The Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) honored the Port of Skagit with the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award for the Vessel Turn-in Program the Port hosted at the La Conner Marina last summer.  The Port partnered with several different agencies to coordinate and host the event including Dept of Natural Resources, Dept of Ecology, Skagit County, Swinomish Tribe, NW Straits and others.  Through this program, 49 derelict vessels and more than 109 tons of materials were safely deconstructed and recycled at La Conner Maritime Services and are no longer a threat to the safety or health of our environment, waterways or marine habitat.

In addition, the Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA) recognized the Port with the 2025 WAMA Project of the Year award for several major construction projects at Skagit Regional Airport.  The rehabilitation of Runway 04/22 on the crosswind side of the airfield, along with the rehabilitation of Taxiway A and the main apron were among the major projects completed by the Port last summer.

“Receiving awards from two esteemed organizations like WPPA and WAMA is both an honor and a confirmation that the Port of Skagit is performing important work within our community,” stated Port of Skagit Commissioner Melanie Mankamyer.  “Not only are these projects helping to deliver the Port’s mission, they are investments in two very important areas of our work:  environmental stewardship and developing economic opportunities in the Skagit Valley.”

The mission of the Port of Skagit is “Working Together for the Greater Good of the Skagit Valley.”  The Port focusses much of its efforts on public infrastructure that supports job creation and economic opportunities at each of its five main properties: Skagit Regional Airport, Bayview Business Park, La Conner Marina, SWIFT Center and the soon-to-be developed Watershed Business Park.

The post Port of Skagit Honored with Two Awards appeared first on Port of Skagit.

While the Port’s maintenance teams have been upgrading all Port facilities to LED lighting as needed when old lights burn out, a proactive and complete upgrade at the marina began in earnest several months ago to take advantage of bulk purchasing discounts and rebates from Puget Sound Energy.

This retrofit offers several positives for both the Port, its tenants and guest boaters. The LED lighting has a noticeably brighter light making it safer to walk the docks and ramps after dark, and LEDs don’t fade in intensity or yellow as they age like fluorescent bulbs are known to do.  Plus, the LED life expectancy is 6-10 times longer than fluorescent lights.

Perhaps the most measurable benefit of this upgrade is the operating costs of LED in comparison to fluorescent lights.  In total, 273 lights in the north and south basins alone were upgraded to LED, for an estimated savings of more than $2,500 annually, just in power consumption.  The decrease in ongoing maintenance and labor demands brought about by the longer life span of the LED bulbs will also provide additional savings to the Port.

“The Port of Skagit continues to support initiatives that provide benefit to our tenants and communities, while reducing maintenance costs to the Port,” stated Port Commission President Steve Omdal.  “Our maintenance staff have transitioned our marina lights to LED bulbs resulting in superior lighting while reducing Port energy costs.  It’s a win-win.”

LED upgrades are also occurring at other Port of Skagit sites, including Skagit Regional Airport, Bayview Business Park, and the SWIFT Center.  The Port maintenance team pushed to complete the La Conner Marina LED upgrade ahead of the busy boating season that begins in the spring.

In addition to the docks, La Conner Marina lighting upgrades were also completed in parking lots, street lights, the marina maintenance shop, RV Park, storage units, and various buildings and locations on the property.

The post La Conner Marina Completes LED Lighting Upgrade appeared first on Port of Skagit.

A new high-speed passenger ferry built by Mavrik Marine in La Conner has arrived in San Francisco.

The MV Dorado, which was built at and delivered from the La Conner Marina, was christened in a public ceremony at the Port of San Francisco on May 27.  It’s the newest high-speed passenger ferry in the fleet of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA).

The MV Dorado has a 320-passenger capacity and a service speed of 36 knots, making it the fastest vessel in WETA’s fleet.   MV Dorado is also the first boat built for WETA that can safely dock at any of the system’s 12 ferry terminals.

The Mavrik Marine vessel will help serve one of the fastest growing transit operators in their region, with more than 3 million passengers in 2019.  The event on the San Francisco waterfront last month marked the commissioning of the MV Dorado as it enters the WETA fleet for service.

Mavrik Marine has been a Port of Skagit tenant at the La Conner Marina since 2012 and specializes in the construction of aluminum commercial boats, including ferries and fishing vessels.  It was exactly one year ago that Mavrik Marine and the Port held a ribbon-cutting event to mark the opening of Mavrik Marine’s newly expanded facility at the La Conner Marina—a facility that was built large enough to house the construction of the 140-foot vessel.

“It’s not often known that boats of this size and sophistication are being built here in our community and have been for nearly a decade.   In addition to the facilities, we have a good reservoir of skilled, maritime workers, ” stated Port Commissioner Kevin Ware.  “The Port of Skagit is fortunate to have entrepreneurial thinkers like Zac Battle at Mavrik Marine on our site.  Contracts like the one between Mavrik and WETA bring in millions of dollars of new revenue to our community.  When something is built here and exported, it produces a net positive economic impact to our area which translates to good paying jobs and business growth.”

