Article
appeared in the Tri-City Herald Progress Edition on
Feb 13th 2004.
Last
year, the Walla Walla Valley was fortunate to have a
relatively strong economy despite economic challenges
at the state and national levels. Walla Walla’s
unemployment rate was one of the lowest in the state
of Washington. Job growth from 2002 to 2003 has been
steady at approximately 2.5% and new construction values
during the same period of time grew by $199 million.
Walla Walla’s economic success is directly related
to its diverse economy. No one industry or company dominates
our economy. Employment is spread out among a host of
manufacturing, government, agriculture, wholesale and
retail jobs as illustrated by the pie chart below:
As
the lead economic development agency for Walla Walla
County the Port of Walla Walla will be focusing on projects
that further strengthen and diversify our economy in
2004.
Four-Laning
U.S. Highway 12 Burbank to Walla Walla
Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Highway 12 Coalition,
substantial progress is being made on the four-laning
of U.S. Highway 12 between Burbank and the City of Walla
Walla.
The
U.S. Highway 12 Coalition was formed in August 2001
by a group of public agencies and private businesses
to develop a comprehensive strategy to advance Walla
Walla’s long sought after goal of four-laning
U.S. Highway 12.
Last
year, several major milestones were achieved. In February,
Congress approved $4.4 million for the project. In May,
the Washington State Legislature approved a state transportation
revenue package, which added $32.5 million for U.S.
Highway 12. Enough money has now been secured to construct
a four-lane divided freeway from Burbank to the Wallula
Junction. Planning efforts are currently underway to
determine the four-lane footprint from Wallula Junction
to the City of Walla Walla.
In
January of this year Congress approved an additional
$4 million as part of the 2004 appropriation bill. This
money will be used for design and right of way acquisition
for Phase 6, which encompasses the first nine miles
of highway from the city of Walla Walla to McDonald
Road near Lowden.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Congressman George Nethercutt
have been leading the way at the federal level to obtain
funding. Senator Maria Cantwell has also been supportive.
At the state level, Senator Mike Hewitt and Representative
Bill Grant, Dave Mastin and Shirley Hankins deserve
credit for making sure U.S. Highway 12 was included
in the state transportation package.
In
2004 the Port will be seeking a 2005 federal appropriation
of $4 million along with a TEA-21 federal reauthorization
request of $29.7 million. If successful Phase 6 construction
will commence in the fall of 2006.
Burbank
Industrial Park – Public Water System
In order to diversify the tax base and create family
wage jobs for the Burbank community, the Port has begun
efforts to develop a new industrial park. In December
2002, after many years of effort, the Port successfully
traded 122 acres of wetland property located at the
confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers to the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service in return for 158 acres
of developable property adjacent to U.S. Highway 12.
Since
acquiring the property, the Port has created an industrial
park master plan to help guide its future use. The Plan
envisions a mixed-use development including light industrial
and commercial areas in an attractively landscaped industrial
park environment.
The
Port is currently in the process of planning a new public
water system to serve the Burbank site. In addition
to meeting the needs of the industrial park, the new
system will have the capacity to serve other surrounding
water districts should they need additional source in
the future.
In
2004 the Port will be seeking state and federal financial
assistance for the construction of the public water
system.
Enhancing
Commercial Air Service
Last year Horizon Air reduced the frequency of commercial
air service to Walla Walla from four flights per day
to three flights per day due to a decline in passenger
boardings. In response, the Port embarked on an aggressive
program aimed at increasing local passenger boardings.
The Port was able to convince Horizon to lower airfares
to Seattle to $135 each way. In addition, the Port worked
with Horizon’s partner airlines to offer reasonably
priced connecting fares to major east coast and west
coast destinations. An aggressive advertising campaign
followed publicizing the lower airfares. As a result
passenger counts increased during the last quarter of
2003 and Horizon has again scheduled a fourth flight.
In
2004, the Port will closely monitor passenger boarding
levels. It is critical that the Port and Horizon continue
to work together to find the right mix of frequency
and pricing to make our market profitable.
Conclusion
To learn more about the Port’s economic development
initiatives I would encourage you to visit three informative
websites:
James
M. Kuntz
Executive Director
Port of Walla Walla |
News
Release