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.

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True North Bakery will offer grab-and-go breakfast and lunch, with plenty of pastries and treats to go with your coffee.  Owner Mia Peterson hopes that this style of food service will work well to attract people who work at the airport and adjacent Bayview Business Park on their lunch breaks and for business meetings, as well as the local community, visitors and pilots.  Indoor seating is available for anyone who wishes to dine in and enjoy the sights of the airport activity through the windows overlooking the airfield.

“It gives us such pride and joy to have a place to welcome you to visit, try all the new ideas we come up with,” said Peterson.  “We enjoy working with local community and small businesses. This new exciting venture wouldn’t be possible without these connections we’ve made.”

Hours of operation for True North Bakery, located at 15426 Airport Drive in Burlington, will be Monday through Friday 6:30am—3pm, and Saturdays 8am—3pm.  Breakfast offerings include challah French toast, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos and biscuits & gravy.  For lunch, customers can enjoy a variety of soups, sandwiches, pizza and salads.  A pastry case filled with croissants, bars, cookies and other delicious pastries rounds out the offerings.

Visit their website at Truenorthbakery.com to learn more about their story, their delicious menu items, and the wholesale and catering services they offer.

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Representative Rick Larsen (WA-2) coordinated the visit, which included four members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and several staff.  Rep. Larsen, as Ranking Member of the Committee, was joined by Committee Chairman Sam Graves of Missouri, Rep. Julia Brownley and Rep. Mark Desaulnier, both of California.

The visit to Skagit Regional Airport was an excellent opportunity to highlight the Port of Skagit’s success in utilizing federal dollars, primarily grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  These funds are used to make airport improvements, and in turn have served as a catalyst for business growth and private development on the airport.  The Port of Skagit has received more than $38-million from the FAA since 2009 for airport capital projects.  This significant public investment has been matched nearly dollar for dollar with private investment in recent years, with more than $40-million in private development on the airfield.

A key component of the airport’s success is support from the community and local government.  Skagit County has been an instrumental partner in facilitating the growth of the airport through land use protections and by identifying Skagit Regional Airport as a critical public facility in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

“We wish to thank Representative Larsen and the federal delegation for their continued support of Skagit Regional Airport,” stated Sara Young, Port of Skagit Executive Director.  “Today’s visit is a good indication that we are achieving the Port’s mission of job creation, economic opportunity, commerce and public benefit for the Skagit Valley.”

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The Port of Skagit added to its holdings at Skagit Regional Airport with the purchase of two box hangars.

Port Commission formally approved the acquisition of the aircraft hangars during a special meeting last Thursday.  The two separate transactions will provide the Port with nearly 14,000 square feet of additional publicly-owned hangar space along Flightline Road, adjacent to the northwest apron off the main runway.  These strategic purchases align with the Port’s Airport Master Plan, which focusses on general and business aviation growth at Skagit Regional Airport.

“The airport flightline is increasingly critical to conducting the Port’s work of bringing more business aircraft and more jobs to our community, helping us realize our long term goals,” stated Port Commissioner Dr. Kevin Ware.

The first hangar is 3,600 square feet and was purchased from Thomas Paulus for just over $400,000.  The second hangar is just over 10,000 square feet and was purchased from Chuckanut Building LLC for $1.45-million.  By purchasing these two hangars, the Port can make them available to lease to a new or existing aviation-related business.  The purchase also secures important real estate along the flightline that can be used to provide more aviation-related services to meet the growing demand on the airfield.

“In the short term, the Port will lease the buildings to businesses wishing to expand their operations on the airfield, adding jobs and services,” Commissioner Ware said.  “These additional hangars will produce a financial return for the taxpayers and increase revenues for the Port,  so this serves well our future needs and provides short term benefit for existing tenants providing maintenance and other aviation services.”

 Private development at the airport has been booming over the past few years, with six new large hangars constructed or still under construction, and 20 new T-hangars for smaller aircraft.  This private sector investment is a testament to the value of Skagit Regional Airport as a transportation asset to our local community and beyond.  The airport is also experiencing steady growth in international flight arrivals since adding US Customs and Border Protection services in 2019.

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Skagit Regional Airport, which is owned and operated by the Port of Skagit, was recognized as the Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA) 2021 Management Member of the Year.  The award was presented during the WAMA annual conference, which brings together airport management teams and aviation professionals from across Washington state.  Awards are presented to recognize members for excellence in overall airport management and for specific airport projects.  Skagit Regional Airport was honored for outstanding airport management.

In the nomination, submitted by Precision Approach Engineering, the Port’s management team of Sara Young, Heather Rogerson and others were applauded for their response and resilience to the changing landscape of the airport, and the Port’s mindset of looking into the future to identify important projects and selecting capable leaders to accomplish their goals.

