Port of Benton: Building a big future with construction projects
The Port of Benton is planning for another busy year. 2018 will bring construction of two and possibly three buildings across our Port’s district, which encompasses two-thirds of Benton County.
The first is a 9,000-square-foot building now under construction at Vintners Village in Prosser. The building will consist of three separate bays of 2,500 square feet each. Its design aims to attract small businesses start-ups that will jump start the second phase of Vintners Village.
The Prosser Economic Development Association, our partner in Prosser, will occupy approximately 1,000 square feet of office space next to three bays.
The second building will help Chukar Cherry Co. expand its flourishing business in Prosser. Chukar currently leases 18,480 square feet of retail and production space on two acres of land from the Port.
The company started in 1988 in a small 8,000-square-foot building at the Prosser Airport and has grown into a nationally known specialty food company with over 100 employees. This small business start up model is exactly what our mission and vision focuses on at the Port of Benton.
The third potential building would be the enhancement of the U.S.S. Triton Sail Park with a visitor center. This visitor center will showcase the history of the U.S.S. Triton and feature additional equipment from the vessel.
It will highlight the importance of the nuclear-powered submarine and battle ship era of the United States, telling the history of how it evolved over the years. The U.S.S. Triton Sail Park, along with our continued partnership with the Manhattan National Park, and B Reactor tours tells the history of Hanford, the nuclear age and the people within this region
Other areas of focus include our airports. The Port of Benton has two general aviation airports located in Richland and Prosser. They are both key development areas that connect within a statewide system.
The Port plans to complete a new welcoming entrance to the Richland Airport. Initial construction began in 2017 and will continue with signage and beautification efforts.
The Richland Airport is home to over 90 small businesses and their employees who enjoy the atmosphere of an airport setting. And, let’s not forget the importance of Life Flight Network air ambulance valuable presence and service provided for our region.
Sundance Aviation, the airport Fixed-Base Operator (FBO), continues to grow. They have added a Jet-A fuel tank and mobile fuel truck to service Life Flight and business jet aircraft. Sundance helps the hundreds of pilots at the Richland airport and transient traffic, along with offering flight instruction, aircraft rental and maintenance.
Looking beyond 2018, the future of North Richland lies in the land transfer to the City of Richland and Port of Benton. A total of 1,641 acres were transferred and master planning has been completed. The Port hopes the land will attract large manufacturing companies looking for "mega sites" (150 acres plus in size).
Thank you to our partner, TRIDEC who facilitated the transfer via the Department of Energy; the city and port will continue our economic diversification plans that retains our highly skilled workforce.
The Port of Benton wants to thank its many partners: the cities of Richland, Benton City, Prosser, Benton County, Prosser Economic Development Association, Benton City Economic Development Committee and TRIDEC for their support towards the success of economic development within our Port district.
This story was originally published April 1, 2018 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Port of Benton: Building a big future with construction projects."