TagPort Of Seattle(1998)

A June 1979 Port of Seattle internal memorandum recommends converting the Port's telephone system from WATS to SCAN (State Controlled Area Network) and ESS (Electronic Switching System) in a two-phase changeover. The switch was projected to save $25,680 annually, with one-time non-recurring charges of approximately $19,000 expected to be recovered in less than nine months. The staff review session agenda also included a discussion of repairs to the Terminal 5 Apron.

A 1979 Port of Seattle memo from Airport Acquisition Manager George Sutter to the Citizens Advisory Committee for Hardship outlines Tom Fest's application for hardship acquisition of his property (Parcel Z-685), prompted by unexpected sewer hook-up costs totaling approximately $5,900. The Port expected to purchase the property within two to three years, but the Fest family sought an immediate buyout due to financial strain. As an alternative, Mr. Fest threatened to subdivide the property via short plat — a move that would increase the Port's eventual acquisition costs — but indicated he would abandon that plan if hardship acquisition was approved.

In April 1979, the Citizens Advisory Committee recommended that the Port of Seattle pursue early acquisition of a property owned by Tom Fest (parcel Z-685) under hardship status. The Committee determined that a quick purchase would benefit both parties, urging the Port to promptly establish a fair price and the owner to sell the property as a single parcel rather than subdividing it into three lots. The recommendation also specified that the owner should not be required to pay sewer hook-up costs before the sale unless the Port agreed to them.

A April 6, 1979 memorandum from George Sutter, Airport Acquisition Manager at the Port of Seattle, notifies the Citizens Advisory Committee for Hardship of a meeting scheduled for April 10, 1979 at 2:00 PM at the Relocation Office. The meeting concerns a hardship application filed by Tom Fest and his family regarding Parcel Z-685. Supporting documentation from Mr. Fest and the Board's recommendation for Parcel Z-296 from the March 20th meeting are included as enclosures.

A March 1979 letter from Deputy Ombudsman Rella E. Foley to Messrs. Stockdale and Sutter details the financial hardship of a Mr. Fest, whose annual income of approximately $6,000 makes it impossible for him to afford sewer connection payments. Foley recommends that the DesMoines Sewer District allow Mr. Fest a temporary sewer connection while the Port of Seattle moves quickly to acquire his property, noting that delays forcing him to pursue a short plat subdivision would ultimately cost taxpayers more. The letter was copied to legal counsel for both the DesMoines Sewer District and the Port of Seattle.

In March 1979, the Citizens Advisory Committee recommended that the Port pay an additional $3,760 to Marian Berdan (Parcel Z-296) in connection with the acquisition of her property near Sea-Tac Airport. The committee determined that the Port had caused a 20-month delay in settling the sale, and that a fair 1977 value of $39,500, adjusted upward by 25% to account for that delay, yielded a total property value of $51,250 — exceeding the $47,500 already paid. The remaining items in the appellant's proposal were dismissed as relying on extraordinary interpretations of federal, state, and FAA regulations.

House Bill 1191, introduced in Washington State's 46th Legislature in 1979, proposed changes to how Port of Seattle commissioners are elected. The bill would put before voters a measure to elect three port commissioners from geographic commissioner districts and two additional commissioners chosen at large from the port district as a whole. It also established that in class AA counties with nine councilmanic districts, like Seattle, there would be three port commissioner districts each containing three councilmanic districts.

Washington State House Bill 1191, introduced in 1979, amends laws governing port district commissioners in the state, covering how candidates file for office and how commissioner positions are numbered and assigned. The bill updates rules for port districts in Class AA counties, including provisions for expanding commissions from three to five members, with some commissioners elected by district and others chosen at large. While this bill governs port district governance structure, it does not directly address airport noise policy.

A memorandum from research analyst Jay Holman to Representatives Barnes and Rohrbach proposing legislative language to allow counties to reorganize port districts and change how port commissioners are selected. The proposal includes provisions for separating port functions and modifying commissioner election methods.

This 1979 Washington State legislative act amends the definition of an 'impacted area' for aircraft noise abatement purposes near airports. It expands the eligible zone from three to six miles beyond the paved end of any runway, and from fifteen hundred to thirty-three hundred feet from the runway centerline, within which port districts may undertake noise mitigation programs. Areas meeting these geographic criteria are officially designated as 'impacted areas' subject to noise investigation and abatement efforts.