“The combined strength of these individuals provides the Port of Skagit with the talent to grow, operate and maintain infrastructure dating back to the 1930’s,” the nomination form states.   “While keeping up with the daily requirements of running the airport, the team is also focused on completing capital improvement projects that support the Port’s mission of providing good jobs for the Skagit Valley community.”

Skagit Regional Airport has recently expanded the apron surface to accommodate large general aviation aircraft and their increased use of the airport.  Several hangar developments are underway, with some nearing completion, to provide additional infrastructure for business and general aviation to grow and bring more economic development opportunities to the community and region.

The Washington Airport Management Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization that works to strengthen airports and airport management in Washington State by connecting aviation professionals throughout the industry.  The group holds conferences, tours, trainings and offers scholarships to support their mission.

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The new exercise equipment was installed last month at the Port of Skagit Nature Trails by the architecture and engineering team from Fisher Construction Group as part of a community service program the company has started.

The Port of Skagit purchased the exercise equipment from a Maple Valley company and worked with the volunteers from Fisher Construction Group to install it along the south trail system, parallel to Higgins Airport Way.

The stations are bright yellow for high-visibility, and offer users the opportunity to add to their running, walking or biking routine.  Each station provides at least two different workout option, including sit-ups, chin-ups, ladder climbs, tricep dips and vertical knee raises to name a few.

The Port of Skagit nature trails have seen a noticeable increase in use over the pandemic from people looking for an outdoor recreational outlet, further illustrating the high value of the trails to the greater community.  Trail users include the Burlington-Edison High School cross country team, organized fun runs, private walking and biking groups, and plenty of individuals with and without leashed pets.

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Heritage Flight Museum was founded in 1996 by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders and his wife Valerie and has been located at Skagit Regional Airport in Burlington since 2014.  This expansion will add a 11,300 square foot hangar building to house a new maintenance facility, as well as two exciting new historical exhibits:  The ’68 Experience and the Earthrise Gallery.

The Earthrise Gallery will include the iconic photograph taken by Anders while piloting the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.  This acclaimed photo of the Earth and some of the Moon’s surface taken from lunar orbit, has been heralded as one of the most significant images of the 20th century.  The gallery will also feature other artifacts and memorabilia from Major General Anders’ storied career.

A groundbreaking event was held March 22^nd, with Bill and Valerie Anders making the ceremonial “first dig” to mark this exciting occasion for the museum and the whole community.

The Heritage Flight Museum houses 15 vintage aircraft, several antique military vehicles, a library and many artifacts donated by veterans.  Most notably, it is also the only museum north of Olympia that flies its vintage aircraft.

For more information, visit Heritage Flight Museum.

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Spinach Bus Ventures, the team who owns Tulip Town, Skagit Acres and the Fairhaven Mill is moving into the restaurant space at the Port of Skagit, bringing their love of the Skagit Valley to the dining table.

The new restaurant, called Skagit Landing, will begin meal service on April 10^th with “grab & go” style breakfast and lunch, and work up to full-service dining in the weeks to follow.  Chef Josie Urbick, who has worked for Seattle Chef Tom Douglas and most recently at Bon Appetit in the Seattle Art Museum, is excited to join her childhood friends on this new venture and is completing the menu and renovations on the restaurant.

No stranger to the local agricultural industry, this hometown investment group hopes to make Skagit cuisine accessible to everyone.  Andrew Miller, CEO of Spinach Bus Ventures explained that the airport location is ideal because visitors will drive through—or fly over—the beautiful agricultural land to arrive at the restaurant.   They plan to source most of their ingredients from local farms, in order to support the local ag industry and to highlight the exceptionally high-quality products from the valley.  Partnering with the Port of Skagit on this endeavor helped all the pieces fall into place.   “We are so fiercely proud of the Skagit Valley and there’s no bigger champion of value-added agriculture than the Port of Skagit.” Miller stated.

Port Commissioner Dr. Kevin Ware shared his enthusiasm for the new Port business, and its focus on local agriculture.  “Our valley and our community are agriculture-based.  It’s a part of our heritage and culture—it’s who we are.”  said Commissioner Ware, “Projects like Skagit Landing, are exactly the kinds of things we should be doing here to encourage the use of products we grow locally.  In addition, as a doctor, eating healthy is an important part of our wellbeing.  Eating locally produced products is a big step in that direction.”

Skagit Landing will begin with Grab & Go meal service and add full-service dining later in the spring.  Eventually, they will add catering services as a way of further connecting with some of the breweries and other businesses located at the Port and throughout the community.

Since 2010, the Port of Skagit has invested substantial resources in infrastructure, research and technology that supports value-added agriculture.  There are currently 18 businesses located on Port property in the value-added agriculture sector.

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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.

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