We are very excited about our future! Kennewick continues to be a hot spot in the state, with new housing, new businesses and wonderful new amenities that contribute to our great way of life. We are now in to the second year of our 2019-20 biennial budget and well positioned to continue providing the over 300 services that directly impact our daily lives.
At the time of this writing, we are working together in responding to a global crisis, and doing our best to protect ourselves, our families and one another. With each day, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it will be some time before the nation and our community return to “normal.” Even then, there is a good chance it will be a “new normal.”
The City of Richland continues to see steady population and business growth. Since 2010, our population has increased by 18.29%. In 2019 we saw a 2.8% increase from 2018, the highest per capita change in the Tri-Cities. Our downtown core is buzzing with new and successful businesses, activities and events.
Community safety remains a top priority of the City of West Richland. The city was recognized by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs in the 2018 Crime Washington Annual Report that reported West Richland had a 6.1% decrease in overall crime.
Benton County, with its estimated population now exceeding 200,000, continues to see growth and transition throughout the county government that mirrors the community as a whole. As we embark on a new decade, the county organization is also experiencing growth and transition as we welcome a new administrative team and continue to grow our infrastructure to better serve our residents.
Franklin County, named after Benjamin Franklin and with a current population nearing 100,000 people, is one of the fastest growing areas in the Pacific Northwest. Driven primarily by agricultural production and processing, the economic base of the county is rapidly diversifying as it grows.
During this time of uncertainty, we at Boys & Girls Clubs are grateful to be part of a community that has come together to respond to COVID-19 as safely and as compassionately as possible.
It has been another remarkable year at Columbia Basin College (CBC). We have served more than 11,000 students throughout the year, helping them learn English, complete a high school credential or study in one of our more than 100 degree and certificate programs. We are proud to be the Tri-Cities community college.
Meeting the needs of the regional Tri-Cities community is at the core of the mission of Washington State University Tri-Cities as a land-grant institution. That is why we are working diligently to grow opportunities in our local community for education, research and service.
Kennewick School District continues its trend of growth and advancement – in our facilities, in technology, in student success and in planning for the future.
In the Richland School District, we fully believe in the transformational power of education. We also believe this involves more than keeping students behind a desk and getting them to graduation. It is inspiring them to reach goals and dreams, it is teaching them the skills and knowledge they need for their success, and it is engaging them so they are driven to learn and apply those skills.
In the Pasco School District, we are working shoulder-to-shoulder with our community and staff as we continue moving forward and #BuildingtheFuture for our students, families and staff members. I would like to highlight some of the major milestones we have reached and share some additional information about projects on the horizon.
Libraries play an essential role in our communities; they are not just places to find quality books, but they are gathering places where ideas are exchanged and where the love of learning takes root in our children. Libraries are places where everyone can enjoy different genres, topics, and authors, all without judgment; we’re excited you want to read, learn and engage your mind!
Our region has been through tremendous change the past three years, and the health care industry is no exception. In Eastern Washington alone, two hospitals have closed their doors (Yakima and Walla Walla), and in the Tri-Cities, Kadlec remains the lone not-for-profit health system.
2019 was a year of celebrating 25 years of service in our community and continuing our focus to ensure cancer patients receive the world-class treatment they deserve, right here at home. As I reflect on 2019 and look at 2020 and beyond, there are a number of important updates that I would like to share about your Tri-Cities Cancer Center.
Sometimes running a nonprofit arts organization is hard. Sometimes running a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the art of ballet is even harder. But you know what? It’s all worth it.
Deep breathing. Creative expression. Team building, problem solving, and conceptual learning with a side of laughter, camaraderie and creating something beautiful. There are few activities that offer humans so many benefits, bring people together so vividly, and enrich lives so completely as singing in choir.
A place to be entertained. A place to be creative. A place many have called their second home. A theater for the community, by the community. 2019 and 2020 marked 75 years of the live theater at the Richland Players. It has been a time of celebration and reflection for the theater and the thousands whom have walked through as volunteers and patrons over the decades.
The REACH celebrated its fifth anniversary in July 2019 after adopting a strategic plan to guide us into the next five years of operations. Our new mission statement is to inspire learning by sharing the stories of the Mid-Columbia River Region, its people and its impact and contributions to the world.
The Port of Kennewick has developed strong partnerships to transform neighborhoods and bring renewed economic vibrancy to challenged areas throughout our district. We’ve made waterfront investments, we’ve fostered new industries, we’ve championed art as a tool for economic development, and we’ve worked to engage stakeholders and our citizenry in transparent urban planning. Together, the port and its partners are completing significant projects for our region.
Port Commissioner Ron Reimann was a pioneer and leader in irrigated agriculture in the state of Washington. Prior to his passing in 2017, he was serving as president of the Port of Pasco and urging continued investment in Franklin County to spur economic development.
The past year has been a momentous one for the Kennewick Irrigation District (KID). It has continued to make significant strides forward to protect and secure our water supply, which our community depends on to make the desert bloom.
As the saying goes, when one door closes, another open — or sometimes a limited window of opportunity. Such is the case of the Washington apple industry with the recent negative market impacts from retaliatory tariffs in export markets, and the availability of additional marketing funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Washington wine industry has surged in recent years. As one of the state’s top agricultural products, which draws tourists and local enthusiasts alike, an industry that started as a small part of the state’s economy has propelled itself into the second largest producer of wine in the United States.
Eastern Washington’s 150,000 dairy cows are well known for producing high-quality milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. But increasing attention is being paid to a very different product produced by these amazing animals.
