Keep NOAA ships berthed at Lake Union

LOCATION, location, location. Lake Union waterfront facilities have served NOAA's Marine Operations Center well for decades and there is no good reason to find a new home when a current lease expires.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is soliciting bids to berth four research ships and room for two transient vessels, plus nearby administration and training space, and warehouse and shop areas.

The longtime Lake Union home is convenient to NOAA's Western Regional Center on Lake Washington. The Sand Point Way campus is the hub of a variety of government and academic research programs that survey and assess ocean conditions.

Ports and communities from Bellingham to Newport, Ore., have been developing bids to be the new home base ever since NOAA announced in 2007 it would solicit offers.

A fire in 2006 at the Lake Union property destroyed two piers and two storage facilities, and the property owners were initially slow to respond.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Feb. 4, and a selection is expected by late summer or early fall.

Astoria, Ore. was an early competitor, but a county development agency dropped out of the running Friday. Creating or modifying shore facilities to meet NOAA bid requirements is part of the expense and calculation for everyone.

The Marine Operations Center is a valued activity and a desirable Seattle resident. At least 60 administrative jobs are at stake, and the vessels typically carry crews and research teams of 25.

In addition, maintaining and provisioning the ships is a boon for the broader economy. Berthing the vessels in freshwater is a plus for the ships themselves.

Seattle is a robust center of marine-research activity. Lake Union offers easy access to ships to prepare for extended stays at sea, and ready access to facilities to maintain the vessels. Keep this working relationship afloat.