Janis Rountree new EDC marketing director
Cheryl Schweizer <Staff Writer> | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 2 months AGO
Rosalie Black/Sun Tribune - Janis Rountree is the new marketing director for the Adams County Economic Development Council.
RITZVILLE — Janis Rountree has been named the business development and marketing coordinator for the Adams County Economic Development Council. The job’s primary focus, Rountree said, includes working to bring new business to Adams County and supporting businesses that are already here. It’s also important to promote opportunity for workers, she said, so people know they can build a career in Adams County. “There are jobs here. There are good jobs here,” and there are opportunities for advancement. The economic development council also works with businesses and cities, to get the word out about them and connect them with interested parties. When towns and businesses are looking for ways to connect, “we definitely will do what we can to help.” The goal, she said, is to promote “solid growth in our community, (and) in our county.” Adams County is positioned close to Spokane, but not too close. Land and housing are more affordable, it has a lower cost of living and abundant land gives businesses room to grow, Rountree said. Two major highways, U.S. 395 and Interstate 90, meet in Ritzville. “That’s a big selling point.” Rountree is one of those Adams County kids who came home. “I came from a family of dryland wheat farmers.” A graduate of Lind High School, she moved away then came back, getting a job at the Ritzville Journal, at that time owned by current ACEDC manager Steven McFadden. “A mentor of mine.” McFadden worked with Rountree in her effort to keep her business, a Ritzville restaurant. “I’ve learned the hard way the struggles a small business faces,” she said. Rountree and her family worked to get a loan for the business, but were ultimately unsuccessful. McFadden suggested she apply for the job at the ACEDC, which had been vacant about nine months, and ultimately she was hired.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabsinherald.com.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER <STAFF WRITER>
Othello School Board approves property purchase
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board has approved an agreement to purchase 81.14 acres of land along 14th Street and Lee Road. The district will pay $2.4 million to the current owner, Terra Gold Farms. The draft agreement was approved during the regular board meeting Monday. The land is located at Lee Road between Seventh and 14th streets. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said there are no plans to build on the property now, but district officials plan to keep it as a site for any additional schools. The sale should be completed by the end of January. In other business, a discussion of a site visit to Wahitis Elementary prompted questions about traffic on 14th Street. Construction closed part of 14th Street during the spring, summer and fall, including the stretch in front of Wahitis Elementary. Prior to construction the road had a four-way stop outside Scootney Springs Elementary, but the stop signs were removed during construction and haven’t been replaced. Board member Juan Garza said he had received inquiries about the stop signs, and whether they would be reinstalled. “It sounds to me like they (the stop sign removals) are permanent, right? It’s going to stay that way.” Bullis said she had received inquiries too, and had asked city officials about them, including a question at the Othello City Council meeting earlier Monday evening. City manager Wade Faris told her, Bullis said, the city wasn’t required to reinstall them. The original purpose was to eliminate some of the congestion on 14th, Cemetery and Ash streets when kids and parents were coming and going from Scootney Springs. City officials think the extra lanes will accommodate any congestion, she said. Board member Mike Garza said the stop signs were installed as the result of a traffic study conducted by the district at the city’s request. He asked if the city had done an additional traffic study prior to removal. Bullis said city officials didn’t give a reason for the change. Mike Garza also asked if city officials planned to paint crosswalks across 14th Street at Wahitis Elementary. “I noticed there are no crosswalk designations across 14th” at the school, he said. Bullis said she would ask city officials.
Othello School District land purchase moves ahead
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board is scheduled to review a draft purchase and sale agreement for 78 acres of property along Lee Road at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Othello School Board discusses 14th Street with city officials
OTHELLO — Traffic, traffic flow and pedestrian safety, especially for elementary students, were the subjects of a lengthy discussion at the Othello School Board meeting Monday.