MOSES LAKE — The food court set for the corner of South Alder Street and Fourth Avenue in downtown is one step closer to reality following the delivery of the compass rose, the centerpiece of the food truck court, according to Levi Bisnett, a surveyor with the city who is currently overseeing the project.

Speaking to members of the Moses Lake during a regular meeting Tuesday, Bisnett said making that compass rose turned out to be a more difficult task than initially thought.

The project was initially proposed in the spring of 2022, and Bisnett told council members then he hoped to have the food court, which will have spaces to park food trucks and allow people to sit and enjoy a meal, up and running by mid-summer 2022.

“How hard could it be?” Bisnett told council members on Tuesday. “Well, it was a one-off, and not done before. It has been delivered to us complete, and we’re finalizing the detail work.”

Bisnett said designers of the park are looking at including a number of features that will give people a taste of the entire Columbia Basin, including a heritage garden of native plants and a light display that would simulate the Missoula Floods, which are believed to have swept across the region more than 10,000 years ago as an ice dam holding back a giant ancient lake occasionally broke, inundating Eastern Washington with water.

“The more research I did, the more amazed I was by the amount of water,” he said.

If all goes according to plan, Bisnett said he hopes the food truck court will be up and running this summer, adding that the site’s restroom has now been ordered.

“I don’t want to give you a date,” he said. “This is an exciting project, but not a fast project.”

Mayor Don Myers suggested that the city work on the project in phases in order to ensure that food trucks can start parking and selling food downtown this year.

“We’re excited,” he said. “Whatever we can do to help you out.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].