Opinion - Top opinion

POSTED: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

Western remains interested in cooperation on waterfront

On Sept. 28, as reported in this newspaper, Gov. Chris Gregoire and 100 business and civic leaders marked an important milestone: dedication of the 10,000 square-foot Technology Development Center located at the Port of Bellingham's Innovation Partnership Zone.

This exciting partnership, involving the port, Western Washington University, Bellingham Technical College and industry, is already working with local boat builder All American Marine to develop a low-wake ferry using advanced composite materials. Many more important projects enhancing the economy of our community will spin off from the work at this center.

Such creative partnerships and the commitment to be integrally involved in the life of Bellingham and Whatcom County are at the heart of why we at Western are developing a presence at the Bellingham waterfront. Working in concert with the port and city, Western is exploring how to best be involved at the waterfront and how we can most contribute to the long-term well-being of the community and the county we are all so fortunate to call home. As part of our commitment to Bellingham and Whatcom County, we want to be responsible and responsive stewards of place.

I am sometimes asked: why should Western be located at the waterfront? That is an important question. The waterfront is prime real estate and we must all work together to ensure that this valuable land gets put to the best use. Western is committed to working with everyone in the community to guarantee that any presence we eventually have on the waterfront continues to expand the possibilities for our community, state and region.

Both the port and city have been very encouraging of the university's presence at the waterfront, seeing Western as an important "anchor tenant" that will foster and accelerate growth and investment there. To that end, it is Western's goal to develop programming and build facilities that will become a "destination point" for the people of Bellingham, Whatcom County and beyond. It is our goal to establish programming that fuels the economic engine and improves the quality of life of the region.

There are many examples across the country where the presence of a university in the midst of an economic development project has spurred investment and applied research and fostered highly productive joint private-public ventures, as well as providing hands-on learning. At the Technology Development Center, for instance, students from both Western and Bellingham Tech will receive invaluable job training experience working closely with faculty and business on real-world projects.

I'm also often asked specifically what Western facilities will be at the waterfront. Over several years, the university has explored a number of possibilities and the most likely continues to include in some form a presence of Huxley College of the Environment.

Discussions occurring across campus also include involvement of Western's College of Business and Economics, in order to leverage opportunities in our local and regional economies for green business partnerships. We're also planning facilities that will bring better access to university expertise and added value to the community - be it evening classes for educators or business people or lectures and special events for the entire community.

One of the most important questions, of course, is how will we pay for any presence on the waterfront? And the answer is that right now we're not sure.

The current recession has taken a dramatic toll on Western and our entire community, and both public and private funding sources have dried up. But, like the port and the city, we at Western are using this down time to continue our waterfront planning so that when the economy does rebound we will be prepared to move forward with what is best for our community.

So where does this all leave us? First, Western is still absolutely committed to a presence at the Bellingham waterfront. Yet we're also looking for more opportunities for partnerships with both the private and public sectors. Along with the port, we have established an entity called Western Crossing Development, which will work with the port, Western and private developers on the university's presence at the waterfront.

I am very excited about Western's involvement with the port, city and community on the Bellingham waterfront and am thankful for the progressive work of port commissioners, the City Council and their staffs have put into moving this critically important project forward. I believe the Waterfront District will be a place where recreation, education, innovation, creative private-public partnerships and new benefits to our community and state will abound.

Bruce Shepard is president of Western Washington University