Longtime Port of Woodland Commissioner Dale Boon is set to retire at the end of the year, with the port planning a ceremony in his honor.
On Thursday, Nov. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m., members of the public are invited to the Port of Woodland administrative office, 1608 Guild Road, to thank Boon for his years of service, according to a news release.
Boon was first elected to the port’s District 1 seat in 1997, the release stated. His tenure included the development of the Schurman Way and Down River Drive industrial parks in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a founding member of the Woodland Quality Community Coalition which formed during the Great Recession with representatives of the port, the city and Woodland Public Schools to address community concerns.
Boon was also instrumental in preserving the Guild Klady Centennial Orchard, working with Boy Scout Troop 531, the release stated, and the development of Centennial and Rose Way industrial parks. He focused on recreational access, balancing industrial and agricultural industries and reducing taxes in the district, according to the release.
Outside of port work, Boon owned and operated a dairy farm in Woodland before selling it in the 1990s, the release stated. Boon became the manager for Cowlitz County Diking District 2 until he retired in 2016. He enjoys rebuilding Gibson tractors and displays them in regional fairs and parades.
“I want to thank Dale for his many years of service to the Woodland community as a commissioner for the Port of Woodland and I wish him the best in the next chapter of his life,” port commissioner Paul Cline said in the release.
