Port of Bellingham backs seafood processor sub-lease as Bornstein prepares to leave town

Officials at the Port of Bellingham are hopeful a seafood processing company might sub-lease the former site of Bornstein Seafoods following a recent Bornstein announcement that it plans to leave Bellingham.

Bornstein Seafoods last week announced the closure of its Bellingham headquarters and plans to lay off 72 local employees as the company consolidates its Pacific Northwest facilities. The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the Washington State Employment Security Department on March 22, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald.

The company is closing its facilities in Bellingham and Newport, Ore. to consolidate them into a facility in Astoria, Ore., according to an email from President and CEO Colin Bornstein. The Bellingham facility is expected to close by the end of June.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the communities of Bellingham and Newport for their support over the years and remain committed to honoring our legacy while forging ahead towards a future of continued success and positive impact,” Vice President Andrew Bornstein said in a company news release.

As the closure comes with the layoffs of local fishermen and workers, the Port of Bellingham released a statement responding to the affect it will have on Bellingham’s port operations.

“The Port has spoken with the owners of Bornstein Seafoods and is very concerned about any employees to be laid off during this difficult transition. It is the Port’s understanding that some of these employees will be employed at Bornstein’s Astoria facility,” Michael Hogan, the port’s public affairs administrator, wrote in an email to The Herald.

“Bornstein has a long-term ground lease with the Port and owns the fish processing building above. It is our understanding Bornstein plans to sub-lease their building to another food processing company consistent with the approved uses for the property. The Port stands ready to help reactivate this property as soon as possible in support of our working waterfront,” Hogan wrote.

The facility could be sold or sub-leased, according to Bornstein.

“Both are on the table at this point. We have spoken to parties that want to purchase and parties that want to sublease. We have not decided which is best for our business at this time, we are still exploring,” Bornstein wrote in an email to The Herald.

No contracts or agreements about the facility had been reached as of Tuesday, April 2.