The Vit Plant has entered this new decade looking different than ever before because of significant progress made in 2019 toward commissioning facilities and systems that will start to vitrify waste in the next three years.
This will be a year of prideful transition for CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Co. (CHPRC). As our contract ends, I invite readers, stakeholders and all Hanford employees past and present to share our pride in the incredible cleanup progress we made during the past 11-plus years on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Hanford is one of this country’s greatest public works projects, both during a national security mission that lasted for more than four decades in the last century and during its current cleanup mission.
The topic of climate change continues to boil to the top in the midst of presidential election debates, with all candidates having their own ideas about the national energy portfolio needed to reduce carbon footprints. Meanwhile, as the debate goes on, several states and utilities have committed to being carbon free by 2050.
When construction began at the Hanford Site in 1943, few could have imagined the evolution from plutonium production for the Manhattan Project, to the Cold War, to environmental cleanup and a new National Park. Today, supporting the Department of Energy’s (DOE) One Hanford mission, the site begins a new decade and continues to be one of the great public works projects of the century.
The Richland campus of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is getting set for several significant facility additions and actions, including an estimated $90-million-dollar facility currently referred to as the Energy Sciences Capability (ESC).
The Tri-Cities is an amazing place, and it is exciting to see it moving forward. At the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we are proud of our contributions to our community and the world. From basic scientific research to practical solutions to vexing problems, PNNL is doing its part to make a difference.
Over the last few decades, the Tri-Cities has made considerable investment in creating opportunities for children to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with Delta High School and a number of STEM-focused schools opening.
Veolia Nuclear Solutions – Federal Services (VNSFS) is the U.S. nuclear operations company of Veolia, delivering Veolia’s global capabilities to the U.S. government and across North America.
In late 2018, HPM Corp. was competitively re-awarded the Hanford Occupational Medical Services contract. HPM Corporation Occupational Medical Services (HPMC OMS) is one of the largest occupational medicine programs among all U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites.
In 2019, the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) celebrated 25 years of volunteer service to the citizens of the Pacific Northwest. Over 300 well-researched consensus advice letters, technical white papers and flow charts were developed and issued to leaders of the Tri-Party Agreement agencies.
Given this opportunity to share with Tri-City Herald readers, I’ve created a few headlines of my own to highlight the progress experienced by our foundation, its affiliated Mid-Columbia STEM Network and our many community partners in 2019.
This year will be my first as the general manager of the Benton PUD. After more than 33 years as an engineer and manager in the power business, I am excited for the opportunity to lead an organization like Benton PUD with such a long tradition of excellence and high standing in our communities. While we have some big challenges ahead, our incredible team of highly skilled and dedicated employees together with strategic investments in advanced technology and infrastructure are reasons for optimism.
Washington state took steps down a path to become a greener, cleaner state last May when Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Clean Energy Transformation Act into law. CETA requires a phase-out of coal generation by 2025; greenhouse gas neutral generation by 2030; and 100% carbon-free electricity generation by 2045.
NV5, through its Richland-based wholly owned subsidiary Dade Moeller, is committed to continuing Dade Moeller’s 26-year reputation for providing the Tri-Cities with excellence in occupational and environmental health and safety consulting. In last year’s Progress Edition, we committed to expanding the solutions we deliver and increasing our focus on objectives that are important to our community.
The Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) is a unifying voice that stimulates and sustains a vibrant regional economy by fostering economic growth and prosperity. Our non-profit corporation focuses on fulfilling this mission by working in three strategic objective areas:
2019 marked the 50th anniversary of Visit Tri-Cities. It was a year filled with innovation, collaboration and significant achievements – further expanding the visitor economy, driving economic impact and ultimately enhancing quality of life in the Tri-Cities.
The Tri-City Regional Chamber is a convener for leaders and influencers, a catalyst for business growth and a champion for a strong community. We are excited to share the work being done and where our focus will be, and to play our part in driving growth and success in the Tri-Cities.
Over the past years, the Progress Edition article from the Pasco Chamber of Commerce has always featured an element of the importance of the Lower Snake River Dams to our region and the Northwest. Once again, this year is no different.
Members of the Tri-Cities Local Business Association are local businesses and labor organizations that support the Department of Energy’s Hanford cleanup mission. They are essential to the Hanford workforce, providing high-value scientific, engineering, technical and skilled labor services.
The Tri-Cities Research District (TCRD) is kicking off 2020 with its newly redesignated Washington State Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ). The Tri-Cities IPZ is the catalyst for collaboration between public and private industries to prioritize technological and industrial innovation on the TCRD campus.
Scout Clean Energy has been working to develop a wind energy project in Benton County, and this year is anticipated to reach important milestones for permitting and construction. The Horse Heaven Wind Farm project will be just south of the Tri-Cities and would bring up to 600 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to the Tri-City region and Washington state.
The national and state economies expanded at its long-term growth rates, but economic growth momentum is showing signs of slowing as the economic expansion matures. The Benton and Franklin regional economy proved robust in 2019, defying any downturn fears by continuing upward growth in almost all aspects economic activities.
What a difference a year makes when it comes to building new homes in Tri-Cities! Last year at this time, we were on lockdown by freezing temperatures and piles of snow, which delayed many new home starts for weeks. This year, we had a very mild winter, which caused no real slowdown of any kind and allowed home building to continue at a rapid pace.
In 2020, after 25 years in one location, the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCG) will move to a new office that will be more functional to our agency’s staff and members.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 7:11 PM.
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