Oregon City firm set to dive into terminal job
by Shelly Strom

Oregon City- based Advanced American Diving Service has received a $6.7 million contract to build an 800-foot-long dock for the Port of Vancouver. The work is part of a nearly $25 million project to refurbish the port's Terminal 2 – one of the oldest remaining portions of the port's waterfront facilities.

Once complete, the dock will add more room for vessels and capacity to handle break-bulk freight such as steel, machinery and other items too ungainly to be put in containers.

Workers for Advanced American Diving will drive 568 pilings to support the new dock, construct crane rails, and install under-dock drainage and fender systems. Jeff Harper, Advanced American Diving project manager, said he expects the project will employ 30 people at its height.

Port Executive Director, Larry Paulson, told commissioners Advanced American Diving "did a nice job" on a similar dock completed in 1999, in an earlier phase of the project. The firm has also worked on the port's Vancouver Landing – a public waterfront arena near Interstate 5 – as well as docks at a couple of berths.

The bid submitted by Advanced American Diving, at $6,680,598, was the lowest from a responsible bidder and far lower than the $10 million proposed by engineers hired by the port.

In an effort to protect migrating fish, federal regulators limit pile driving to November through February. Advanced American Diving will begin preparing the site at the end of August or the first part of September, and expects to spend nearly one year working on the project.