A day after announcing the resignation of its CEO, the Richland Public Facilities District is losing its board president.
Joel Rogo, the last original board member, submitted his resignation Monday, district officials said.
"I have watched this project progress over the years, but there comes a time in the life span of a project when a change in leadership is needed," Rogo said in a statement. "With the departure of our CEO Kimberly Camp, we all felt this would be a good time to invite a new leadership team to carry the Reach through its next phase and construction."
Rogo's departure represents a 100 percent turnover in board members in the past 15 months.
The Richland City Council appointed current board members Nick Ceto and Dan Boyd, now serving as treasurer, to replace then-president Linda Boomer and resigning member Rich Emery in July 2010.
Rick Jansons and Fred Raab were appointed in July of this year to replace outgoing members Eric Gerber and Burton Vaughan, both of whom resigned this summer.
Rogo took over as board president following Gerber's resignation.
The agency this week also announced the departure of Camp, who was hired in 2007 to oversee development of the interpretive center.
Rogo will serve until the Richland City Council appoints a replacement.
He joined the board in 2003 when the newly formed Richland Public Facilities District was evaluating possible projects to build with sales tax dollars.
The group settled on the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center, known as the Reach, which is intended to showcase the region's geology, flora, fauna and history, including Hanford's role in winning the Cold War.
The project has been in the works since before the facilities district was formed, but has encountered some problems along the way, most notably when project supporters learned they wouldn't be able to build at Columbia Point south, at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers.
Objections by area tribes, coupled with strings attached to federal money, triggered an intensive review process that officials ultimately decided they couldn't overcome. That resulted in a decision to attempt to get clearance from the Army Corps of Engineers to build in the west end of Columbia Park.
After about a two-year delay, the project cleared some significant milestones this summer when the Corps approved a sublease between Richland and the facilities district that will allow the museum to be built on land in Columbia Park that the city leases from the Corps.
In another important step, the Corps also announced completion of an environmental review and found the proposed project is in compliance with federal environmental laws.
Earlier this month, the facilities district broke ground on the first phase of construction -- involving installation of utility lines and construction of a driveway. Project supporters now are focused on raising the rest of the money needed to build and operate the building.
