Orchard next to Pangborn slated for $365,000 removal

EAST WENATCHEE — The Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority will seek bids to remove nearly 44 acres of aging orchard next to Pangborn Memorial Airport, months after acquiring the property as a long-term measure to protect compatible land uses around the airport.

The Regional Port has budgeted $365,000 for the Van Well Orchard Removal Project. Commissioners authorized staff Sept. 8 to solicit bids for removal of the trees, rootstock and irrigation system, followed by grading and seeding of the property.

The Regional Port acquired the Van Well property after commissioners began considering the purchase earlier this year as a way to protect land around Pangborn from future uses that could conflict with airport operations. About 10 acres of the property fall within an FAA clear zone near the airport's main runway.

The acquisition was not tied to an immediate development project. Port leaders instead described controlling the property as a way to preserve compatible land uses near the runway and protect Pangborn's long-term options as development pressures increase around the airport.

With the property now under Port ownership, staff faced a more immediate question: what to do with the existing orchard.

Staff evaluated its condition and the possibility of finding a tenant to manage it, but determined the orchard was in poor condition and would be difficult to continue operating.

Commissioner Donn Etherington said he toured the property with Director of Property and Maintenance Ron Russ and Director of Airports Trent Moyers and found the orchard in rough shape.

“It looked like they hadn’t pruned at all this year,” Etherington said. “It was overcrowded. There were trees that were dying.”

Neighboring orchardists have also raised concerns about leaving the property unmanaged, including the potential for pests from the deteriorating orchard to affect nearby commercial operations. Russ has been working to keep the orchard sprayed in the meantime to prevent pest problems while the Port prepares for removal.

An estimate prepared for the project put the work at approximately $335,900, including $109,750 for tree removal, $65,850 for grading and $160,300 for seeding. The Regional Port's supplemental budget includes $365,000 for the project.

Staff hopes to move quickly enough to complete the work before winter. The anticipated schedule calls for bids to be received in early October, with a contract potentially awarded at the board's first October meeting and removal completed by December.

The discussion shifted near the end of the item from getting rid of the orchard to what might happen to nearly 44 acres worth of trees once they are removed.

Commissioners questioned whether the bid specifications could provide enough flexibility for contractors to find productive uses for the woody material, particularly if doing so could reduce the cost of disposal.

Biochar was among the possibilities raised. Commissioners also discussed composting and other potential destinations for the chipped material, although officials noted they do not know the complete history of products that may have been sprayed on the orchard, which could affect whether the material is suitable for some uses.

Rather than selecting a particular use, commissioners encouraged staff to keep its options open, including considering whether material with an alternative use or market value could reduce the overall cost to the Port.

Staff said the Port may need to consult with legal counsel about how much flexibility could be incorporated into a public works bid and how alternatives could be evaluated alongside price.

The discussion also touched on the Regional Port's broader interest in industrial symbiosis, in which waste or byproducts from one operation can become useful material for another.

The board unanimously authorized CEO Jim Kuntz to advertise for bids on the Van Well Orchard Removal Project.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media