2012/12/18 Council Agenda Packet

LaConner Office Everett Office P.O. Box 5934 � 2702 Federal Ave. LaConner,Washington 98257 Everett, Washington 98201 •1-800-476-31 14 (425) 259-4163 TOWING COMPANY (360) 466-3114 Fax: (425) 259-6305 Fax: (360) 466-3116 www.DunlapTowing.com December 18, 2012 Dear Everett City Council, As the president of a long standing business on the Everett waterfront, I strongly encourage you to approve the Planning Commission's recommendation to retain the M2 zoning for the Central Waterfront Planning Area and keep that portion of Everett's waterfront a working waterfront. Dunlap Towing Company is a tug and barge company that has been operating in Puget Sound since 1925 and making port calls in Everett since that time. In 1978, we expanded our operations and established an office and maintenance facility in Everett and today base our ocean going fleet out of Everett harbor. In addition to maintaining, repairing, manning, and supplying our fleet of 25 tugs in Everett, we have an active harbor service for other parts of our business and other businesses in the region. We service our wood chip reload located on the Snohomish River and we maintain log storages in the Snohomish river delta to support our many wood products customers in the Everett area and around Puget Sound. We employ 220 people with an annual payroll in excess of$13,100,000. We are also partners in Dunlap Industrial Hardware on Marine View Drive which employs 20 people and has an annual payroll of about $625,000. Both companies rely on Everett's waterfront industries, deep water port, and the continued opportunity for and health of those businesses. Both companies need more space at the port not less space. Deep water moorage with adjacent uplands in West Coast ports has become very limited. It's critical to preserve the few remaining industrial waterfront areas for marine dependent businesses such as ours. Too much of the waterfront has already been transitioned to mixed use/light use for retail, manufacturing and other uses that don't need the water to exist. We need the waterfront in order to exist and Everett and its citizens and businesses need companies like ours to exist. Everett has the unique-opportunity to do that. So please, keep this section of the Everett Waterfront what it has always been- an industrial working waterfront that allows water dependent businesses to produce family wage jobs for the citizens of Everett. Truly yours, s Ja es L. Dunlap Pre.ident I lap Towing Company