The Port of Coupeville is moving forward with lease negotiations and plans to manage the Greenbank Farm.

During last week’s port meeting, the commissioners directed Executive Director David Day to begin lease negotiations with all of the tenants at the farm.

“Leases need to go up,” Commssioner John Carr said. “But they need to be gentle and reasonable with a plan to increase over time.”

Commissioners will approach all of the current tenant, including the three galleries, despite speculation the port wanted to boot the tenants to make room for Washington State University.

“It’s never been our intent to go in and clean house,” Carr said.

The three commissioners agreed on three basic principals to begin lease negotiations: two year contracts, tenants pay the 12.84 percent leasehold tax and each lease has a consumer price index annual increase built in.

Commissioners hope to have leases negotiated and prepared for the Sept. 9 meeting.

Commissioners asked to resign

During the regular port meeting, several community members came forward and asked that commissioners Carr and Marshall Bronson resign, allowing incoming commissioner candidates John Mishasek and William Bell to take over.

“It’s difficult to enter into negotiations with the current commissioners because there is no trust,” said Jan Gunn, who owns Whidbey Pies Cafe.

Each commissioner also presented his ideas for how to proceed with management of the farm.

The commissioners directed Day to meet with management group staff to develop an understanding of the day-to-day operations of the farm and personnel.

Judy Feldman, director of the management group, who would be the person working with Day on this directive, will be out of town for three weeks starting Tuesday.

She said she emailed Bronson, suggesting in the meantime the port focus on lease negotiations and building a list of questions for her.

Bronson presented his ideas for staff positions the port would need to hire for management of the farm including a farm director, activities coordinator and a facilities manager, who would oversee both port properties.

In Carr’s proposal, he included a timeline and suggested Day have candidates for new staff positions presented during the November port meeting.

The Greenbank Farm Management Group is also moving forward, trying to plan for the future.

Some of the next steps taken by the management group include working toward finalizing an inventory list.

Feldman said they’ve moved past the point of being mad about the situation.

“We’re at the phase where we’re not going to be taken advantage of,” Feldman said. “There are some things that belong to the port and there are some things that belong to the management group.”

Farm school’s future is unclear

And while the nonprofit management group will no longer play an advisory role in the farm after Dec. 31, it continues to lease agricultural land at the farm until March 31, 2017 for the Organic Farm School.

However, the school will be in limbo for the 2016 season.

“We’re in a position where we can’t take students next year,” farm school manager Jessica Babcock told commissioners. “We have to step back and figure out the future.”

Feldman said by not accepting students for the 2016, the nonprofit group has time to think and restart the program in 2017.

The management group does not know if that will include staying at the farm.

“That is what the year is for,” Feldman said. “There are some things we’d like to explore, to expand and build on.”

The program may look at things like more livestock and pasture management.

“It’s not that we’re saying we don’t want to be at the farm anymore,” Feldman said.

The school will take the time to explore options and see what kind of opportunities present itself, she said.

During the port meeting, the commissioner said they were surprised to hear the school would not be taking students.

“I like the school,” Carr said. “I think it’s great.”

Carr also said that if the management group needed further written confirmation of the port’s wanting the school there, he’d be open to exploring that.

“That’s great,” Feldman said. “But it’s the nonprofit that runs the school and the port has said they don’t want the management group.”

The management group’s lease on 10 acres of agricultural land and irrigation use is at no cost under a previous agreement.

Feldman said the school will still use the land in 2016.

Several of the farm school students may use the land for an incubator program or the school may use it for seed production or host workshops and classes.

“There are a lot of conversations to be had and not a lot of time,” Feldman said. “We’ve had students inquire about the program but they also ask about the port and what’s going on with it. We’re not quitting, not closing the program.”

Some of the unresolved questions involve finances and staffing.

Feldman said the nonprofit has a bit of a reserve built up and management is looking at what it can afford.

“While we didn’t ask for this, we’re excited we can do this a bit more intentionally,” she said.

The reserve was built through donations and tuition to provide a cushion in case student enrollment fell through.

Management group treasurer Steve Holmberg said that while not firm, the nonprofit anticipates having around $37,000 in cash at the end of the year.

Although they do have $31,000 in debt to a contributor.

“We have been advised by that person that debt can remain unpaid at this time,” he said. “This debt came from two things – a $9,000 ‘working capital’ loan when things got tight and a $22,000 loan to refurbish the Jim Davis House to make it usable for student housing.

“Obviously the improvement to the building paid for by the latter will transfer to the port on our departure.”

Both Feldman and Holmberg said the nonprofit will need to seek further donations.

“Clearly we will need some contributions to fund a feasibility study beyond 3-4 months as obligations for various things such as filing our tax return for 2015  and 2016 also exist,” he said.