MATTAWA — Upgrades to State Route 243, expanded urgent care options and ways to make it easier to dispose of garbage are among the top areas of focus for the South Grant County Chamber of Commerce, finishing its second year.

The organization was formed in 2022, a successor to the Mattawa Chamber. Its aim, said Pam Thorsen, secretary for the board of directors for the chamber, is to connect different parts of the community to work on issues facing Mattawa, Desert Aire and the surrounding area.

“Right now the main emphasis is to get more interest (from) the business community,” Thorsen said. “Try and get them involved.” 

The chamber board has developed a strategic plan, with some goals that they think will help all residents of the area. At the top of the list is SR 243, which is the main north-south highway through that section of Grant County.

“It’s a very busy thoroughfare now.” Thorsen said. “We’ve seen an exponential increase in traffic.”

The Washington Department of Transportation is planning to make improvements to SR 243, Thorsen said, widening 14 miles. Chamber officials have submitted a request to the office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell for funding to help build a roundabout at the main intersection into Desert Aire and make other improvements, such as passing lanes along SR 243 and turn lanes on roads around Desert Aire.

“When you have a 70-mile-an-hour 18-wheeler on your rear, if you don’t have (a turn lane) that’s a big safety concern,” Thorsen said.

Garbage disposal has become a more serious issue since a satellite transfer station site in south Grant County was closed. Thorsen said the Chamber is trying to find more options for waste disposal, as well as recycling and composting.

There is garbage pickup in Mattawa and Desert Aire, she said, but that’s not available in unincorporated areas. The nearest disposal site is the Grant County Landfill near Ephrata, but people are dumping debris along roadsides and using garbage cans belonging to others. 

Wahluke School District Superintendent Andy Harlow said the district has been forced to add garbage receptacles to accommodate the overflow.

Thorsen said land has been identified near Beverly that has the potential to be developed as a transfer station. Chamber members are trying to determine if another transfer station is an option, she said.

“The third (priority) is the urgent care center,” Thorsen said.

There are two clinics in Mattawa, the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic operated by Grant County Hospital District 5 and the Columbia Basin Health Association’s Wahluke Clinic. Both have a walk-in clinic when they’re open.

“Neither of the clinics operate outside normal business hours,” Thorsen said.

Chamber members want to see if there’s an opportunity to change that, Thorsen said. She said she hopes the chamber and the Mattawa Community Medical Center can work together.

“It’s incumbent on that special service district to look, and the best way to do that is to collaborate,” she said.

The Chamber is looking for funding opportunities for a survey that would be conducted by both organizations to determine if the potential is there to support an urgent care facility after hours, she said.

Harlow is a Chamber board member and said the first two years have been spent looking at needs in south Grant County and how the Chamber can help address them. 

“I think everyone knows that there needs to be some type of Chamber,” Harlow said. “(Then) trying to figure out how to get people to the table. What’s the compelling why?”

Thorsen said different public organizations and private groups around the area are working on different projects, often making parallel efforts and sometimes at cross-purposes. Part of the Chamber’s job, she said, is to bring those different groups together.

“How can we work collaboratively has been the biggest challenge,” Harlow said.

Different organizations do bring different agendas, he said, and don’t always agree. 

“We just have to remember we are all coming from different points of view,” he said.

Many area residents mostly speak Spanish, and Chamber treasurer Maria Rosales said the need for translation is also a barrier to involvement. Thorsen said the Chamber is adapting to take the differences into account, and to change the perception of what the organization does. The Chamber shouldn’t be about meetings, she said — it’s more important for it to serve as a facilitator. 

“We need to build the relationships with other people in this community that have something at stake,” Thorsen said. “And I think that’s what the core issue is right now. We really need to get an awareness (that) we’re here for the business community to help solve problems. But unless you tell us what your problems are, we don’t know where to start.”

Thorsen also serves as a commissioner on the Grant County Tourism Commission, and hopes to use that role to promote the southern end of the county to a wider range of visitors.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

Correction: Pam Thorsen is not a commissioner for the Mattaway Community Health Clinic, but rather for the Grant County Tourism Commission. This information has been incorporated above.

    Candidates respond to questions during the South Grant County Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum held in October of last year. The chamber is working to ensure voters on the south end of the county are educated regarding ballot options.