The longest-serving member of the Port of Kalama’s port commission has died. Jim Lucas, a lifelong Kalama resident who had sat on the three-person commission since 1984, died April 4 from complications due to cancer, according to the port.
“Jim had a long term vision for the Port of Kalama,” port commission president Randy Sweet said. “He always kept that vision in mind during our deliberations about future development.”
The Port of Kalama, which is located in southwest Washington on the Columbia River, is 30 miles northwest of Portland, Oregon and about 120 miles south of Seattle.
Among the significant developments Lucas is credited with helping oversee during his 28-year tenure at the port were the reopening of a wine bottle manufacturing facility at Kalama earlier this year, the securing of multiple large industrial tenants, numerous infrastructure projects and the acquisition of various properties for future business development.
As a port commissioner, Lucas served as a delegate to the American Association of Port Authorities, and was a board member of the Cowlitz-Lewis County Economic Development District.
A memorial service for Lucas was held Sat., April 7 at Longview Memorial Park & Crematory. A potential replacement for him on the port commission has not yet been announced.
