Port plants SEED of the future

The Port of Bremerton has joined forces with a local consulting group to create a business center it hopes will not only bring new companies and jobs to Kitsap County but support progress in providing alternative energy sources.

CEO Ken Attebery said the Port has contracted with Sustainable Synergy, recently formed by former Kitsap County Commissioner Tim Botkin and Mark Frost, to create a development concept for a business campus that embraces sustainable energy and building technology on a 40-plus acre section of its Olympic View Industrial Park.

The project, known as Sustainable Economic and Energy Development (SEED) is designed to “further the economic development activities of the port, Kitsap County and the region,” Attebery said, explaining that the project also matches the port’s overall vision for the industrial park.

Made up of approximately 560 acres, the park is located directly across State Route 3 from the Bremerton National Airport, and split into two halves — a northern and southern section.

Currently, Attebery said only about 100 acres in the northern part of the park are leased, primarily for heavy-industry uses such as metal recycling, propane tank farms, a concrete plant and waste management.

“We would like to designate the southern half for more research- and development-oriented companies, more low-impact industry,” he said.

Attebery said the port has agreed to pay Sustainable Synergy $25,000 for a combination land-use planning and marketing effort, which includes not only creating a concept plan but recruiting businesses and finding funding for the campus.

According to the contract, a draft plan should be presented within two months, with a final plan due in six months.

The other deliverables include:

n a survey and summary of other similar, successful developments in other communities;

• a list of not fewer than 300 businesses that were contacted and solicited to join the development; and,

• demonstration of the consultants’ effort to obtain grants or other financial support from businesses, organizations or governmental agencies.

Attebery said if the consultants do secure other funding, the port has agreed to match, up to $25,000, any grants the group secures from other sources, on top of the $25,000 payment already agreed upon.

Sustainable Synergy first proposed the plan to the port in a presentation June 22, where it detailed projections about energy production in the United States, predicting that technologies supporting alternative, or non-petroleum based, and renewable energy sources will be emphasized in the future.

The group then proposed a strategy for creating a “sustainable campus” on port property that would attract businesses focuses on alternative energies.

The consultants are expected to present a draft concept plan in late November, which will outline the general location of all potential buildings, parking lots, stormwater facilities and open spaces, among other specifications.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.