Port of Douglas County Reiterates Request for Chelan PUD to Own Orondo River Park

From a PUD Press Release - Chelan PUD commissioners Monday heard a request from Port of Douglas County board members for the District to take over operation of Orondo River Park on the Columbia River in Douglas County.

PUD staff has been working on options for future operation of the park since last fall when Port staff asked the District to take full ownership, along with operating and maintenance responsibility for the small park just north of the community of Orondo. It’s since been determined that challenges with obligations related to state grant funding for park facilities would make it difficult for the PUD to take ownership.

The Port owns more than 3 acres of the 5-acre park and built it using state recreation funds in 1972.  A 1.4-acre PUD parcel was added in the late 1970s and the day use is cited in the Rocky Reach Dam recreation plan. Chelan PUD leases its portion of the park to the Port under a 1979 lease and operating agreement.

Michelle Smith, Hydro Licensing Compliance director, reviewed legal obligations related to the PUD’s agreement with the Port, the state funding used by the Port to build the park and the recreation responsibility in the federal license to operate Rocky Reach.

The park is open for day use only this season following an assessment that found various safety, code and access deficiencies. Chelan PUD and the Port are sharing 2018 operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of about $50,000.

The Port and PUD are asking the community for comments by June 20 on the changes in park operation.

PUD staff outlined long-term operating options that include:

• Asking the Port to develop a management program for the park to address capital needs, its state funding obligations and alternative funding sources and for the PUD and Port to share O&M costs for another year with no change in license terms - ­ the least-cost alternative
• Removing the day use recreation from the Rocky Reach license
• Subsidizing the Port to continue as park operator at costs to be negotiated, consistent with support given to other park operators, sharing in estimated annual O&M of $50,000-$75,000, with needed capital improvements of $1.5 million-$2.5 million
• PUD operation of the park – the highest-cost alternative - with the PUD paying all O&M and capital costs and adding staff to take care of it.

All options assume there will be no camping, less grass and the PUD property will become a natural area.

Port Executive Director Lisa Parks said having the PUD take over operation is still the Port’s preference. The PUD subsidizing operations is a second choice. The Port is strongly opposed to removing the day use responsibility from the federal license to operate Rocky Reach, Parks said.

Jim Huffman, Douglas Port commissioner and former PUD employee, said budget pressures, especially for increased costs to operate Pangborn Memorial Airport brought on the effort to seek help with operating the park.

Chelan PUD Board President Dennis Bolz noted the cooperative relationship with the Port over the years adding, “I hope it continues in a cooperative vein and we believe it will.”