MOSES LAKE — A new executive director for the Port of Moses Lake should be announced by the end of March.

Port commissioners hired Prothman, a business based in Issaquah, to conduct a search for candidates for the position Monday. The contract is $19,500 plus applicable expenses, which were expected to be about $5,000 to $6,500 for placing recruitment ads. 

Jim Darling, a consultant working with port officials on recruitment, said the port saved money by doing some of the work before looking for a consultant.

“Their fee is a little bit less than they normally would charge, because we spent several months on a draft job description and characteristics summary,” Darling said.

The search will be led by a former employee of the Port of Seattle, Darling said, who spent 14 years there. 

“They’re conducting a number of searches right now, so they’ll be very knowledgeable about the candidate pool,” he said. 

In answer to a question from Commissioner Kent Jones, Darling said the search is expected to last about two months.

“They will do the recruitment by mid-(March) to the end of March,” Darling said. “They’ve included a schedule in their proposal to have somebody on board (by) late spring.

“One thing you’ll have to decide at some point is, if you bring in candidates from afar, will the port be in a position to reimburse them for their travel expenses?” Darling added. “That’s something that will come back to the commission.”

The new manager will replace Don Kersey, who resigned in October to become plant manager for the Moses Lake facility for Group14. Kersey was the port’s executive director since January 2020.

In other business at the regular commission meeting Monday, Commissioner Stroud Kunkle was sworn in for a new six-year term. Kunkel, the incumbent, ran unopposed for reelection.

Commissioners also added about $29,300 to the contract of an appraisal company working with the port to acquire property along the route of a proposed extension of the Columbia Basin Railroad to port property.

Milton Miller, director of port facilities, said there’s a lot of real estate activity along Wheeler Road and the route of the proposed extension. As a result, port officials have had to make additional property appraisals, Miller said. 

Port officials want to start construction of the new rail line sometime this year. The new line would replace the existing line, no longer in service, that runs through downtown Moses Lake.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].