As we watch the COVID-19 crisis unfold in our communities, many ports are looking for ways to help.  The Tuesday, May 19th Roundtable at 11am focused on these community partnerships--what should ports be thinking about and prioritizing when they are seeking ways to positively impact the economies of the communities they serve. 

Frank Chmelik and his team began the conversation with a helpful discussion of “guard rails,” or where the legal lines are for ports when it comes to using public money to help communities. We also heard the real-life decisions ports are making to help their communities through this crisis now, with Jim Kuntz of the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority and Jim Rothlin of the Port of Bremerton.

You can find the resources and presentations from today’s meeting, along with other important information, on our COVID-19 response page for ports: https://www.washingtonports.org/covid19

In today’s conversation:

·       What constitutes “gifting public funds” versus using money for a proper governmental purpose

·       How one port is setting up grant programs to try to help small business owners

·       Other community support and engagement programs to consider

You can listen to the whole meeting here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/boqrxuu7649c5kr/2020-05-19_Tuesday_Roundtable.mp4?dl=0

Do you have ideas for future topics we could cover in our Tuesday Roundtables? Email your ideas to Washington.ports@washingtonports.org