Kennewick’s Duffy’s Pond trail extension moves forward

An extended trail around Duffy’s Pond in Kennewick should be ready to entice pedestrians and businesses to Columbia Gardens this summer.

The trail is among the improvements the city of Kennewick and Port of Kennewick are making to jump-start a boutique wine village off Columbia Drive.

The city council recently unanimously decided to award a $223,000 contract to POW Contracting of Pasco to extend the existing trail by about 975 feet using permeable asphalt. The new path will be 10 feet wide with a 2-foot gravel shoulder.

As part of the project, the port has agreed to provide up to $35,000 to pay for path lighting.

Officials hope construction can begin in April and end in June.

Even once construction is complete, about 400 feet still would be needed to fully connect the trail all the way around the pond. But some of that is through private property.

The port will build three buildings along Columbia Drive, with two for boutique wine production and tasting rooms and one for barrel storage. Construction is on hold until the city finishes researching a cheaper method of pre-treating winery wastewater.

Officials hope providing wastewater treatment will help attract wine production to the development.

A decision could be made on the winery effluent treatment method as soon as next month. Larry Peterson, the port’s director of planning and development, told port commissioners recently that the port could finish building design a few weeks after the city council takes action.

Construction on the three winery buildings could start as soon as July and be finished in February 2016, he said.

The port recently wrapped up demolition of seven buildings along Columbia Drive to prepare for the first phase of Columbia Gardens. Asphalt and concrete also were removed to create a clean slate for the redevelopment project.

The city also plans to build 900 feet of improvements along the north side of Columbia Drive between Beech and Elm streets while the three buildings are under construction.

The city plans to add low-water-use landscaping with underground irrigation, an 8-foot-wide meandering concrete sidewalk, a new transit bus stop pullout and decorative light poles. It recently received a $100,000 federal grant to help pay for those Columbia Drive improvements.

This story was originally published March 22, 2015 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Kennewick’s Duffy’s Pond trail extension moves forward ."