about the Budd Inlet cleanup and restoration project, visit portolympia.com/buddinlet.

05/02/2024

Thank you commissioner Amy Evans Harding and the Mayday Foundation for brightening up my May Day!

03/19/2024

I was so excited today to have our first meeting our new Director Alex Smith.

But I’m also chagrined. To the extent the Port Commission previously authorized moving forward with a waterfront center development, it was premised on being not only an administration building, but also the location of the Estuarium and a “One Water” Tech Center to educate visitors about water quality and wastewater treatment. Without these partners in place, we need to revisit the plan, not move forward to hire an architect to design a building for largely unknown purposes.

We need the market study and larger vision of how the port-owned properties will relate to Olympia’s downtown.

The Port of Olympia Commission decided to place a mixed-use office building called the Marine Waterfront Center near the Swantown Marina on Monday, March 20. Port Commissioner Joe Downing was the …

03/15/2024

Whether you've long been engaged with the Port or have occasionally wondered, "what does the port do?", I hope you will join me at this town hall to meet our new executive director. Voters helped start a new chapter when they elected the current 5-member port commission, and Alex Smith is going to provide the skill and management that allows us to achieve our hopes for community and economic vitality throughout Thurston County. Come, bring your curiosity, your questions, and your values!

Our Mission: Creating economic opportunities and building community for all of Thurston County through responsible resource use.

02/14/2024

A big thank you to the many members of the community who provided input during this recruitment. The commission’s selection of Alex Smith shows that for the next chapter at the Port of Olympia, we are prioritizing the ability to get complex, multijurisdictional environmental cleanup and habitat restoration projects off the ground.

Alex previously served as an environmental director at the Port of Olympia and I heard from a number of constituents concerned about this past experience—from our interview process I trust that Alex understands the role of the executive director and mission of the port, to operate unique public infrastructure assets —not as an end in themselves—but as tools to help achieve greater community objectives.

I hope she will help us create a culture of transparency and sustainability. I also hope we will soon create an opportunity for community members to meet her directly, so she can talk in an open forum about her previous experience at the port, her significant work in the seven years since she left, and the tools she will use to help us operationalize Vision 2050 and other strategic priorities.

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NEWS RELEASE
Feb. 13, 2024

Media contact: Taber Lee

Communications and Marketing Senior Manager

360.528.8048 or [email protected]

Port of Olympia Commission Authorizes Contract Negotiations with Alex Smith as New Executive Director
OLYMPIA - The Port of Olympia Commission is proud to announce the selection of Alex Smith as the new Executive Director. Alex brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this vital leadership role, making her the ideal candidate to facilitate the port's future growth and continued success.

As the Port of Olympia Commission seeks to enhance its strategic direction, it was imperative to find an Executive Director who understands its mission and has a proven track record of accomplishments. The commission believes that Alex meets and exceeds these expectations. The Commission will now authorize Port staff and Port legal counsel to enter contract negotiations.

"We are excited to welcome Alex Smith as the new Executive Director of the Port of Olympia," said Bob Iyall, Chair of the Port of Olympia Commission. "Alex’s strong leadership skills, strategic vision, and dedication to community engagement align perfectly with our priorities. We have full confidence that she will steer the port towards continued success and prosperity."

Alex’s selection comes at a crucial time for the Port of Olympia, as they navigate the challenges and opportunities in fulfilling the Port’s mission. Her forward-thinking approach, combined with her commitment to sustainability and fostering economic development, will be instrumental in positioning the port as a leader in the region.

"I am deeply honored and excited by the commission’s decision to move forward with me as the new Executive Director," said Alex Smith. "I look forward to collaborating with the dedicated staff, commissioners, and stakeholders to enhance the port's operations and economic development, while also prioritizing environmental stewardship and community engagement. Together, we will work towards the port's continued success and contribute to the economic vitality of our region."

Alex Smiths selection as the new Executive Director of the Port of Olympia will be effective once the contract negotiations are final and the contract is ratified by the Port Commission. The Port of Olympia Commission would like to extend its warmest congratulations to Alex and wish her every success in her new role.
About the Port of Olympia

The Port of Olympia is a vital economic engine and community partner, responsible for owning and operating an international marine terminal, Swantown Marina & Boatworks, Olympia Regional Airport, and real estate properties throughout Thurston County. The Port is committed to sustainable practices, economic growth, and community engagement, ensuring a prosperous future for all of Thurston