California’s Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) alleges that Cal Poly Humboldt has been misusing the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center (HBAC) for its scenic views and now swanky administrative office space – thanks to a recent $412,000 renovation. The university is not, the breach of contract notice charges, fulfilling its commitment to boating instruction and safety training.“[Cal Poly Humboldt] is not using the [HBAC] for the purposes for which the building was funded, or for which the property was leased from the city and approved by the state lands commission,” stated a notice of breach of contract notice sent to Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson Jr. in Dec. 2023. The notice outlined the key problem – that without notice nor written approval, which is required by the operating agreement, Cal Poly Humboldt transformed boater-funded classrooms, offices and storage spaces into alumni fundraising offices, private club rowing, storage of private club vessels and support for private university fundraising activities.In understanding the breach of contract, it is helpful to recognize the complex web of involvement at the HBAC between the city of Eureka, the state of California and Cal Poly Humboldt. In summary, the Department of Boating and Waterways put forth $4.067 million to fund the construction of the facility, as well as $702,000 since 2003 to offset the costs of the university’s ongoing boating instruction and safety training. Cal Poly Humboldt leases the land the facility sits upon from the city of Eureka. Though the HBAC is fully owned and operated by the university, an operating agreement between the DBW and the university, as well as a lease agreement between Eureka and the university, outline specific guidelines for the expected uses of the facility, many of which have not been fulfilled by the university, according to DBW.Read the rest of the Lumberjack articleFor more info:
Private energy company Crowley Wind Services’s exclusive right to negotiate [ERTN] with the Port of Humboldt Bay – a partnership announced with great fanfare 16 months ago – will expire at the end of the month without the anticipated agreement enlisting Crowley to develop and operate a heavy-lift marine terminal on the Samoa Peninsula, the Outpost has learned.Representatives for both Crowley and the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District say they remain confident about the future of the port development project, especially given the $426 million Department of Transportation grant announced in January, but the dissolution of a formal agreement between the two parties makes it unclear what level of involvement, if any, Crowley will have in that project.Read More
Join us for the first in a special series on sea level rise featuring local residents who share their thoughts on the challenges and potential solutions facing our region.According to King Salmon resident Nate Faith, “If we don’t do anything, we’ll have significant flooding often enough that it may impact our ability to live here.”Many thanks to Marnie Atkins, Jerry Rohde, Nate Faith, Troy Nicolini, Adam Canter, and to Jessie Eden, who produced this episode with funding provided by the California Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grant Program.
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On January 11, 2024, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District committed to developing a green terminal strategy for the new offshore wind terminal. This is a big win for Humboldt Bay and the climate!
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The Port of Virginia rang in the New Year by celebrating an impressive accomplishment: it is now entirely powered by clean energy, becoming the first East Coast port to accomplish the feat.The Port of Virginia is powering all of its terminals with electricity from clean resources and accelerating its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2040. This milestone puts the port eight years ahead of its original 2032 benchmark of using clean energy to power operations.The port was already sourcing some of its electricity for its on-terminal cargo operations from renewable sources and a power purchase agreement approved by the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners meant to expand access to clean energy. The agreement allowed the Virginia Department of Energy to allocate an additional 10% of the energy from 345 MW of solar projects from Dominion Energy along with the port’s proportionate share of the original contract.Keep Reading