A stack of lumber waits to be shipped at the Cascade Hardwoods factory south of Chehalis in this file photograph.
A backlog at several shipping ports along the West Coast has resulted in the Port of Chehalis leasing its last available leasable space to a company for storage purposes.
Commissioners of the Port of Chehalis on Thursday approved a six-month lease agreement with Cascade Hardwoods for a facility to be used for temporary storage. Cascade Hardwoods, located at 158 Ribelin Road in the Port of Chehalis, produces lumber from alder, maple and ash.
Port of Chehalis Chief Executive Officer Randy Mueller said the lease gives Cascade six months at a 12,500-square foot building at 103 McBride Court, just off Maurin Road. Financial terms of the lease entail Cascade paying the port $4,500 per month.
Action was taken to approve the lease after an executive session of the port’s commissioners and staff during Thursday’s Port of Chehalis commission meeting.
The company stated it needed the space to store products as a result of the backlog at several West Coast ports that companies ship overseas from. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association came to an agreement last week that ended months of slowdowns at ports such as Seattle and Tacoma, avenues to overseas business that have proved vital for local companies that export and import goods and products between the domestic and international markets.
The lease with Cascade means the Port of Chehalis has no leasable space remaining at the port for at least the next six months, with the only land available now being several properties up for sale at the Chehalis Industrial Park. The port maintains a list and details of those properties at www.portofchehalis.com.
