Next Fall Should Bring Activity To Former Kimberly-Clark Site At Port Of Everett

Today was the groundbreaking and next fall operations are on track to start at the Port of Everett’s Norton Terminal on the waterfront in Everett, Washington. Here’s a recap of today’s groundbreaking by the Port.

Today, the Port of Everett hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of construction for the Port’s $36M Norton Terminal Development and Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Interim Action Cleanup at the former Kimberly-Clark mill site.

The Port was joined by local, state and federal leaders, project partners and community members for the celebration. The program included remarks by Port officials, U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s Office, U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, City of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Representative Mike Sells, Representative Emily Wicks and Brock Milliern with Washington State Department of Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program.

“This project is mission critical to this community and the economic vitality of our working waterfront and region,” Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber said. “This work literally paves the way to our economic recovery, supporting cargo and industry diversification and restoring meaningful family-wage jobs to this site.”

This critical maritime infrastructure project represents the final physical cleanup at the site, while creating a new marine cargo terminal. It is the cornerstone of the Port’s more than $100M Mills to Maritime initiative – an effort that sets out to transform the former mill site into a new maritime hub to realize the Port’s recent $57M South Terminal investment, enhance the movement of commerce, restore jobs, position our region for economic recovery and cargo diversification, and achieve environmental stewardship.

This work is funded in part by a $17.75 million federal BUILD grant administered through MARAD and a $7.65 million Washington State Department of Ecology MTCA grant.