City of Richland: On the right track for growth and prosperity

Great success is only achieved through hard work, perseverance and the ability to adapt when facing challenges. This was never more apparent than this past year as the City of Richland and our entire region overcame insurmountable obstacles from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite them, together we were able to adjust for continued growth and prosperity.

Richland is a full-service city providing police, fire, emergency medical and regional dispatching; utilities of electric, water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, ambulance and broadband; streets, and parks and public facilities maintenance, a landfill and a public library. With such a list of public services, the majority being essential, our continuity of operations amid the COVID-19 crisis, was critical.

Most city facilities were forced to close per state mandates, but our services remained intact. All in-person services were transitioned to virtually. This included utility billing, business licensing, inspections, planning, permitting, library, recreation and all public meetings. New technologies were adopted and existing technologies expanded to meet the needs of our customers. Even our online city maps were streamlined to be more interactive.

The city was successful in securing COVID-19 related funding. Utilizing the CARES Grant, the city provided over $500,000 to residents for utility bill assistance.

Richland building permits are on the rise and housing occupancy is at an all-time high. Richland’s long-awaited Park Place Development at 650 George Washington Way is set to open this spring. This development dramatically improves the entryway to our city and downtown business core.

Additional developments are nearing completion in Horn Rapids. They include new retail businesses that will service the ever-expanding homes in the neighborhood.

Looking ahead, the city is on track for several public safety, transportation and quality of life improvements. Construction has begun on two new public safety response stations; Station 75 and the relocation and replacement of Station 73.

Station 75 will provide better coverage in the northcentral and northeast corners of the city, and Station 73 will allow for quicker response times in the northwest corner, including the rapidly growing Horn Rapids residential and commercial areas. Both stations are expected to be fully operational by fall.

Major improvements are underway along Columbia Park Trail, from Fowler Street to the Reach Museum. This includes dedicated bicycle and pedestrian features, street lights, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and streetscapes on both sides.

The city is moving forward with planning improvements on South George Washington Way to reduce traffic congestion and improve travel efficiency through central Richland. It includes upgrading and reconfiguring the intersection at Columbia Point Drive.

Additional street and pedestrian safety improvements include the installation of pedestrian crossings at Jadwin Avenue and Catskill Street, and George Washington Way and Newton Street. The construction of the Center Parkway South Extension will complete a segment of the south Richland collector street system, improving connectivity to future development south of Gage Boulevard. Progress will continue on the City’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. This multi-year project implements new meters and infrastructure that records energy and water use wirelessly. This eliminates the need for manual readings, increases efficiency and reliability of the data and offers time-of-use rates for customers.

Richland is on the right track for continued growth and prosperity. Our City Council and staff are dedicated to providing efficient and cost-effective services to citizens. We look forward to the new challenges that 2021 will bring and have a renewed sense of optimism. By working together, we can overcome any obstacle and continue to make Richland the best place to live, work, play and visit.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 12:50 AM with the headline "City of Richland: On the right track for growth and prosperity."