Development at Othello Port intersection pushing forward - slowly
GABRIEL DAVIS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 2 weeks AGO
Gabriel Davis is a resident of Othello who enjoys the connections with his sources. Davis is a graduate of Northwest Nazarene University where he studied English and creative writing. During his free time, he enjoys reading, TV, movies and games – anything with a good story, though he has a preference for science fiction and crime. He covers the communities on the south end of Grant County and in Adams County. | June 5, 2024 2:00 AM
OTHELLO — Port of Othello Executive Director Chris Faix provided an update on the port’s progress in finding funding for a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 26 and South 14th Avenue, as well as their contract negotiations with Meritage Companies.
The port is looking to find funding to install the roundabout after discovering that the intersection is not slated for one through the Washington Department of Transportation. Faix said the port is in the beginning stages of a traffic impact analysis, along with its other efforts to find grants. The roundabout is an important factor in the potential housing and commercial development of 75 acres of annexed land southwest of the SR 26-14th Avenue intersection by Meritage Companies.
“We're helping (Meritage) look at grant ideas. Kyle (Niehenke) with Adams County Development Council, he's looking into stuff,” Faix said. “We've contacted our legislators, we've been in contact with DOT. It's a slow process, but I mean, I feel like we're doing as much as we can at the moment.”
Faix said the port has met with the city about partnering on installing the roundabout. Faix said the city is willing to help, but can’t provide any assistance until later in the project.
The port commissioners approved a 90-day extension to the port’s contract with Meritage in March. The contract holds the land for Meritage’s eventual purchase and prevents the port from selling the land to another buyer. Meritage President Jack Barrett has requested a longer extension.
“We're still hammering out a contract extension. (Barrett) wants a couple of years, and we're not excited about tying it up for two more years and waiting to see,” Faix said. “Now we're kind of playing that back-and-forth game, because he obviously doesn’t want to do as much as we want, and we don't want to give it for as little as he wants.”
The port has until the end of the 90-day extension, June 25, to increase the extension’s length. Faix said the port can continue to work with Barrett after the time elapses, it just would allow the port to entertain other offers on the land if they come in.
“We're hoping to have something done here by our next meeting,” Faix said. “But I think I'm going to end up going back to my commissioners with what (Barrett is) saying at that time and see if they want to concede a little bit more because he's not really wanting to give too much.”
Faix said Barret does not want to put any more money into the project.
“I get his point. I mean, he is spending money,” Faix said. “It may not be to us or in our pocket, but he's spending money on the project, and my commissioners appreciate that, but if we're going to tie it up and not be able to sell it to anybody else for a year or 18 months or two years, we kind of need at least a little more skin in the game.”
Faix emphasized the roundabout’s importance.
“If the roundabout was already set, I think things would be a lot easier, a lot smoother,” he said. “I think (Barrett) would be more willing to do a little more.”
Faix said Meritage is concerned that the roundabout installation could take too long to be practical for the development
A traffic impact analysis will be required for any grants or state funding the port applies for to install the roundabout, Faix said.
“We are anxious to move forward, but we have to do it in a certain order, so we are getting that TIA done,” he said. “We did talk to our engineers about (it). We started the process of that — we still have to decide who is going to pay for it, ultimately, for the study. We're starting at the beginning stages of it to find out basically what the study is going to cost … That's the point we're at now, and we're trying to be as proactive as we can.”
MORE STORIES
Port of Othello approves extension on future $3 million land sale to developer
Columbia Basin Herald | Updated 11 months, 4 weeks ago

Othello development faces roadblock: No roundabout coming to SR 26 and 14th Avenue
Columbia Basin Herald | Updated 11 months ago
ARTICLES BY GABRIEL DAVIS

Work-based learning lets students build their own futures
MOSES LAKE — Work-based learning provides education opportunities for the workforce to receive hands-on training and technical education and prepare themselves to enter various industries. Educators and workforce development professionals from Eastern Washington discussed some the training they offer and the benefits of their programs. Next Generation Zone, an affiliate of WorkSource based in Spokane, provides job training opportunities for youth and young adults ages 16 to 24. Program Coordinator Kate Martin said there are multiple benefits to the program. “One of them is a paid work experience, and that’s where we reach out to area employers who are willing to take a young person and train them,” she said. “This is a short-term learning experience, so it’s typically about 240 hours; sometimes it could be longer or shorter. We’re the actual employer; we cover all of their wages, taxes, the L&I, and the employer just agrees to give them the experience and train them in whatever field it is that they’re wanting to go into.”

Serving schools: ESD superintendents reflect on operations, priorities
MOSES LAKE — Educational service districts are government-mandated agencies put in place to provide services to school districts across the state. ESD Superintendents discussed what they do and their priorities in operating their districts. ESD 105, led by Superintendent Kevin Chase, serves four counties, including Kittitas, Yakima and portions of Klickitat and Grant counties and provides support for 25 school districts – including Royal School District and Wahluke School District – and more than 66,000 students. “We help them collaborate with each other as well or collaborate with other partners,” Chase said. “(It’s) a lot of advocacy work, either regionally or across the state, or even federally, working on different issues that impact our education. And we provide very specialized services in certain situations in order to meet the needs of our students in our region and of our school districts.”

Columbia Basin Project making headway through Odessa Groundwater program
CASHMERE — The Columbia Basin Project is making gradual progress toward completion with particularly significant accomplishments for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program in the last six months or so, according to Columbia Basin Development League Executive Director Sara Higgins. “When we’re dealing with a project of this size, advancement is kind of like watching paint dry, but yes, there have been (developments),” she said. “There are a lot of exciting things happening right now.” There are more than 300 miles of main canals, about 2,000 miles of lateral canals and 3,500 miles of drains and wasteways in the irrigation project, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation website. The CBDL advocates for the operation of those waterways and for the project to continue “build-out.”