In a letter in the port’s 2016/2017 Annual Report, Mr Kronsteiner said that the work continued to take precedence as many of the assets owned by the OIPCB became theirs after “significant deferred maintenance”.
However, the port had managed to make infrastructure improvements on the Coos Bay rail line, the Charleston Marina complex and maritime facilities, the board president explained.
According to Mr Kronsteiner, in the past year, the port worked to refine the OIPCB’s vision and communicate it to local, state and federal stakeholders.
An example of this work was the port hosting the Future State Symposium, where an overview of current port operations was given and a plan for what the port could be like in 10 years’ time was put forward.
It was vital for the OIPCB to look for chances to diversify its economic portfolio and continue to push for economic development in the region, Mr Kronsteiner said.
Other requirements for the future, the board president noted, were forming new industry partnerships, communicating the region’s opportunity and believing in a future of sustainable economic advancement.
“This past fiscal year, the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay (OIPCB) has taken steps to prepare and position itself as a prime location for new business development and as an effective global access point for international trade,” Mr Kronsteiner said in the letter.
“This means increasing emphasis on infrastructure investment, focusing and communicating the future vision of OIPCB, and working towards diversifying our region’s economic portfolio.”
The report highlighted other achievements from July 2016 to June this year, including the port receiving an $11m FASTLANE grant, launching a new website and teaming up with around 20 organisations and Travel Oregon to lead the 2017 Winter/Spring edition of Oregon’s Rural Tourism Studio.