According to WETA Public Information Manager Thomas Hall, the transit authority plans to rotate the MV Dorado among its routes to collect operational data and allow passengers across the ferry system to experience the boat.  Mavrik Marine is under contract for a total of four ferries with WETA, with construction underway for the second vessel in the Dorado class, the MV Delphinus.

The post Mavrik Marine Ferry Christened in San Francisco Bay appeared first on Port of Skagit.

The La Conner Marina was constructed in 1970 with the development of the south basin, followed by the completion of the north basin in 1978.   The goal was to create a much needed small-boat harbor to serve maritime traffic through the Swinomish Channel and to bring more jobs and economic opportunities to the community.  Today, the Port is working with a consulting team, including the Schuster Group, Makers Architecture and PND Engineers to explore future possibilities of the 13 acres of marina property between Sullivan Slough and the marina’s north basin.  This property includes a collection of buildings, the Port’s RV Park and storage facility, and the Town of La Conner Public Works building.

Through a series of work sessions with the consultants, several potential uses have been identified, including mixed used development, which could include a residential component, marine services and other commercial uses.

Given that Port districts are mandated by the state legislature to focus on economic development opportunities in their respective communities, it’s generally not the Port’s role to focus on housing.  But the Port of Skagit understands that workforce housing is a significant issue impacting employers today, which has led the team to look at and consider mixed use options.

One of the goals for the redevelopment is to identify upland uses that would allow the Port to generate capital funding for the replacement of the marina in-water infrastructure.  The Port is also looking for ways to create more public access to the water, to complement the good work the Town has done with the boardwalk as a way of connecting downtown.

The Port of Skagit will be joining the La Conner Town Council and Planning Commission at a public meeting on Tuesday, May 17^th at 6:00pm at Maple Hall in La Conner to hear from consultants and continue the visioning process for the property.  The public is encouraged to attend and provide feedback.

While it’s still early in the process, the Port of Skagit hopes by this September to have a vision for marina redevelopment, financial modeling, and recommendations for zoning changes to bring forward to the Town of La Conner.

The post Port Looking at Redevelopment of La Conner Marina appeared first on Port of Skagit.

Construction of the 17,266 square foot Port-owned manufacturing facility on Pearle Jensen Way was completed this spring, adjacent to Mavrik’s office and existing manufacturing building.

Mavrik Marine specializes in the construction of aluminum commercial boats.  This new, larger facility will accommodate the construction of boats that are simply too large for their existing space.  Mavrik is under contract to build up to five high-speed, 300+ passenger ferries for the San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transportation Authority, or WETA.

The Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) supported the project with $3-million in a combination of grant and low-interest loan funding, while Skagit County provided $300,000 in economic development grant funding for public infrastructure.  “The Port has been very successful in leveraging funding opportunities for public-private partnerships that are helping businesses expand their footprint and create more jobs,” stated Port Commissioner Kevin Ware.

Mavrik Marine was also able to secure federal funding through the U.S. Maritime Administration, commonly known as MARAD, to support the purchase of manufacturing equipment for the new facility.

Mavrik Marine anticipates adding 25-30 new jobs with this expansion and growth.  The Port of Skagit’s mission is “Good Jobs for the Skagit Valley” and the Port focusses on economic development opportunities in four main sectors including marine manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing, general manufacturing and value-added agriculture.

The post Mavrik Marine Facility Expansion Complete appeared first on Port of Skagit.

The day included tours and conversations with representatives from Island Grown Farmers’ Cooperative, Corporate Air Center, Systima Technologies, Dyberg Aviation and Mavrik Marine.  Representatives from each of the businesses, along with Port staff, shared project updates with the District 2 Congressman, discussed the Port’s role in economic recovery, and how working with the Port has benefited their businesses.

“We couldn’t have done it without the Port’s partnership,” stated Zachery Battle, owner of Mavrik Marine.  “I can’t imagine a better situation with them.”  The Port is nearing completion of a 17,000 s.f. building for Mavrik Marine that was funded by a combination of state and local funding. The Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) Committed Private Partner Program provided $3 million in grant and loan funding, a Skagit County economic development grant offered $300,000, and the Port of Skagit supported the project with $500,000 in capital funds.

Port of Skagit Commissioner Kevin Ware explained that adding more infrastructure will in turn attract more businesses and create more jobs—which is the core mission of the Port of Skagit.   “The Port of Skagit has the unique opportunity to focus primarily on economic development.  With that, we have been very successful in leveraging funding opportunities for public-private partnerships that are helping businesses expand their footprint and create more jobs.”

Representative Larsen serves as the Chair of the Aviation Sub-Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, so the FAA-funded apron expansion at Skagit Regional Airport was of particular interest to him.  The Federal Aviation Administration provided approximately $4.5-million of $5-million project, an investment that will continue to build business development opportunities at the Port of Skagit and job creation in our community.

The post U.S. Representative Rick Larsen Tours Port of Skagit Projects appeared first on Port of Skagit.