Royal City to inform residents of commercial truck parking rules
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 2 weeks AGO
Reconstruction of Apple Avenue in Royal City will begin in August, with city officials applying for funding for a second phase.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 23, 2026 3:25 AM
ROYAL CITY — Royal City city officials will start a campaign to inform residents of the city’s rules for parking commercial trucks in town.
Commercial trucks parking in residential areas has been discussed by the City Council members, and Royal City Police Chief Rey Rodriguez told council members Tuesday that the city does have an ordinance in place.
“There are specific (streets) designated for heavy vehicle routes,” Rodriguez said. “It also says the (streets) shall be marked for heavy truck routes. So I think (posting notices) could probably be our first step, so people know where they can drive their big rigs.”
Royal City is growing, and the new development looks different from the existing city.
“In the past people have just parked at their houses, and it hasn’t been a big deal because are no sidewalks in the (older) part of town,” Rodriguez said. “Now we’re having all these sidewalks, and (drivers) are still doing it, and to them, that’s just normal.”
Mayor Ryan Piercy said there’s a balance between placing an undue burden on independent truck owners and protecting city property, but that trucks shouldn’t be parking where they damage city property.
“I think it’s different when they bring (a truck) up their house and put it on their property,” said councilmember Perla Garcia. “It’s different than parking it outside on the street, or on the curb.”
Council members opted to start with an education campaign.
In other business at the regular meeting Tuesday, reconstruction of Apple Avenue Northeast at the edge of Royal City probably will take a little longer than originally anticipated.
Council members approved an application for state funding to pay for the second phase of reconstruction on the road at the regular meeting Tuesday. Piercy said plans for the second phase were adjusted to reflect current fiscal projections.
“We had to cut it back because they think the state funding will be a little tighter this year. We were going to try to go all the way to (Road 12 Southwest),” Piercy said.
If the city gets the grant, the revised second phase will extend from Poplar Street Northeast to Slate Lane Northeast. The third phase would finish the project, from Slate Lane to Road 12 SW.
Construction of the first phase was originally scheduled for June but was moved back to August.
“If they start by the middle of August, by the beginning of October we should be done,” said Public Works Director Mauricio Romero.
Apple Avenue will be rebuilt from Road 13 Southwest, at the city limits, to Poplar Street. The existing asphalt will be removed; the roadbed excavated and rebuilt. The new section will be widened to accommodate increased traffic. The project includes upgraded drainage and stormwater improvements, curb and gutter improvements, and installing ADA-compliant ramps on sidewalks.
The upgrades are scheduled to take about two months, with some sections of the road closed during different phases of construction. Total project cost will be about $1.06 million, with about $52,000 of that coming from the city. The rest, about 95 percent, will be paid through a grant from the Transportation Improvement Board.
The council awarded a contract for about $903,300 to Wheeler Excavation, Benton City, for the project in April.
Apple Avenue extends to SR 26, but Romero said the section from Road 13 Southwest to the highway is outside the city limits, and improvements in that section would be the responsibility of Grant County.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Comment period still open for 2027 Grant PUD budget
EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District customers can still submit their opinions on the proposed 2027 budget in writing on the PUD website until the budget is adopted. Utility district commissioners are scheduled to vote on the final budget Nov. 24. The PUD is projected to spend $738.1 million in 2027, according to a presentation at the budget hearing Oct. 27. That's about a 5% increase over the 2026 budget. Some of those expenses will be offset by money the PUD gets from its customers and from selling power to outside customers. That's projected to be about $224.6 million.
Two hospitalized after collision near Othello
OTHELLO — Two people were injured and hospitalized when a car collided with a semitruck about 12 miles west of Othello Wednesday morning. According to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol, Leslie Villalobos, 23, was driving south on Road D Southeast at about 8:15 a.m. when she failed to slow down at the intersection. Rigoberto Pruneda, 41, Othello, was driving west on SR 26 when Villalobos's car entered the intersection, the WSP memo said. Trooper Jeremy Weber, WSP District 6 public information officer, said Pruneda attempted to steer out of the way of her vehicle, which is difficult to do in a semitruck.
State Route 26 closed due to collision
UPDATE: As of 12:30 p.m. SR 26 has been reopened. OTHELLO — State Route 26 is closed about 12 miles west of Othello due to a serious two-vehicle collision, according to a media alert from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The highway is closed in both directions, according to a release from the Washington Department of Transportation. The closure is at the intersection of SR 26 and Road D Southeast, according to the GCSO release. There is a detour in place, the WSDOT release said. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, there was no estimated time for reopening, the WSDOT release said. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.