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closeMonday, Jul. 06, 2009
Commissioner Bennett retiring at end of year
By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer
Longtime Port of Walla Walla Commissioner Fred Bennett is calling it a day.
The former Walla Walla University civil engineering professor recently announced he'll retire when his term expires at the end of the year.
"It's time to hang it up," said Bennett, who has spent 24 years at the port helping it become a tool for creating jobs by actively recruiting and retaining new businesses.
Bennett, who's almost 80, said he wants to travel and spend time with his family.
"He'll be sorely missed," said Commissioner Paul Schneidmiller. "I've tried to learn from him since I joined the commission in 2000. He made sure I understood the complexities of the issues. He was very accommodating."
Bennett's knowledge of the community, expertise as an engineer and passion for economic development have been an asset for the commission, Schneidmiller said.
"He deserves a lot of credit for bringing the port into the 21st century," said Jim Kuntz, executive director of the Port of Walla Walla.
He was instrumental in helping build a corporate headquarters for Key Technology, a substantial employer in the community, and pushed the port to have a new airport terminal building, which was constructed in 2000 , Kuntz said.
"Bennett saw that Walla Walla was changing and becoming a destination," Kuntz said.
He was one of the first community leaders to understand the need to widen Highway 12 between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, said Kuntz. Bennett believed a good transportation network is the key to attracting new companies.
"He was such an early supporter that no one was listening," said Kuntz.
Bennett, who started as a port commissioner in 1980, called his time at the port "very satisfying." He was re-elected at the end of his first term, but was defeated in his bid for a third term in the early 1990s.
Bennett ran again for the port commission in 1998 and won. Voters probably realized what he had done in his earlier terms, Bennett explained.
He's proud of his work to get Railex in Wallula, and his efforts to address issues of "water quality and quantity," particularly the need to recharge aquifers in Walla Walla, Bennett said. He said his background in engineering helped him deal with it.
His advice for the person who will replace him: "Don't be rushed into things. Think them through."
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